Elvis Presley phenomenon

Elvis Presley, the singer and rock legend, continues on in a lasting legacy that resulted from a widespread Elvis Phenomenon of fans, legends, and their critics.

There are over 500 Elvis fan clubs in the United States of America (US) and they exist in every state except three: North Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming. According to the "American Demographics" magazine, 84% of the US people say that their lives have been touched by Elvis Presley in some way, 70% have watched a movie starring Presley, 44% have danced to one of his songs, 31% have bought an Elvis record, CD or video, 10% have visited Graceland, 9% have bought Elvis memorabilia, 9% have read a book about Presley, and 5% have seen the singer in concert. [See [http://www.elvispeople.com/about.jsp "Elvis People", A Play by Doug Grissom] .]

The fans

Music critic and Presley biographer Dave Marsh says about the singer's fans: "There are people in places that count in the world, and people in places that don't. He is the son of the people who don't count, and their shining star. That's what makes him unique and what people still respond to." ["How Big Was The King? Elvis Presley's Legacy, 25 Years After His Death." "CBS News", August 7, 2002.] A collection of essays entitled "The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media" critically examines what distinguishes fans from general audiences and explores the relationship between fans and their adored media products. Part of this volume is the article, "Fandom and Gender" which includes an examination of female fantasies of Presley. [See Lisa A. Lewis, "The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media" (1992).] To many of his female fans, the songs Presley sang "were secondary to his personality and the way he performed them," evoking the well-known emotional responses. [Roger D. Blackwell, Tina and Kristina Stephan, "Brands That Rock: What Business Leaders Can Learn from the World of Rock and Roll" (2003), p.33.] In her autobiographical article, "Sexing Elvis" (1984), Sue Wise even describes "how she came to terms with her lesbianism through a close identification with the feminine side of the King." [Quoted in Kate McGowan, "Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory" Volume 5 (2002), p.199.]

"Elvis's 'effect' on young girls threatened those men who assumed that young girls needed to be protected both from sex in general and from its expression in questionable characters like Elvis in particular." [Joel Foreman, "The Other Fifties: Interrogating Midcentury American Icons" (University of Illinois Press, 1996), p.136.] However, there were not only female fantasies directed at the star. According to Reina Lewis and Peter Horne, "prints of Elvis Presley appeared to speak directly to the gay community." [Reina Lewis and Peter Horne (eds.), "Outlooks: Lesbian and Gay Sexualities and Visual Cultures" (Routledge, 1996), p.20.]

"Perhaps it is an error of enthusiasm to freight Elvis Presley with too heavy a historical load", as, according to a public opinion poll among high school students in 1957, Pat Boone was "the nearly two-to-one favorite over Elvis Presley among boys and preferred almost three-to-one by girls"; yet, Presley "clearly outshines the other performers in Rock and Roll's first pantheon." [Philip H. Ennis, "The Seventh Stream: The Emergence of Rocknroll in American Popular Music" (Wesleyan University Press, 1992), p.251-252.] This poll should, however, be taken with a grain of salt as Presley had significantly more record sales than Pat Boone.

Commercial impact

There can be no doubt that it was primarily "the recording industry, which made Elvis Presley a mythical media demigod." [ Donald Theall, "Virtual Marshall McLuhan" (2001), p.129. See also Sylvere Lotringer and Sande Cohen (eds.), "French Theory in America" (2001), p.114.] "An excessive enterprise, empire and entity, Elvis appears on memorabilia and merchandise, in roadside relics and Graceland's gift shops; at fast food chains, in front yard flea markets and backyard shrines; World-Wide Web sites in cyberspace and sporting events; at parties and parades or as part of promotions, protests and pranks." [George Plasketes, "Images of Elvis Presley in American Culture, 1977-1997: The Mystery Terrain", p.3-4.] On August 16, thousands of die-hard Elvis fans travel to Graceland every year in order to celebrate the anniversary of Presley's death. [Cameron Tuttle, "The Bad Girls' Guide to Open Road" (1999), p.192.] The ritualization of the Elvis cult is also manifested most prominently through the many live performances by Elvis impersonators. [See Annalee Newitz, "White Trash: Race and Class in America" (1996), p.262.] According to Marjorie Garber, "The phenomenon of 'Elvis impersonators,' which began long before the singer's death, is one of the most startling effects of the Elvis cult." [Marjorie B. Garber, "Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing and Cultural Anxiety" (1997), p.369.] What is more, [http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/staff/lawdw/law6dw.htm David S. Wall] has shown that many authors who are writing books and articles on Presley are part of a "worldwide Elvis industry" which has a tendency towards supporting primarily a favorable view of the star. The content of the majority of these publications can be characterized as based on gossip about gossip, only occasionally providing some new surprising details. There are not many critical, unfavorable publications on Elvis's life. An example is Albert Goldman's controversial biography, "Elvis" (1981), in which the author unfavorably discusses the star's weight problems, his performing costumes and his sex life. Such books are frequently disparaged and harshly attacked by Elvis fan groups. Professor Wall has pointed out that one of the strategies of the various fan clubs and appreciation societies to which the bulk of Elvis fans belong is " 'community policing' to achieve governance at a distance... These organisations have, through their membership magazines, activities and sales operations, created a powerful moral majority" endeavoring to suppress most critical voices. "With a combined membership of millions, the fans form a formidable constituency of consumer power." [ [http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/eslj/issues/volume2/number3/wall.pdf David S. Wall, "Policing Elvis: legal action and the shaping of postmortem celebrity culture as contested space", "Entertainment Law", vol. 2, no. 3, 2004, 52-53.] ]

