| Strictly Elvis No. 6 October, 1968HELP WAN Tap © 2 Hithere Presiey people. I would like to st off by saying Tam sorry for the delay fin this month's S.E. Lcaught a case of the Hong Kong fla or whatever it (s that's going around these days. ‘The big news this month is the new slam fle. Quite a change of pace for Elvis. Read fll about ie inside. Final word hasn't bean released yet whether the TV special will be one hour, 90 ininutes, oF two hours. T might as well get to the point of this month's intro, As you have heard betore "The only way S., will he a success ia it you spread the word." Let's look at it an= other way, $,E, WILL NOT be a success you DON'T help. We can all just sit back and comment about the magazine, but ne: Publication can survive without subscriptions. Tovould like to ask each one of you co wow for §.B. (and Elvis) this month and try ant get ONE new subseviption. Surely you ean Hid ONE person who is an Elvis fan and ‘would Like to receive SE, If every reader does this, S.E. will have a new look next month.,.;.,;mainly, more pages. MORE ELVIS. Please do your shave Strictly for EMey Rocky Barraway an elvis fan club by Betty Jo Gills Vive been asked many times jist what is the purpose of an Elvis fan club and why do we do it, What do the members do, ect, Having bbeen a prexie for seven happy years, U hasten to say, the reasons are so wide and varied, space limits us to liat but afew. ‘They are as follows. First and foremost, a fan club's primary function is to work for and boost Elvis in every Way possible. Like spreading the word Of his genuine greatness to one and all as a top world singer/actor. Remind others of ‘his winning achtevements; awarded to Elvis from every corner of the world, Alert people ‘in general on every phase of his magical car- eer and goodness as a person in his daily lite, These are but a few of the things Elvis fans 80 regularily to keep their star the Undisputed King. Obviously, Elvis fan elub members are is most loyal followers who delight in doing their part to publicize him. The EPFC pres~ dents keep them informed on carrent polls fon which to vote to hold Elvis! record as a top vote-getter intact, Letter writing is es- sential, Defense and thank you mail must be sent constantly to editors, critics, Dia, El- vis, his studios, and pen pals to exchange news and views on our boy. Members con~ sistently buy several copies of each Presley Single and album. They pay to see his movies over and over, Job or school does not pre vent them from spending hours making scrapbooks, collecting pix and clippings of the King's life and career. To a true Elfan this is all a labor of love and dedication. A way of He! ‘A presie does all the aforementioned things and more. Where a member :nay write one letter, he or she write ten or more at a sitting. Yearly club dues are pominal but necessary. They only partial- ly cover expenses of getting out bullitens, Journals, and postage. Current EP info is gathered from many sources to be passed along. Yes, it's work, but 20 rewarding land {ulflling. One makes suck wonderful, friendships and to be identified with a star 30 beloved as Elvis and knowing each one has a common interest in his fabulous car~ eer makes it all worthwhile, Fans the world around agree it's a privledge indeed to be a devoted booster and fan of Elvis Presley. An experience none of us would think of missing. Don't let your friends live an Elvis-less existence. Get them to keep in touch with the world's most exciting star by joining an Elvis fan club. Elvis fan clubs, worldwide, are a rec ognized and mighty force of loyalty ever standing back of their star, They will con= fine to-do all in their onited power to hold Elvis the reigning King of the whale wni~ verse of entertainment and song,MEMPHIS We arrived in Memphis somewhere around four in the afternoon. Not having been there before, Iwas completely lost. T stopped in at three different gas stations on the way and ask- ed where highway 51 South was, All three of the attendents said, "Ob, your're going to Elvis house aren't you?” “The report between the eeident of Memphis and Elvis was certainly a noticeable aspect of the elty, ‘We were fortunate to et a motel aout a half-mile from Graceland. Twas finally there. ‘This will sound kind of funny, but after waiting twelve years to go to Memphis, I was seared to go to Elvis! house. I just sat In the motel Tor a while and thought to myself, "you're here, you're actually in Memphis." To an average American, Memphis 1s just another citys... large metropolis like Chicago or Dallas. But to an Elvis fan it means so much mare, If you haven't been to Memphis, I can't really describe the feeling of driving down highway 51 and then spotting Graceland. Of course we have all seen countless ptctures of the house and SHOULD be Able to spot it... But encountering it for the Ist time almost leaves you breathless. No, there aren't any signs pointing the way to Plvis' hhouse oF tourist stands on the Sidewalk, but you knew you were there just the same Graceland really is beautiful and it isn't hard to see why Elvis has chosen this as home ‘when he could live in Hollywood or anywhere else he chose, It is really something. ‘The firat picture on the next page shows a shot of the grounds as you are driving up to- wards the house, ‘The second picture is the hhouse itself.