Miscellaneous

Is the 70s stamp coming soon? [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this article back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

The 70s Elvis stamp may be released as soon as 1995 if a growing number of fans have their way with the US Postal Service. In April 1992, the stamp was defeated by a 3-to-1 margin in favor of the 50s Elvis stamp that was released in January 1993. The 70s stamp, also known as “Stamp B,” was painted by artist John Berkey and depicts Elvis as he appeared in 1973’s televised concert Aloha From Hawaii.

The stamp was severely criticized by the news media and others who unfairly called it the “Old, fat Elvis.” Berkey defended his stamp by stating, “I understand what happened, the negative feelings. But I painted the King. That other guy is the prince. The fanatical fans like the 70s one. And as a matter of fact he weighed 160 pounds and he was 38 years old (at the time of Aloha From Hawaii). That’s not fat, and that’s not old.” [. . . .]

A record 500,000 of the 50s Elvis stamps were printed and all were sold out in days, making them the most successful stamps in history. Since most of the stamps will be kept by fans or collectors and will never actually be used in the mail, the Postal Service has made an incredible profit from them.

Additionally, the Postal Service has profited from the marketing of the stamp image, which has appeared everywhere on hundreds of items for sale. Economically, the Postal Service could make millions more if another stamp were released so there probably is a fair chance it will happen as long as fans show support.

Over a quarter of a million people voted in favor of the 70s stamp, which artistically was a better representation of Elvis anyway. [. . . .]

Return to Sender [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this piece back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

After the release of the Elvis stamp in January, it appears that many Elvis fans spontaneously came up with the same idea. The US Postal Service noticed a significant increase in the number of letters which could not be delivered, and thus had to be marked “Return To Sender.” Elvis fans have been affixing the stamp to envelopes made out to phony addresses in order to receive a special, one-of-a-kind collectible when the letter was returned. “Return To Sender” was a number two hit for Elvis in 1962 and was written by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott.

Here is a sample, fake address fans may want to use:

Elvis Presley
Heartbreak Hotel
1835 Lonely Street
Nothingville, Kingrock 81677

Although not quite true to the lyrics of the song, my letter came back marked: “Returned to Sender. No such street. No such number. No such office.”

Elvis Who? [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this article back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

The Elvis stamp will be returning to post offices in June as part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Music/Rhythm ‘n’ Blues stamp booklet. This Elvis stamp will be slightly different than the one issued in January. While the image of Elvis will remain the same, the new stamp will read “Elvis Presley” instead of just “Elvis” as it appeared on the original.

Also to be featured in the booklet are: Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, Otis Redding, Dinah Washington, and Clyde McPhatter.

Elvis stamp breaks postal records [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this article back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

A week earlier, the world had counted down the seconds to midnight and the beginning of the new year. Now, they were counting down once again to 12 AM (Central Time) and the official release of the Elvis stamp in Memphis.

At Elvis Presley Plaza, across the street from Graceland, thousands of fans, who were already in line to purchase the stamp, loudly chanted the remaining seconds.

At midnight, a new day had dawned. It was finally January 8, the 58th anniversary of Elvis’ birth and the day that the Elvis stamp would go on sale.

As fans anxiously awaited their turns to purchase the stamp, a ceremony was taking place across the street at Graceland. 800 fans, community leaders, politicians, and the ever-present news media were gathered to watch.

US Postmaster General Marvin Runyon presented Graceland the original artwork of the Elvis stamp, which will go on display. Priscilla Presley then spoke to accept, on Lisa Marie and her children’s behalf, a special sheet of commemoratives the Postal Service traditionally gives to the family of a stamp honoree.

Priscilla said, in part, “Like all of you here tonight, I feel that if ever there was an entertainer who deserved to be honored with a stamp, unquestionably, it would be Elvis Presley. What he contributed to our music and our culture was enormous and is worthy of the greatest respect and appreciation. He was a brilliant artist and he was a good man.”

She continued, “I want to thank all of you loyal fans and, of course, the US Postal Service for making this stamp possible. Thank you, Mr. Runyon, for these beautiful commemoratives for Lisa and her daughter, Danielle, and her new little son, Benjamin. Lisa was going to send a note of acknowledgment but, instead of sending an acknowledgment, I think maybe it might be better if she thanked you in person. So, I’m very happy to introduce to you, Lisa Presley Keough.” Priscilla stepped aside.

There was a moment of stunned silence and then a roar of applause as Lisa Marie appeared for the first time ever to address her father’s fans.

Lisa Marie said, “I’m very honored. Thank you very much. I’m happy to be here to accept this for my father. It’s a great acknowledgment, and I really appreciate it. And I speak on behalf of him, my family, and myself. Thank you.” Although she seemed understandably nervous during her speech, she later appeared more at ease as she posed for pictures for the press, flashing a smile that was very reminiscent of Elvis.

After Lisa Marie’s speech, seven minutes of fireworks choreographed to Elvis’ recordings of “Return To Sender” and “An American Trilogy” lit up the sky over Graceland.

Later that day, Elvis fans who were unable to be in Memphis flocked to their local post offices to buy the stamp. At many post offices, Elvis imitators sang to fans as they waited in lines.