According to David Lowenthal, "Everything from Disneyland to the Holocaust Museum, ... from Elvis memorabilia to the Elgin Marbles bears the marks of the cult of heritage." [David Lowenthal, "The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History" (Cambridge University Press, 1998).] "When it's an exhibition of Elvis memorabilia," even Marilyn Houlberg, professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, "puts on the campy art-world hat and becomes a priestess of the Elvis cult." [James Elkins, "On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art" (2004), p.53.] A collector in Newark, New Jersey "paid nearly a billiondubious dollars for a messy nap-kin said to have been used once by Elvis Presley." [Ruffin Prevost, "Internet Insider" (1995), p.42.] Paul A. Cantor goes as far as to call the American Presley cult "a postmodern simulacrum of the German Hitler cult." [Paul A. Cantor, "Adolf, We Hardly Knew You." In "New Essays on White Noise." Edited by Frank Lentricchia (Cambridge University Press, 1991), p.53.] Some fan groups even refuse to accept the fact of the star's death in 1977 (see the "Elvis lives?" section of this article).

In his book "Elvis after Elvis: The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend" (1996), Gilbert Rodman traces in detail Presley's manifestations in contemporary popular and not-so-popular culture. He draws upon the many Elvis "sightings," from Elvis's appearances at the heart of the 1992 presidential campaign to the debate over his worthiness as a subject for a postage stamp, and from Elvis's central role in furious debates about racism and the appropriation of African-American music to the world of Elvis impersonators and the importance of Graceland as a place of pilgrimage for fans and followers. The author further points out that Presley has become inseparable from many of the defining myths of US culture, enmeshed with the American Dream and the very idea of the "United States," caught up in debates about race, gender, and sexuality, and in the wars over what constitutes a national culture.

Elvis' Singles Chart Information

ingles Charts

Elvis lives?

There is a belief in some quarters that Presley did not die in 1977. Many fans persist in claiming he is still alive, that he went into hiding for various reasons. This claim is allegedly backed up by thousands of so-called Elvis sightings that have occurred in the years since his death. [The Elvis Presley Online Store, " [http://elvis-lives.8m.com/iselvisalive.html Is Elvis alive or dead?] "] Critics of the notion state that a number of Presley impersonators can easily be mistaken for Presley and that the urban legend is merely the result of fans not wanting to accept his death.

The main reason given in support of the belief that Presley faked his death is that, on his grave, his known middle name Aron is spelled as Aaron.

However, "Aaron" is actually the genuine middle name for Presley. Apparently, either Presley or his parents tried to change the name to "Aron" to make it more similar to Presley's stillborn twin, Jesse Garon Presley, as evidenced by the fact that his middle name was spelled "Aron" even on his marriage certificate. It may be that in later years he attempted to change it back to the more Christian "Aaron" before he died. Whatever the reason, "Aaron" is not a misspelling. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A702839]

Two tabloid newspapers, the "Weekly World News" and "The Sun", ran articles covering the continuing "life" of Presley after his death, in great detail, including a broken leg from a motorcycle accident, all the way up to his purported "real death" in the mid 1990s.Fact|date=February 2007 However, since his "real death", the "Weekly World News" has continued to claim he is still alive, thus contradicting its initial story. In his book, "Elvis' DNA Proves He's Alive" (2005), Bill Beeny claims to have conducted DNA testing on two tissues of Presley—one of the singer when he was alive, and one of the supposed dead body. According to the author, the two did not match. Therefore, he concludes, Presley's death may have been faked.

