20090108

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVIS! - January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977

LADIES & GENTLEMEN,
ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!
A LITTLE NOSTALGIA AND TRIVIA ON ELVIS' BIRTHDAY!
Those of us old enough remember that when Elvis left the stage at a concert they would announce, "Elvis has left the building" - most people alive have heard this phrase though most won't know it's origins.

The full original comment was, "Please, young people... Elvis has left the building. He has gotten in his car and driven away.... Please take your seats" and was spoken by Horace Lee Logan on December 15, 1956 to ask the audience not to leave the concert hall to see Elvis as he left but to remain to see the other acts on the bill. Subsequently, following most of Elvis' concerts, Al Dvorin, Elvis longtime announcer started using the phrase in the hopes of dispersing the audience who often lingered in hopes of an Elvis encore.

The phrase has since become part of pop culture and folklore and it is this phrase which sparked this Elvis painting I did above entitled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, ELVIS Has Left The Planet" - a little parody on all those Elvis sightings that still continue to this day. I am not one of the fans who believes that Elvis still lives though I am sad he does not.

Elvis would have been 74 years old today. I find it hard to imagine him that age, in my mind Elvis will be forever Young Elvis - raw and revolutionary or the Elvis of 1968 -vibrant, sexy and a talent that soared.

I'll bet there's some serious Old Time Rock and Roll bouncing off those Pearly Gates today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, E!
The Official Elvis Presley Website

A LITTLE ELVIS TRIVIA
  • Did you know that Graceland will be celebrating it's 70th Anniversary this year? Though Elvis bought the mansion in 1957 it was built in 1939 and is designated a National Historic Monument.
  • The Cryolophosaurus - a large theropod dinosaur is nicknamed the 'Elvisaurus' because it's head crest resembled the pompadour hairstyle of Elvis in the 1950s.
  • That famous ring Elvis wore with the letters TCB stands for Taking Care of Business, which is what Elvis Presley called his band. He incorporated the letters into an emblem flanked by lightning bolts. Elvis had several other pieces of jewelry emblazoned TCB.
  • ELVIS' last concert was June 26th, 1977, Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana
  • The last song Elvis ever sang in public was Unchained Melody and you can watch and listen to the recording below.
MORE ELVIS TRIVIA ON MY POP ART TRIBUTE PAGE


LAST LIVE SONG:



YOU CAN GET MY ART TRIBUTE TO THE KING, ELVIS PRESLEY ON TEES, TOTES, CUPS & MORE BELOW:

You can get my tribute to Elvis, Ladies & Gentlemen, ELVIS Has Left The Planet, as:
Posted by at