| By Jean Robinson Click On Photos to Enlarge |
| Keith and I arrived in Memphis for Elvis Week 2007 on August 9th about 6.00 pm. By the time we had picked up our hire car, checked in at the Heartbreak Hotel, gone up to Walmart for supplies, eaten shrimp and bought Krispy Kreme donuts…..Swirly ones, ones with Sprinkles and Chocolate with custard… none of that stale shit…. Lol…we were ready to walk across the road to the gates of Graceland. The gates have been repaired and repainted since the last time we were there and it was a real thrill to be there by ourselves, taking pictures and getting our first glimpse of the house that was to occupy our hearts and minds for the next ten days. Friday 10th We were up and raring to go in the intense heat the next morning…a quick chat with Argo at the Sirius Radio booth and we were walking up to the Meditation Garden to pay our respects to Elvis. It wasn’t too busy and we met up with Helga , before heading back to the Heartbreak Hotel for a nice breakfast. Our first tour of Graceland and the Museums was at 10.30 and we realised waiting in the line just how unrelenting the heat was going to be. Helga was with us and we enjoyed sharing her first tour of Elvis’ home. Graceland looked wonderful, it had really been spruced up for the Anniversary..we took lots of photos in every room and in the grounds. We spotted things we have talked about in our hard-core Elvis discussions….the mark on the hall ceiling where the repairs were made when Elvis shot the toilet in his bathroom above, the way Elvis shut off the upstairs to make it his own private sanctuary. We peeked behind curtains as instructed by Co-Manager Krein and took pics of what was behind there. There is a patio that leads t0 the music room. In the Meditation Garden we met Kelvin and Gray, (now known as Elvis Gresley after wearing his blue suede shoes), and sat and had a nice chat with them..it was quite peaceful sitting just at the side there in the shade of Elvis’ trees. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Car Museum…just love those cars….. looking round the planes….love the seat belts on the bed…..the After Dark Exhibit…not much in here but one of our favourite exhibits…the outfit Elvis wore to visit Nixon, complete with the Hilton Belt….My Boy, My Boy!!!!! Later in the week a gun was stolen from here and later found in a nearby toilet. A real highlight was the Jumpsuit Exhibition in the Sincerely Elvis building….over 50 jumpsuits from the simple karate ghis of 1969 to the very elaborate embroidered suits of the mid 70’s…. some obvious ones were missing but I have to say I was quite overwhelmed by seeing all these suits together…I guess I had a “moment” In the evening we went with Kelvin and Gray to Marlowes in their pink Cadillac limo for delicious ribs and a great night out – I laughed so much I was choking on my beer, and we were lucky enough to get to chat to Suzanna Leigh - just had to name drop the Ol' Cool Namedroppers name to her…LOL She sat down next to Keith and was there so long I thought my meal was going to go cold….LOL We also met UE and EER’s Duke Brando, who has the dream job of chef in the pit at Marlowes…he spends every day at work chatting to Elvis people, fans and watching Elvis on the screens there….what a lovely guy he is!!!! Saturday 11th We were up once again to do the early morning Walk Up to the Meditation Garden. It was noticeably busier today as more people were arriving for Elvis Week. But we managed to place our Ultimate Elvis Tribute and pink roses on Elvis’ grave and take a couple of photos to share with you. We also put our tributes and messages for Elvis on the Wall Of Love, including all our Members, and our friends at EER and a special message for Joe and Elvis2001. We checked out of the Heartbreak Hotel after breakfast to move Downtown to the Red Roof Inn, a little motel in a very handy position just near Sun Studios and about ten minutes drive from Graceland…at least it was ten minutes on those days we got the 240 and the 55 Interstates sorted out…LOL Having settled in we decided to cool off in the pool – and this proved to be such a blessing all week…..the hotel was not big and fancy, but it had what must have been the best pool in Memphis, just perfect for chilling and chatting and having a little swim….as long as you didn’t stay in too long and go wrinkly, huh, Kelvin? LOL We went into town, had a look round in the Peabody, saw the ducks…LOL….and got a lovely