- ‘There is a constant stream of traffic going up to drive past Graceland. At least one out of three cars stopped and got out to take some picteres. I drove up and got out, walking up to a man with B, P, mosogrammed on his shirt From pictures, I knew this was Mr, Vester Presley, Elvis! uncle, [told him that wrote S.E, and showed him a copy. He recognized iC and aaid that he had seen one or two We sat down on a swing in front of the house and just talked for a while, Normally, being At Graceland and talleing to Elvis! uncle, whol hhad never met before, would make me nervous, think, But Vester is s0 nice and so Nreal that I felt right at home, Besides Vester , Elvis! cousin was there and a few af the people ho work at Graceland, EVERYONE present ‘waa really nice and made me feel like I fit in There was, as T stated, a constant flow of cars coming in and Vester kept getting up 10 show the people the best camera angles and to take pletures of children, Tt was obvious that he Toves children a great deal, I asked Vester how many people visited the house ina day. He sald between 500 and 6,000 people a day in the "busy" season. Some of the other questions Tasked Mr, Presley were as follows R: What is Elvis up to right now? Vi He just finished the movie, and now he is ‘working the next four Weeks on the TV special. He hasn't had any vacation at all in quite some R: Is there any truth to the rumor that Elvis may retire? Vi No. He bas movie contracts up until 1989, He...well, it's his life now. R: Do you think Elvis ever gets tired of this constant adulation he vecelves wherever he oes? Vi Probably, but I'm sure he would miss tt if it ever stopped. He 1s still mobbed everywhere he goes. R: Does Elvis still have the "Circle G!! ranch? Vs Yes, but he plans to sell it, R: What are your favorite films Elvis has done? Vi Like the serious ones...the ones with Less singing and more chance for Elvis to act. This fe what he favors too. Rs Do you live here at Graceland? Vs No, This is 100 spooky...too big for me. R: Tunderstand Elvis has quite a few pets here at Graceland, Is that right? V: We've got two horses, 1 monkey, 2 dogs, some chickens, 3 peacocks and a whole bunch of ducks, There used to be a chimp here. Elvis sent him to school, He drank Pepsi... some of the guys around here taught him to smoke. R: Does Elvis still drink a lot of Pepsi? Vs By the barrel.a R: How about Flying; Does Elvis fly more often now? ' Vs He still is opposed to it, but itis almost necessary with bis scheldvle. It's five days against four hours. He flys almost every - where now. R: Can you think of anything humorous that hhas happened here at Graceland? Ve The last time Blvis was home, he was riding hs motorbike on the lawn, ‘This lady was driving by and started watching him. Ske kept looking at bim and ran into a tuck, 1 saw her down at the bank the next day and she wanted to sue Elvis for making her have an accident. She didn't have to look, did she? Lot's of crazy things happen around here, Vester got up to take some pictures for a family of fifteen or so in front of Graceland, Tolanced at my watch and realized that T ynad been there for over three hours, It was really nice meeting some of the fans who had come to Memphis, like myself, Imet some girls from Sweden, Mexico... people were there [rom all over. There is more to the story of Graceland than it Just being the kin of tourist attract - fon that it ia, Elvis lets his fane come and walk Fight up to the front door, No price is charged and the atmosphere is completely frienily in every way. Tasked Vester if any trouble had ever occurred there. He told me the reason it hadn't is because they tried ro treat everyone as a friend. Here is a picture of Mr, Vester Presley and myself at Graceland, T would like to thank Vester for being so great about everything (I mast have asked him, 2,000 questions or 20). From Graceland, I went to the old "Sun!" recording studio. They have moved since 1956 toa newer Location. went to the new building, fnd talked with Mr, Sam Phillips (whe started tall) and his orothers. I got some fabslous pictures and stories that will be related in the NAIL Sun'" issue in the future, T wouldn't feel right going to Memphis and not stopping olf to see Gary Pepper and his family. Me, and Mrs, Pepper are as nice as can be and Gary is just wonderful, Blvis hat couldn't have a more devoted admirer and friend. Gary has his walls full of pictures of Elvis. He has some personal gifts that Elvishas given him. If you are a fan of Elvis', you have, no doubt, heard of Gary. No