Normally, 150 million stamps are printed for a US commemorative stamp. Half a billion Elvis stamps were printed, easily breaking all previous records. Within a few days, most post offices around the nation were completely sold out of the stamps, making them the most successful in history. The Elvis stamp is to make one last appearance in June at post offices as part of a booklet featuring several other music stars.

Elvis Most Successful Stamp of All Time [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 17 when I wrote this article back in 1992 for a special supplement issue of The Elvis Beat, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

The rumors were beginning to fly. Was the Elvis stamp going to sell out through advance sales before even reaching post offices? No, but they would have if the US Postal Service hadn’t ordered a reprint to meet the unexpected (to them anyway) demand. The Elvis stamp is the most successful in the history of the US Postal Service, a phenomenal feat considering that it has not even been officially released yet.

To top that, for the first time in history a stamp will be released nationwide on its first day of issue, instead of solely at Memphis as originally planned.

Be on the lookout for many products featuring the stamp which are currently or will be available. Graceland stands to make a lot of money on this merchandise (along with money generated from other Elvis products because of new interest in Elvis). At the same time, the US Postal Service stands to make an incredible profit on the stamp, since most people will save them for their collections rather than actually use them.

The Boss and the King [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 17 when I wrote this article back in 1992 for The Elvis Beat #3, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

“There have been a lot of tough guys. There have been pretenders, there have been contenders. But there is only one King. Everything starts and ends with him. He wrote the book,” rock legend Bruce Springsteen once said of Elvis.

If one were to trace Jersey-born Springsteen’s musical influences back, Elvis really would be at the start. According to Springsteen, it was after seeing Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 that he decided to become a singer. Although he was only seven at the time, he began to work toward that goal.

Springsteen struggled for years to make it in the music industry. In 1975, his Born To Run album finally brought him national attention. In a rare occurrence, he appeared on the covers of both Newsweek and Time during the same week.

It was during his “Born To Run” tour the following year that he tried to meet Elvis. Springsteen told the story at a 1985 concert in Hampton Roads, Virginia:

“We were in Memphis, and it was about 3:00 in the morning, and I got in this taxi cab – me and Steve Van Zandt. This taxi driver was going to take us some place to eat, but then he took us to Elvis’ house.

“And I remember when I was standing out in front and I saw a light in the window. And I jumped over the wall and ran up in the driveway and tried to get to the door.

“Which, when I look back on it, was a stupid thing to do, because I hate it when people do that to my house [laughs], but I did it anyway.

“And I got to the front door, and these guards came out of the woods, and they asked me what I wanted, and I said I wanted to meet Elvis. And they said, ‘Well, you know, he’s in Lake Tahoe.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but like I was like on the cover of like Time and Newsweek.’ And they said, ‘Oh yeah, sure you were. Alright, just come with us.’ And they took me and they put me back out on the street.”

On May 28, 1977, at the Philadelphia Spectrum, he saw Elvis live in concert […]. It was only two and a half months later that Elvis passed away. At the Hampton concert, Springsteen described his reaction to the news:

“There’s always events you kind of mark your lives by . . . And I always remember where I was, I was living on this farm, when a friend of mine called me and told me that Elvis Presley had died. I guess it was hard to understand how somebody who came in and took away so many people’s loneliness could have ended up so lonely . . . because he deserved a lot better.”

Elvis’ death was Springsteen’s inspiration for his song “Johnny Bye Bye,” which ends, “You didn’t have to die, you didn’t have to die.”

Springsteen has recorded or performed several Elvis songs, including “Follow That Dream.” In 1989, he recorded “Viva Las Vegas” for a United Kingdom charity album. It was during the same session that several of the songs appearing on Human Touch, one of his two latest albums, were recorded. Although his version of “Viva Las Vegas” was used in the film Honeymoon In Vegas earlier this year, it was unfortunately not included on the soundtrack album.

Recently, in Worcester, Massachusetts, during his August 14 concert at the Centrum, Springsteen said, “For Elvis, fifteen years gone,” before launching into “Follow That Dream,” his favorite Elvis song.

Springsteen said, “(Elvis) came in and kind of told everybody that you’re not alone out there. I guess that was his . . . that was one of his messages. To me, he was as big as the whole country itself, as big as the whole dream. Nothing will ever take the place of that guy.”

Nothing mellow about ’em [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 17 when I wrote this article back in 1992 for The Elvis Beat #3, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Kyle Petty was showing off his latest t-shirt before a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in Martinsville, Virginia. Kyle, who was on the pole for that September race, said he had the shirt special made. It featured the Elvis stamp on the front and Kyle’s father, Richard Petty, on the back.

Kyle, driver of the #42 Mello Yello Pontiac, called his creation “A Pair Of Kings.” Richard Petty is known among race fans as the “King Of Stock Car Racing.”

Kyle, who is an Elvis fan and once had a promising career as a country music singer before deciding to devote his full time to racing, also had a decal which read, “In loving memory of Elvis” on his Pontiac for the August 16 race in Bristol, Tennessee. In addition, Kyle’s racing helmet includes a small picture of Elvis on the side.

November marked the end of Richard Petty’s legendary career as a NASCAR driver, during which he won an unprecidented 200 races and 7 championships.