picture with Mr Lansky just as he was leaving. We then grabbed something to eat and headed off to the baseball….it was an Elvis themed night as a kick off to the Week…we had the best seats and although it was still very hot it was nice to sit and take everything in….the Memphis Redbirds beat Omaha, coming from behind in the 8th Innings and we were treated to Elvis on the big screen and fireworks - a spectacular start to Elvis Week! Sunday 12th We had a special treat in store this morning….we took a taxi down to the Cook Convention Centre for the President’s Event. This is an EPE event for Presidents of Official Fan Clubs and their guests…obviously we are neither a Fan Club nor Official, so you may wonder how come we managed to get in there…we have to thank Co-Manager Joe Krein and his daughter Kelsie, who IS an Official Fan Club President so got us tickets as her guests….. we got there nice and early and got seats right down at the front just a few seats away from our very own Tony King and Cathi Avenell..we had a lot of fun with them chatting and laughing and taking some interesting photos…we also met up with UE Member Briget and her friend Ann. We saw some cool footage of Elvis on screen…heard some cool stories from Jerry Schilling, Sam Thompson and Dick Grob before spending some time downstairs in the Elvis Expo Hall…..we dropped Joe’s name again to his friend Victoria Paige Meyerick and had a nice chat with her and took a couple of pictures. Keith had his picture taken with the infamous Elvis Bot which was on sale there – it was the scariest thing I have ever seen…and the Bot is pretty grotesque too…hehehe Keith! The guy there was trying to sell it with a price tag of over $300…we were stood there saying how crap it was…..he didn’t seem to be shifting many…errr….any! From there we strolled down to Beale Street, past various picturesque fountains where we got wet through trying to cool down…taking pics as we went! There was only one place we were heading and that was BB Kings…..Keith knew who would be in there – the Legendary Carl Darvin Drew….86 years young…and the Diva of Beale Street Miss Joyce Henderson…singing the Blues on Beale Street – very cool – we had a meal and a few drinks before looking in the shops on the way to the Peabody..where Keith collapsed on a comfy sofa for a while and I picked up our tickets for the Good Rocking Tonight Show later in the week….we had had enough of the heat so headed back to the wonderful hotel pool where we found Kelvin and Gray who had had the same idea! Monday 13th Early start to Tupelo…off at 8.00 am…it seemed to be getting hotter and hotter….. we spotted a Shoney’s on the way and Keith managed to find the way to it eventually – so we had a nice breakfast there – love those buffet breakfasts – crispy bacon, hash browns and loads of fruit! We visited the little shack where Elvis was born and the excellent museum which was set up by the late Janelle McComb, a friend of Elvis…I love this little museum, it seems very personal. We sat for a little while in the Chapel there which is a peaceful and cool refuge to have a little “moment” before heading off down to Main Street to find the Tupelo Hardware Store where Gladys bought Elvis his first guitar. I loved this store, it is like going back in time, a store which sells tools and household equipment just like it did 60 years ago…..and guitars of course. There was a party of Japanese fans there and it was great when one of them took down a guitar and started strumming Blue Suede Shoes – with his friend doing the vocal….a lovely moment! There was a copy of Tupelo’s Own book and DVD on the counter which we thought was very cool – they weren’t selling it – it was just there. There is a cross on the floor where little Elvis stood to buy his guitar, they have a few Elvisy souvenirs, pens, T-Shirts, screwdrivers…LOL….but are not allowed to use Elvis’ image…..or name – so gifts say – Where Gladys Bought Her Son His First Guitar…….oh yes, and they have little pieces of the original glass counter from when Elvis was in there…we weren’t convinced about this – neither were a couple of Aussie guys we got talking to! LOL From the Hardware Store we crossed the road to the site of the Fairgrounds where Elvis appeared in 1956 and 57….not much of this area remains…the new City Hall building is there and housing but we managed to complete our mission which was to recreate the famous Tupelo “moment” screaming fans outstretched hands