Both ETAs and the belief that Presley still lives figure into the story of "Bubba Ho-tep", which features him living in a Texas nursing home after switching lives with an Elvis impersonator (Presley goes so far as to make a living "impersonating" himself). According to the movie, it was the impersonator who died in 1977, but the documentation of the switch was accidentally destroyed, preventing Presley from ever reclaiming his "real" life.

On the "is Elvis alive" theme, EIN has also published "for and against" interviews/articles with Phil Aitcheson (Presley Commission: [http://www.elvisinfonet.com/aitcheson.html] and the late Dr Gary Enders: [http://www.elvisinfonet.com/endersanswers.html] .

The Beeny evidence has been the subject of great debate. A comprehensive examination, both for and against, can be found on the EIN site: [http://www.elvisinfonet.com/spotlight_dna_beeny.html]

The book "Elvis and the Blue Moon Conspiracy" by Mark McGinty tells the satirical story of the 1969 moon landing, where Elvis Presley accompanies astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the lunar surface and becomes the first man to walk on the moon. An accident on the surface causes NASA to abort the mission and broadcast a version of the landing without Elvis, later dubbed a "hoax" by a little known reporter named Dani Mitchell. According to the fictional story, Elvis dies in 1969 but is replaced by an impersonator who lives out the rest of Presley's life.

There was even a "television show about the life and death of Elvis Presley, called 'The Elvis Files' " endeavoring to present " 'evidence' for the possibility that Elvis is still alive. Some people believe that they had seen 'the King', and handwriting experts declare that they have seen notes written by Presley after his demise. A background of spooky music accompanied all of the testimonies." Although "the evidence presented on that program was extremely weak," it convinced 79 percent of the viewers who cast their votes to believe Elvis is still alive. "The results ... offer only one of many examples of the credulity of Western people. ... That television program illustrates that we are weak in our ability to reason. It also offers a paradigm of the way in which many people in the general populace make up their minds. They hear a televised news report or talk show interview with an 'expert'. The expert supplies a few supporting 'facts,' so the proposition must be true." [N. Allan Moseley, "Thinking Against the Grain: Developing a Biblical Worldview in a Culture of Myths" (2003), p.26.]

Television shows have also been used to demonstrate the comic element of the situation. One such example was the BBC television show called Give My Head Peace. A Christmas special entitled "The King and I" [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/gmhp/episode/episode5autumn2003.shtml The King and I (Give My Head Peace, Episode 5).] BBC Television, broadcast 26th December 2003. Retrieved on 2008-10-01.] featured a plot line of Elvis saving one of the characters (Andy) from a very dangerous situation. After telling his friends the story, everyone is convinced that he is suffering from mental illness and in a bid to save him from the psychiatric ward, Mervyn (Andy's friend) takes him to Graceland to show him Elvis' grave and shock him back to reality. The plan backfires and Andy insists on digging up Elvis' coffin to check inside. After being chased back to Belfast, Mervyn is shocked into believing Andy in a comedy ending when Elvis himself (played by impersonator Martin Fox [ [http://www.elvis2k.co.uk Elvis Impersonator] Martin Fox. Retrieved on 2008-10-01] ) pops around to check if Andy is OK.

However, we have the words of the doctors who did the autopsy on Elvis. "Now in an autopsy, the doctor removes and examines the heart, the brain, and various other essential internal organs. To get to these essential organs, the doctor has to do various cuts and incisions. To quote the doctor, 'If he wasn't dead before I did the autopsy, he sure was afterwards!'" [Great Moments in Science: [http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s689019.htm Fat Dead Elvis] .]

Critical voices and exploitation after death

During the early years of his career, Country blues guitarist Mississippi Slim constantly criticized Elvis. [Dundy, "Elvis and Gladys", p.288.] According to Jennifer Harrison, "Elvis faced criticism more often than appreciation" from a small town in South Memphis. [ Jennifer Harrison, "Elvis As We Knew Him: Our Shared Life in a Small Town in South Memphis" (2003), p.71.] "Much criticism has been heaped on Elvis, the Colonel, and others who controlled his creative (or not so creative) output, especially during the Hollywood years." [Hopkins, "Elvis in Hawaii", p.58.]