one ever worked harder for Elvis than did Gary when his club was going. Gary's father 8 a guard at the Graceland gates and Mrs. Pepper helps Gary. ‘with the large amount of mail he receives. { kidded Gary by telling him it looked like he re ceived more mail that Blvis...so he must be more popular. If you would like to weite to a wonderful person, who is a great friend af El- vis, Gary's address is: Gary Pepper, 193 Eva Street, Memphis, Tennessee, I'm sure Gary ‘would love to hear from you, Twas really sorry I didn't have more time to spend with Gary and his parents, but I pro- mised to pay them another visit and [intend to do just that. You'll never find nicer people Here is a shot of Gary and Mr. and Mrs, Pep- per Thope these three articles have given you a eile idea of what happened on the trip. Tis al- most impossible to cram one of the greatest weeks in your life into a few short paragraphsNEWS OF THE MONTHeo Dear Rocky, Elvie just returned from Arizona with four weeks growth of beard, and looks great. Iwas up at his house Tuesday and he came out for 25 minutes or 30, Thad my picture taken with him. Thope it comes out; he had his arm around me ! 1 don't need to tell you that J didn’t need a car to drive home in Tm enclosing a photo I took of Elvis and his father. He really looks tired. Elvira (his maid) aid ke was at the studlo fourteen hours. Elvis fs just wonderful. Like Tuesday..-he drove the car up to the house, then came down to the gate fand talleed with his fans (after working hard all day). Know of any other star who would do this? T told him how beautiful T thought "If T Could Dream" was when he taped it for the TV special. Someone else said he will have all kinds of new fans after the show is shown. Elvis said, "Sure, all kinds throwing bricks and sticks and Il be black and blue. Sofar, Elvis doesn't sing in "Charro." T certainly hope they finally let Elvis prove his wonderful acting talent. Vim also enclosing a photo I took on March 7, with Blvis and his leading lady in "Live ALit- tle, Love A Little! or as Elvis says, "Love A Lot." Hope you like these pictures, 1 best run for now so you can work on your great magazine. Elvisly, Hedda HollingsworthELVIS CONVENTIONNEW SINGLE A Little Less Conversation (2:00) Here Is one of the songs that we told you would be in "Live 4 Little, Love a Little" way back In SB. no. 4. This record just has to bbe called a change of pace for Elvis. It starts off with a real fanky "fatback"' dram pattern . ‘Then the bass joins in with a tricky rhythmical pattern, “A Little Less Conversation" is closer fo pare rhythm and blues shan anything Elvis thas done for quite awhile. Other points of in= terest are the horns and the female voices in the background (Although the Jordanaires are sted on the record), ‘This combination gives the record something similar to an "Aretha Franklin" sound; with the added advantage of Elvis, Yes, let's not overlook Elvis! voice on this record, I would have to classify it as I think it {st GREAT (as usual). If there 15 any type oF style of music that Elvis CAN'T sing, Thaven't come across it. Elvis races through some tricky lyrics like @ train doing 90 miles an hour, All in all, this zecord has all. of the ingrediants for chart success PLUS, This is a record that is totally different, yet it stillis ‘bubbling over with that "Presley magic." This record can't mias being Elvis! fourth big suc - cers ina row. So come on, come on} don't pro- eractinate. rush out and bay 4 copy af this re- cord (if you haven't already). and now let's take a look at the other side. Almost ia Love (3:00) If you ever hear anyone say "All of Elvist records sound alike, play him both sides of the new single. This side ie a complete change from "Conversation." Many fans have requested ‘2 song with a full orchestral backing, and heve it is. The song opens with a smooth guitar and kind of floats into.a smooth setting for Elvis in one of his greatest ballad voices. Be there no doubt about i, this song spells out "class" with a capital C. ‘The melody, lyrics, and backing are all excellent, This is a song that many fans will play over and over again. Of special merit are the string and trombone solos in the record and, as always, Bl- vis Presley. SM OO T H The Verdict Really, both sides are so different that this single {s kind of a milestone for a sound track single, Personally, Tfavor the "beat" side 4 it scems to be a little more comercially geared for today's market (plus the fact that I simply pre~ fer it best). Make no mistake, both sides are a winner from any angle, AN EXCELLENT RECORD ‘The next time you are troubled by not knowing what to buy for a friend's birthday, remember how much pleasure you have gotten out of Elvis! LPs. And Femember, there are now 32 different albums to choose from,ELVIS EXCHANGE would Like to exchange English Elvis records for American Elvis records, T would algo like to hear from as many Elvis fans as possible. Desmond Parker 91 Camlauseway Chestenton Cambridge ENGLAND New color photo of Elvis and Priscilla taken in Hawaii recently. This is the best photo of them Thave ever seen. A Sx7 costs $1.25 plus two seams, Carl Obermeier 1421 $.F, S2nd Avenue Portland, Oregon 97266 1 am interested in all foreign Fivis releases different to those released in the states. Would deeply appreciate hearing from fans who would like to help. Also need "Sun" releases, HMV, ‘The Truth About Me, The 2 EP package release icom '56, and the LP--The Castaway Strings Play Elvis. Wayne Warfield Box 326 Aberdeen, Ma. 21001 Gti)SUCH AN EASY QUESTIONSUBSCRIPTION RATES USA__ENGLAND. 