to Elvis on stage in Tupelo…the likeness is uncanny, I’m sure you’ll agree….LOL I was beginning to suffer with the heat by early afternoon so we headed back towards Memphis …another mission to fulfil…we were determined to find the Circle G Ranch…or what is left of it. It’s surprisingly close to Graceland – about ten miles away just over the Tennessee/Mississippi State line. We knew the address and had seen it on Google Earth while doing our research for the trip so we drove down Goodman Road until we found it….how strange to find Elvis’ and Priscilla’s little honeymoon cottage just there on the side of the road! We looked for the cross and decided it was no longer there – the bridge that Elvis built across the lake is still there though and we managed to get good pictures of it…the little house was closed and pretty much derelict, it had, until recently, been a Flower Shop..it was a shame to see the whole area looking deserted and forlorn. But it was a thrill to find it. We have just found out that apparently the cross is still there but is in such a position that in the summer you just can’t see it from the road. If we had known this we would have trespassed to find that cross! We stopped off at the Mid South Coliseum where Elvis appeared in the seventies and got pics too of the Zippin Pippin at Libertyland…now closed, but hopefully the Pippin will stay in Memphis, though it was in very bad repair. As we were lost on the way back to our hotel, Keith said we were in a bad area and he wouldn’t want to stop the car….at the next junction we both yelled – STAX!!!! Stop the car!!!….and managed to get a photo at another Elvisy site! Back to hotel for a swim! Tuesday 14th Up bright and early again to get to Sun Studios for the first tour of the day…..Keith was hoping to have Eldorado Del Rey as our guide as he knew his enthusiasm for Sun from previous visits…and sure enough, we were lucky! Turns out he no longer works there and has moved to Florida but was back just for Elvis Week..as they were open two hours longer each day to cope with all the fans. I have been to Sun Studios twice now and find it hard to describe how I feel there – they play the music and you get the shivers and think – WOW – that was here…..and I love it in Marion’s Office thinking about what Elvis said there. I even got choked up outside when I said to Keith – He parked his truck just here! LOL The thought of young Elvis walking in there not realising that he is about to change the world is awesome..…very emotional place…I really love it! I knew that my friend and UE Member Johnny Shongo was due to tour Sun a little later so we waited for him…..it was great to get a hug from such a lovely young man! LOL We moved on to Humes High, now a Middle School and took a few pics before going to Lauderdale Courts. There we toured Elvis’ little apartment which is set up as it was when Elvis lived there….the banister outside the flat is original so I had to run my hand up it! We went upstairs then to meet June, an ex-pat who lives in the flat above Elvis, who we had got to know through EER and UE. We were very lucky to find June at home and enjoyed looking round her Elvis apartment…she has a lot of stuff that any of us might have….but she has a lot of real collectable stuff too, autographs, scarves, Elvis pants, Joe Petruccio prints…her flat is full of Elvis, we could have stayed there all day. While we were there we were interviewed and filmed by Helen and Erica from California for a documentary they are doing about Elvis fans. Helen has since joined UE and we are hoping to keep in touch. From there we followed June to Poplar Tunes where we bought an Elvis CD…well, you just had to! Then on to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated, then onto the Elvis Statue before having a drink in a bar on Beale Street. I ended up joining the singer in there for a line of Mustang Sally…Lol Ride Sally Ride….followed by a meal at the Hard Rock Café…..we were upstairs in their Elvis room and saw some really cool stuff….including the denim prison jacket from Jailhouse Rock and Keith’s fave, the red and white outfit from Frankie And Johnny complete with hat……and there’s a huge guitar outside – you just can’t miss it, huh Keith? LOL The evening was spent at the Peabody at the Good Rocking Tonight Show…it was great to see Terry Mike Jeffrey with his band, the TCB Band, the Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham. She can still sing those