In a recent study on the analogy of trash and rock 'n' roll, professor of English and drummer Steven Hamelman demonstrates that rock 'n' roll productions are often trash, that critics often trash rock 'n' roll productions, and that rock 'n' roll musicians often trash their lives. The author uses the tortured lives and premature deaths of Presley, John Lennon and Kurt Cobain in his section on "waste" in order to underscore the literal and figurative "waste" that, in his opinion, is part of rock 'n' roll. [See Steven Hamelman, "But is it Garbage? (paper): On Rock and Trash" (University of Georgia Press, 2004).]

However, one of the most frequent points of criticism is the obesity and androgyny of the late Las Vegas Presley. "Time Out" says that, "As Elvis got fatter, his shows got glammier." ["Time Out at Las Vegas" (2005), p.303.] It has been said that the star, when he "returned to Las Vegas, heavier, in pancake makeup, wearing a white jumpsuit with an elaborate jeweled belt and cape, crooning pop songs to a microphone ... had become Liberace. Even his fans were now middle-aged matrons and blue-haired grandmothers, who praised him as a good son who loved his mother; Mother's Day became a special holiday for Elvis's fans." [Marjorie Garber, "Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing & Cultural Anxiety" (1992), p.380] According to several modern gender studies, the singer had, like Liberace, presented "variations of the drag queen figure" in his final stages in Las Vegas, when he excessively used eye shadow, gold lamé suits and jumpsuits. [See Patricia Juliana Smith, "The Queer Sixties" (1999), p.116.] Although described as a male sex symbol, Elvis was "insistently and paradoxically read by the culture as a boy, a eunuch, or a 'woman' – anything but a man," and in his Las Vegas white "Eagle" jumpsuit, designed by costumer Bill Belew, he appeared like "a transvestite successor to Marlene Dietrich." [Garber, p.368.] Indeed, Elvis had been "feminized", as Joel Foreman put it. [Joel Foreman, "The Other Fifties: Interrogating Midcentury American Icons" (University of Illinois Press, 1997), p.127. No wonder that "white drag kings tend to pick on icons like Elvis Presley." See Bonnie Zimmerman, "Lesbian Histories and Cultures" (1999), p. 248.]

Thus, "Elvis' death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society." Except for the fans who held his memory in honor, he was chiefly "referred to as 'overweight and over-the-hill.'" [Roy, "Elvis, Prophet of Power", p.173.] After the singer's death, things changed. In their book "When Elvis Died: A Chronicle of National and International Reaction to the Passing of an American King" (1980), Neal and Janice Gregory documented through newspaper and television archives the reaction of the media to the spontaneous and unprecedented outpouring of public grief at Elvis's death. One reporter after another described scenes not witnessed since the death of Valentino. When President Jimmy Carter issued a public statement acknowledging Elvis's contribution to American life, he effected a turning point in our culture and the way the media reports on figures in show business. It could be argued that Elvis's death was the event that precipitated the media's dubious current obsession with celebrity. According to Curtis W. Ellision, "The most vivid anecdotes in "When Elvis Died" focus on the origins of the perpetual death memorial that Presley's home, Graceland, has become." The author adds that "Some anecdotes in the Gregory account reinforce the impression that Presley's death touched nostalgia for teenage years." [Curtis W. Ellision, "Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven" (1995), p.153.]

At his funeral, hundreds of thousands of fans, the press and celebrities lined the streets and many hoped to see the open casket in "Graceland". One of Presley's cousins accepted $18,000 to secretly photograph the corpse; the picture duly appeared on the cover of the National Enquirer, making it the largest and fastest selling issue of all time.Hopkins 2007, p.386]

Elvis, a religion?

