New Box Set In The Works?
Posted on the FECC forum: "Just heard Roger Semon, Jon Jackson and Rob Santos on Elvis Radio. They said they had a big announcement to make about a mammoth box set that was being worked on. I thought for sure it was going to be Elvis On Tour. Nope. They're working on a project to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Elvis' RCA contract. The set will include replicas of every album released in Elvis' lifetime and a 300 page book. No word on how much this will cost yet."
Auction Results
With over 40,000 fans in town for Elvis Week celebrating the life and career of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll at Graceland, music fans and collectors in Memphis and around the world participated on site and online in hopes of going home with a piece of Elvis history at the third “Auction at Graceland,” which brought over $950,000 this evening. Presented by Graceland Auctions, the auction was the largest and most comprehensive auction yet held at the Graceland Archive Studio. All of the items in the auction were from third-party collectors and none of the items included in the auction came from the treasured Graceland Archives.
The auction featured 160 rare and unique artifacts expertly authenticated by Graceland Authenticated, including merchandise memorabilia from Elvis’ early career, prized jewelry pieces and movie costumes.
Highlights included the “TCB” gold and diamond necklace gifted to Sammy Davis Jr. which sold for $40,000 on estimate of $20,000 - $30,000, a Gold Ring with Diamonds and Tourmaline worn by Elvis and gifted to Linda Thompson sold for $47,500 on estimate of $25,000 - $35,000, Elvis’ racquetball shirt which sold for $32,500 on estimate of $4,000 - $6,000 and Elvis’ personally-owned and worn custom-made leather and mink coat $27,500 on estimate of $6,000 - $8,000.
Other top items included an Elvis owned Gold Owl-Shaped Ring gifted to a fan from the stage which sold for $32,500 on estimate of $15,000 - $20,000, a 1960s Elvis’ jacket and leather pants ensemble which sold for $32,500 on estimate $6,000 - $8,000 and a 1962 suit worn by Elvis in “It Happened at the World's Fair” went for $25,000 on estimate of $20,000 - $30,000.
Click here a complete list of all items and final sale prices.
Bob Johnson dies at 83
Bob Johnston, who produced iconic albums from Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and others, has died at 83. He passed on Friday (Aug. 14) while in hospice care in Nashville.
Johnston got his start by writing songs for Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & His Comets. He later became a producer at Columbia Records, at which time he embarked on his creative partnership with Dylan, first producing 1965’s Highway 61 Revisited. He went on to famously produce Blonde on Blonde, followed by 1967’s John Wesley Harding, 1969’s Nashville Skyline, 1970’s Self Portrait and New Morning. It was on Nashville Skyline that Dylan opened “To Be Alone With You” by asking Johnston, “Is it rolling, Bob?”
Johnston also served as producer on Johnny Cash’s prison albums, At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin; Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme; and Leonard Cohen’s Songs From a Room and Songs of Love and Hate. He also worked with the Byrds, Loudon Wainwright III, the Waterboys, Willie Nelson and many more. In later years Bob Johnston claimed that songs still credited to his wife Joy Byers were actually co-written, or solely written by himself.[4] He has cited old "contractual reasons" for this situation. The songs in question include Timi Yuro's 1962 hit "What's A Matter Baby", plus at least 16 songs for Elvis Presley's films between 1964 and 1968, including "It Hurts Me", "Let Yourself Go" and "Stop, Look and Listen". Two songs credited to Byers, the aforementioned "Stop, Look and Listen" and "Yeah, She's Evil!" were recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets (the latter song was titled "The Meanest Girl in Town" when Presley recorded it). Presley recorded "The Meanest Girl in Town" on June 10, 1964, while Bill Haley recorded his version a week later, on June 16, 1964.
(Source: Amazon / FECC / Graceland)
Various tracks of the new “If I Can Dream” album are becoming available. On Vemeo the song "What Now My Love" is available.
What Now My Love Video from Rob Salamanca on Vimeo.