high notes and Give Me The Right and Indescribably Blue , both never before done on stage by any of them were fantastic! A highlight was having DJ Fontana and Ronnie Tutt on stage together with two drum kits side by side. Terry is a great singer and his tribute to the late Boots Randolph, playing sax and singing Reconsider Baby was wonderful….Boots should have been at this show! A highlight for me was when everyone was on stage together singing Swing Down Sweet Chariot…fantastic! It was great to meet Mandy and Barb here….she showed us her amazing photos of Elvis on stage which she took in Las Vegas in 1969, as well as other cool shots of her with Elvis! Lucky Lady! Wednesday 15th Keith had a real treat in store for me this morning…no expense spared….tickets for Jailhouse Rock on the big screen at the Malco cinema……bargain of the week - $5!!!! This was another highlight of the week…a remastered copy…it was fantastic to see this on the big screen……Elvis was brilliant, he looked brilliant, he sounded brilliant, I loved it!!!!! It was ….brilliant! And coming out we got free Elvis Reeses…LOL As we were in that part of town and had planned the logistics of this trip to perfection we called into Overton Park to see The Shell where Elvis appeared for the first time just after the release of That’s All Right – and was so nervous his leg started shaking! It is very run down, and you can no longer stand on the stage, the seats are very rickety looking…but we got some nice pictures there – no one else there, our timing excellent again! Just round the corner…and again…no one else there…we found Audubon Drive. There were trucks outside and the gate was open and a huge pile of sand on the drive…the builders were there! I thought it was worth a try as we were the only ones there and asked if we could go have a closer look…no luck, they were polite but closed the gates…it is a building site I guess and we were not allowed. We stood at the gates talking to the foreman about the work they were doing on the pool area and took a couple of pictures and then, the guy behind us with the truck came up to me with his hand clenched and said – shhhh….don’t tell anyone….and handed me four little mosaic tiles from Elvis’ pool….that was such a thrill…even Collector Krein would have to admit that! LOL I had seen a Perkins restaurant on our way to the cinema….that was the first ever restaurant I ate in in the USA with my family about 17 years ago – so we went there for a late brunch….hash browns again for me!!! Yum Yum! Of course, this was Vigil Day and we knew we would be up all night so decided to go back to the hotel for a swim and a bit of a rest before heading up to Graceland for what was to be a very difficult but very wonderful evening. We got up there about 5.00pm, rather early but we had to get a parking place. It was tremendously hot – well over 100 degrees as it had been all week. The atmosphere was already building and people were lining up against the wall of the house. We had a walk down Dolan Drive to look at Vernon’s house which we had spotted earlier from the grounds of Graceland…….and had a lovely cool moment standing in the lawn sprinkler at one of the houses backing onto Graceland….I would love to live down Dolan…it’s a lovely little street and seeing Elvis’ wall at the end of the back gardens was a weird feeling. I expect the residents take it for granted! LOL As they closed Elvis Presley Boulevard about 6.00pm people began setting up their tributes in the middle of the road…there were some wonderful, complex ones but I liked the simple ideas the best…we took a few pictures…..a huge pat on the back to the guys who set up a grid and made Elvis’ signature in candles, and kept them burning all night long……very cool. We met lots of friends during the evening, including UE members Johnny, Mandy and June, spent time eating ice cream in the diner – to cool down, spent an hour or so in the tents area listening to the singers there…both Colin Paul and Elvis Junior were very good..and their love for Elvis shone through. At about 11.00pm we managed to get a bench straight opposite Graceland and sat there with June and friends just watching the line of candles slowly moving up the drive, the house had been lit up upstairs by Lisa and the door was open……it was very surreal to just sit there, Elvis singing with all that going on all around us. We had been told not to join the line too early but to wait for the lull….of course, on