In a later essay, Neal and Janice Gregory critically discuss the media attention on the subsequent Elvis religion as a means to discredit his fans. [See Neal and Janice Gregory, "When Elvis Died: Enshrining a Legend," in Vernon Chadwick, ed., "In Search of Elvis: Music, Race, Art, Religion" (1997).] Indeed, after his death, Presley had been seen by fans as "Other Jesus" or "Saint Elvis". [See Mark Gottdiener, "Dead Elvis as Other Jesus", in Chadwick, "In Search of Elvis: Music, Race, Art, Religion", and "Saint Elvis" in "Elvis Culture", by Erika Doss (University of Kansas Press, 1999).] "I don't think he will ever die down," Dolly Parton says. "He's considered by many to be like a religious figure, like Jesus. ... I don't know how to explain it, but it's there, and it's real, and people love it." ["How Big Was The King? Elvis Presley's Legacy, 25 Years After His Death." "CBS News", August 7, 2002.]

The first serious attempt to examine the Elvis phenomenon in religious terms was made over 15 years ago by Dr Ted Harrison, a former BBC Religious Affairs correspondent in his book The Elvis People. He saw parallels between visits to Graceland and pilgrimage to Christian holy sites. He looked at the trading of relics and the offering of prayers to Elvis and the iconography, especially that involving Elvis and Jesus.

In his book "Elvis Religion: The Cult of the King" (2006), Gregory L. Reece describes the presence of Presley in books, songs, art, movies and on the Internet. The author sets out to appraise the religious significance of the star for popular culture. For instance, Paul Simon's 1986 song "Graceland" presents Graceland as a holy place. Movies like "Finding Graceland" and "Mystery Train" have Presley as the central character, bearing spiritual messages. In Portland, Oregon, a woman opened the so-called 24 Hour Church of Elvis. There, visitors could slip a quarter into a machine, — The Mystery of the Spinning Elvis — to supposedly contact the spirit of Presley. Some Internet sites even invite people to post accounts of their spiritual encounters with the singer. Several artists use Presley as a recurring theme because he is such an icon of pop culture. The Naked Art Studio in Birmingham had a showing of Elvis art. A mosaic entitled "The Last Supper (Elvis)," shows Presley enjoying a turkey leg at a table littered with pill bottles — allusions to Presley's religion and drug abuse. However, "Elvis stands for violence, uncertainty and loss," says Reece. "Elvis is the apocalyptic messenger. One doesn't seek him out for spiritual advice, but shudders at his presence." The author concludes that Presley is the sort of god the public wants today. Elvis was overweight, he dressed out of date and he took too many prescription drugs, just like us.

Elvis in the 21st century

Interest in Presley's recordings returned during the buildup to the 2002 World Cup, when Nike used a Junkie XL remixed version of his "A Little Less Conversation" (credited as "Elvis Vs JXL") as the background music to a series of TV commercials featuring international soccer stars. The remix hit number one in over 20 countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia. [It was also his first top 10 hit in the UK for nearly 22 years, and his first number one there for nearly 25 years. It topped Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart (physical singles - legal downloads were not around at the time) but only reached #50 on the Hot 100.] At about the same time, a compilation of Presley's US and UK Number 1 hits, , was being prepared for release. "A Little Less Conversation" (remix version) was quickly added as the album's 31st track just before release in October 2002. Further stimulating popularity for the remixed "new" Elvis song, was the inclusion of Conversation into the opening credits of the NBC series "Las Vegas"; due to the large expense of such a song, however, home DVD sets of the TV show feature Conversation in the Pilot episode only.Nearly 50 years after Presley made his first hit record and 25 years after his death, the compilation reached number one on the charts in the US, the UK, Australia and many other countries. A re-release from it, "Burning Love" (not a remix), also made the Australian top 40 later in the year.

Presley's renewed fame continued with another remix in 2003 (this time by Paul Oakenfold) of "Rubberneckin'", which made the top three in Australia and top five in the UK. This was followed by another album called "2nd to None", a collection of his hits, including the "Rubberneckin'" remix, that just failed to reach number one.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary in mid-2004 of Presley's first professional recording, "That's All Right", it was re-released, and made the charts around the world, including top three in the UK and top 40 in Australia.

In early 2005 in the United Kingdom, RCA began to re-issue Presley's 18 UK number-one singles as CD-singles in the order they were originally released, one of them a week. The first of these re-issues, "All Shook Up", was ineligible to chart due to its being sold together with a collector's box which holds all 18 singles in it (it actually sold enough to be number two). The second, "Jailhouse Rock", was the number one in the first chart of 2005, and "One Night"/"I Got Stung", the third in the series, replaced it on the January 16 chart (and thus becoming the 1000th UK number one entry).