1 year (12 issues) $6 50/- 6 months (6 issues) 3 25/- Back issues ‘Taues mimBer 1-5 (each) Sof 4/- Overseas readers, please send International Money Order or currency... British Postal Orders are not redeemable in the USA, IMPORTANT Overseas readers: When taking out a subscription, please enclose your name land address on a post card or a letier and send Into me. Almost 50% of the IMOs have incom= plete oF incorrect addresses. ELVIS EXTRAS Item A: ELVIS TRADING CARDS COMPLETELY SOLD OUT! Thase of you who Fave ordered and nat Fecelved your sets yet, please be patient as Tam trying to obtain the Tast few acta left in the USA, IT am unsue~ cessful, your money will be refunded. Glossy 8 x 108, A wide assortment (our choice) of stills and candid shots of Elvis are now available through SLE. 3 difgerent 8x 10s... 2118200) Item C: "Stay Away, Joe" by Dan Cushman. The no- holds-barzed novel that the movie was based on Very interesting if you like spicy reading. Paperback version. -....cscesseseee 5 Item D: F Super Sound. A large book (130 pages) pul out by Singer Co, who will sponsor Elvis! TY spec fal. This book has the latest on all the acts pop- lar in show business today including The Bee Gees, James Brown, and (of course, Elvis, It contains pictures of Elvis and other stars, Super Sound Book, ve $L 25 Dutch readers can send new subscriptions to myself OR Ton van den Maagdenberg. 00000000000000000000000000000000, Last month, we mentioned about the huge contest that would be announced in this month's §.E, Due to the fact that Thaven't finished securing all of the prizes. Tthink that when you see the list, It will be well worth waiting for. The complete an- nouncement will be in nest month's issue. Don't forget to vote for Elvis in all the pop music polls this year. Right now, the big issue at hand fs the Playboy Jazz Poll, Elvis can win, bat it Will take some doing. Vote. Vote. Vote.THE MEMPHIS MAILBAG First and foremost, congratulations on turning out such a great magazine as "Strictly Elvis. If you have any spare roon in your magazine, T ote Hike you to print my name and address, 1 would like to correspond with any U.S, fan of Elvis!, Tam 22 years old. Miss Carclyn Botterill 31, Spinney Hill Road Northampton ENGLAND Gould you please snnounce in §,E, about Play- boy magazine's poll so all the readers will know about the contest. The entry blank will be in the October issue. Perhaps Elvis can do better fn the poll this year than he has done previously. Shirley Clemons. TL First of all, let me state that your magazine ts great. The only drawback is that you don't make the money matter very clear. With British money beeing different to yours, could you do something like this ($2.50 = L2iS, Of course, you only need do this when it applies to Great Britain. R. Taylor... England I think Elvis ie wonderful. T would like Elvis land everyone else to know that Lisa Marie was born on my birthday. Tam very proud and honored, Cathy Felice. .. Tex. EE Would it be possible te print the words te some of Elvis! songs like you did in the issue with the songs from "Stay Away, Joe?" Me. W.G, Edwards... Eng. We are all very anxious to see the Elvis TV spec~ fal this Christmas. All we can do is hope a n d ray that we will have the good fartune {0 see it ‘on our screens, as you lucky people will. I feel Sure that this is the start of better and bigger things to come from Elvis, The future for him looks brighter than ever, if that is possible. Peter Wilson, .« Australia One reader outside the U.S. suggested listing the chart positions of LPs and singles but I think this is silly because Tknow here in L, A, Elvis! records sell well bat hardly ever get fon the radio charts, Other fats have told me this is true in their part of the country too, Maureen Jones... California Last Friday "Love Me Tender” was re-shown fon TV and this Friday "Vegas" is ons... then "Paradise'' on Sunday. Quite a feast of Elvis, movies, It was good to see Elvis looking = good. Joan Williams. ..Calif, My sister and Ihad the great fortune to see a “eneale" of "Live A Lite, Love A Little." [ couldn't possibly tell you how much T enjoyed it i Twas allowed the whole book, Twill say this, it ix definately Elvis! best movie. I'm sure that when the majority of the fans see it, they will agree. 1. Munch. Calif