The "You Could Almost Predict The End" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Going through a few more of my myriad of books to see what I might want to get rid of during my brother's annual garage sale in the nearby town of Ephrata, PA.  Opened one of the books that sat on the shelves in my office and began leafing through it to read a bit more about Time Magazine's "Great People of the 20th Century."  Wasn't long before I had reached the final few pages of the book, but found these pages to be the best of the book as far as I was concerned.  A double-page spread wrote of John, Paul, George and Ringo, also known as "The Beatles", but I suppose you already know about them.  One other page carried the single, one word title, "PRESLEY."  Directly below the heading read..."Have you heard the news? If there's good rocking' tonight-you can thank Elvis Presley."  Just had to read the glossy black and white page to see if they had written anything that I didn't already know about one of my all-time favorite performers.  Was going to write "favorite musicians", but this guy was more than a musician as you probably know if you have every heard him sing.  Story began by telling that Elvis had only a year's passing familiarity with a recording studio when he cut his first classic record in the winter of 1955.  At the time I was eleven years old, but still old enough to enjoy the new musical genre known as "Rock-'n'-Roll".  

A young Elvis

Here was this 20 year-old truck driver who had this amazing voice and performing style who walked into Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee with $4 to see if he could pay them so he could make a record for his mom for her birthday.  At the time, the boss at Sun Records, Sam Phillips, was looking for a "black sound inside a white boy" to make a national star.  He got just that in Elvis Presley!  The song that came from the meeting was "That's all right, Mama" which became a local hit.  After the next four songs did the same, Elvis hooked up with promoter Colonel Tom Parker who landed him a contract with RCA.  In 1956 "Heartbreak Hotel" was released and the "Rock-'n'-Roll" era had begun.  Then one Sunday evening I had the chance to see Elvis on "The Ed Sullivan Show."  Mom and Dad thought he was terrible with his suggestive, lewd and greaser persona, but I loved him.  As I think back over those times, I believe that evening might have been the downfall of the young man known to all as Elvis Presley.  I just loved his musky voice and his wavy hair which all my friends tried to grow, including me.  During the next couple of years he served his time in the Army and kept on making records.  When he got out of the Army he appeared in 33 movies, played in Vegas, got married and sold millions of records, some of which were purchased by me.  But, as he aged he shifted towards spirituals rather that all R'n'R.  His music began to bore him and he was more interested in his celebrity.  He lived by the rocker's code which was "live fast and die young."  He thought it was better to live fast and die young rather than burn out and fade away.  On August 16 of 1977, when I was at the Jersey Shore with my young family, I heard the news: "Elvis Presley had died right on schedule!"  

The end of an icon.

No more records by one of my all-time favorite musicians, but as I think back over the final years of his life, I still believe that evening he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" was the beginning of the end of one of the best singers ever.  Funny that his story appeared at the end of the book that I had been reading.  Only the Beatles story came after...and we know what happened to them.  Perhaps the author of that book which I had read knew more than he realized.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.