All of these have reached top five in the official charts. [Three number ones, eight number twos, four number threes, one number four, and one number five.] These re-releases have made Presley the only artist so far to spend at least 100 weeks in the British top 40. [On December 9, 2005, the "Book of British Hit Singles & Albums" unveiled its annual list of the Top 100 Most Successful Acts of all time, based on the total number of weeks each recording artist has spent on the official UK Singles and Albums charts. Elvis Presley ranked first, with Cliff Richard, Queen, the Beatles and Madonna rounding out the top five.]

On the UK singles charts, Presley went to #1 the most times (21, three of them hitting #1 twice), spent the most weeks there (80), as well as had the most top tens and top forty hits. In the UK album charts, he is third (1,280 Weeks) to Queen (1,422 Weeks) and the Beatles (1,293 Weeks), [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4648611.stm|title=Queen top UK album charts league|author=BBC] as well as earning the most top ten, and top forty albums. Still in the album category, his longevity record boasts an almost fifty year gap between his first, and last hit album.

In total, he has spent 2,574 weeks in both the UK singles and album charts, way ahead of his closest competitors, namely Cliff Richard (1,982), Queen (1,755), the Beatles (1,749), and Madonna (1,660).

In 2005 CBS aired a TV miniseries, "Elvis" starring Irish actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Presley.

Shortly after taking over the management of all things Elvis from the Elvis Presley Estate (EPE) [http://www.elvis.com] (which retained a 15% stake in the new company, while keeping Graceland and the bulk of the possessions found therein), Robert Sillerman's CKX company produced a DVD and CD featuring Presley (titled "Elvis by the Presleys"), as well as an accompanying two-hour documentary broadcast on Viacom's CBS Network, which alone generated $5.5 million.

A channel on the Sirius Satellite Radio subscriber service is devoted to the life and music of Presley, with all broadcasts originating from Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

In a list of the greatest English language singers of the 20th century, as compiled by BBC Radio, Presley was ranked second. The poll was topped by Frank Sinatra, with Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald also in the top ten. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1281522.stm "Sinatra is voice of the century"] "BBC NEWS", April 18, 2001, retrieved October 22, 2006]

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #3 on their list of the [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time] . [cite web| title = The Immortals: The First Fifty| work = Rolling Stone Issue 946| publisher = Rolling Stone| url =http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty]

In July 2005, Presley edged out Oprah Winfrey to be named the Greatest Entertainer in American history in the Greatest American election conducted by the Discovery Channel and America Online.

In mid October 2005, "Variety" named the top 100 entertainment icons of the 20th century, with Presley landing on the top ten, along with the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, James Dean and Mickey Mouse.

A week later, "Forbes" magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning dead celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the period from October 2004, to October 2005. "Forbes" pointed out that CKX spent $100 million in cash, and stock, for an 85% interest in Presley's income stream in February 2005.

In mid 2006, Forbes up-dated its list, with Presley ranking second, the top place being taken by Nirvana's frontman, Kurt Cobain, after the sale of 25% of his music publishing, which raked US$50 million for the singer's widow.

In November 2006, Atlantic Magazine asked 10 prominent historians to name the 100 most influential Americans, with Presley (who ranked # 66), along with Louis Armstrong (79), being the only two musicians on the list.

In December 2006 EPE announced a strategy to bring Elvis and his music to a younger demographic in 2007. In addition, in 2009 the world famous Cirque Du Soleil organisation will open a show based around Elvis' music.

ee also

*Sun Records
*Best-selling artist of all-time
*List of artists by total number of USA number one singles
*List of best-selling music artists
*24 Hour Church of Elvis
*Elvis-A-Rama Museum
*Elvis Herselvis
*Ed Bonja
*Elvis and the Blue Moon Conspiracy

Notes

External links

* [http://www.elvis.com/ Official site] (Elvis Presley Enterprises)
*
* [http://www.elvispedia.org/ ElvisPedia] - Elvis's own wiki
* [http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=171 Rockhall]
* [http://www.music.com/person/elvis_presley/1/biography/ Complete Elvis Bio and Discography at Music.com]
*Elvis Information Network [http://www.elvisinfonet.com link] - eclectic and comprehensive online site offering daily news, articles, criticism, analysis; reviews, interviews and miscellaneous information
* [http://www.fabchannel.com/elvis_gospel_kerkdienst Elvis Gospel Service]
* [http://www.EdBonja.com/ Ed Bonja] - Elvis's official photographer