this occasion the lull never happened so we decided to join the queue at 12.45am. It was just about the hardest thing I have ever done…my feet were screaming with pain, Keith kept taking his trainers off to ease his feet…..I was having those “moments” looking at the house and listening to Elvis singing all night long. We were in the line until almost 6.00am…..when we got into the grounds and had our candles lit from Elvis’ flame I was a real mess…he was singing Love Me Tonight, Loving You, The Last Farewell, Love Coming Down, Can’t Help Falling In Love, Take My Hand Precious Lord……I just concentrated on my candle as we slowly went up the drive past the house, looking so welcoming ….as we got to the grave and saw the huge pile of flowers we both shed a tear……it was just incredible – I didn’t know how I would feel…….we just walked away back down the drive glad to have done this for Elvis, we both felt it was important to stay there all night – to keep a Vigil…it was why we went there…and I think that being together at that special time meant a lot to us both. We got back to our hotel at about 6.30am. Thursday 16th Needless to say, we had a lie in….stayed around the hotel, sorting out photos at Walgreen’s, snacking at Arby’s before we went up to the Sleep Inn to pick up our Elvis The Concert tickets which had been left there for us by a third party. Then off to the Fed-Ex for Elvis The Concert…it was wonderful…we sat with a friend Paul Rouse, way up in the back, a great position for the fabulous sound and screen in the Fed-Ex. A bit far back for the people on stage but that would be rectified later on. The opening to this concert was incredible…..I was in tears watching “Elvis” getting ready at Graceland and walking down the stairs and through the Jungle Room to the helicopter to enter the arena…and then walking across the stage - oh wow! The show was great – Lisa was great. The Midnight In Vegas show, although maybe not as good as the first show but as we had front row seats it gave us the chance to see the people on the stage close up which was great – the sound wasn’t as good from the front but Elvis on that huge screen in TTWII was just awesome…BIG and YUMMY! The whole Concert was just amazing as I’m sure everyone who was there would say….it was announced by Priscilla that this was the last of these concerts…if this is the case then I’m happy to have been there. Friday 17th Susan arrived during the night, this was Keith and Susans time he had been waiting all week to see her, so with her friend Traci we went up to Graceland to take pics, do a little more shopping and then go back to Marlowes for lunch – it was a fun morning and we got to say goodbye to Duke before heading back to the hotel and chilling in the pool…kind of winding down….but we had a great night ahead of us!!!!! We went down to the Karaoke Bar on Beale and had a great night with Johnny, our very own drunken Irishman….just kidding Johnny! Lol And a very drunken Scotsman…..and our very own Kelvin up on stage there – I joined him for one song – See See Rider…he needed some Sweet Inspiration LOL Never thought I’d be up there on stage on Beale Street singing……I may have been slightly drunk – but that was very cool for me! Saturday 18th We had a tour of Graceland booked for lunchtime, and Kelvin came with us…..it was the Anniversary of his Mum’s death so we shared a “moment” or two outside in the garden, we got to see the two Aloha jumpsuits side by side, we laid another small tribute at the grave which was now piled high with flowers, cards, teddy bears etc. We wrote on the wall again and said goodbye to Elvis….I finally managed to chat on the phone to JB - and Joe ( again ). We made time for some last minute shopping and stopped off at Sun Studios to take a few pics at night time. We spent the evening at the hotel having a few beers and a party by the pool…our last night in Memphis. Sunday 19th We checked out of the hotel mid morning to head out to the airport. We just had time for a last few pics with Susan ...It was a very difficult time for both Susan and Keith having to say goodbye again...There were a few tears around. It was a dream week, and seems now like it was a dream….it was hard work getting to Memphis……but I think Keith will agree with me that it was worth it. Here are a few other pics we took during the week including the one Keith has named Queen Jean for some strange reason. |
| 30 Years On .... Elvis Is Still In The Building |
