Sweet Inspiration Myrna Smith, 1941-2010

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The Sweet Inspirations (1967)

The Sweet Inspirations (1967)

There is more sad news this month. Myrna Smith, a member of the Sweet Inspirations vocal group, has passed away. She was 69.

The Sweet Inspirations backed Elvis on stage from his return to live performances in 1969 through his death in 1977, performing with him in over a thousand concerts. Before becoming an integral part of Elvis’ live show, the Sweets were already a Grammy-winning gospel group that had backed Aretha Franklin, among others. Outside of their time with Elvis, their best known hit as a group was “Sweet Inspiration,” which was released as a single in 1968.

Myrna appears with Elvis in the documentary movies That’s The Way It Is (1970) and Elvis On Tour (1972). She also appears with him in the television specials Aloha From Hawaii (1973) and Elvis In Concert (1977). “They help me get a feeling and get to my soul,” Elvis said of the group in 1969.

She can be heard on the following Elvis albums released during his lifetime:

  • From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (Elvis In Person At The International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada) [1969]
  • On Stage-February 1970 [1970]
  • That’s The Way It Is
  • Worldwide Gold Award Hits, Volume 2 [1971]
  • Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden [1972] (includes Elvis introducing Myrna)
  • Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite [1973]
  • Elvis (Fool)
  • Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis [1974]
  • Pure Gold [1975]
  • Elvis: A Legendary Performer, Volume 2 [1976]
  • From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Welcome To My World [1977]
  • Moody Blue

She also can be heard on countless other Elvis albums released since his death.

She loved Elvis “like a brother”

In a 2005 interview available on Elvis Australia, Myrna shared a special memory of Elvis:

This is when we first met him, y’know. [Elvis] had us up at the penthouse, and he was playing 45s. We were having a little party, a little get-together – drinks at the bar and stuff. [He] came up to me and said, ‘Do you wanna dance?’ It was a slow record. So I said, ‘O.K.’

“And I don’t think that Elvis had ever danced with a black woman before, because he started dancing with me, [and] I felt like just grabbing him and holding him, ’cause his whole body was trembling.

“And, but he was, y’know, he was shy anyway. But all these girls, y’know, that he’d been around, and he’s this macho lover, whatever, and he was [really] just a little boy […] that’s what he was, y’know.

“I looked upon him, a part of my family, like. [W]hen he died and I was screaming, my mother said, ‘He’s not in the family. [Why] are you cry[ing], [why] are you breaking up?’

“Because I love him, he’s like a brother.”

Myrna dated Jerry Schilling, one of Elvis’ best friends, for a number of years. After Elvis’ death, the two married. Schilling went on to manage the Beach Boys, and Myrna co-wrote many of the songs on Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s 1981 self-titled solo album. Her marriage with Schilling ended in 1985 after five years, but the two remained friends.

In recent years, the Sweet Inspirations have continued to record albums and have performed in the Elvis Presley In Concert touring show.

Myrna, thank you for sharing your incredible voice with all of us. You will be missed, but always remembered.

My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this time.

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Sylvia Shemwell, another member of the Sweet Inspirations, passed away earlier this year.

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Additional Research Sources

  • The Elvis Encyclopedia by Adam Victor, Overlook Duckworth, New York, 2008.
  • Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1998.
  • Me And A Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship With Elvis Presley by Jerry Schilling with Chuck Crisafulli, Gotham Books, New York, 2006.
  • ELVIS: His Life From A To Z by Fred Worth and Steve Tamerius, Wings Books, New York, 1992.

Elvis’ Christmas special

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For today’s Christmas edition of The Mystery Train Elvis Blog, I originally planned to write a short retrospective of the 1982 album Memories Of Christmas. Last week, I browsed over to the Elvis Today blog and found that Thomas had just written almost the exact same “Memories Of Christmas” post I had planned (even down to beginning with a reference to 1994’s If Every Day Was Like Christmas album). Hey Thomas, get out of my head, man!

In all seriousness, Thomas and I have very similar views and approaches when it comes to Elvis, so these things happen to us from time-to-time. There was one small element of Memories Of Christmas that he did not mention in that particular post, however, so I decided to use that as a springboard to a new idea. This time, I ran it past him first to make sure he did not already have it in the works for this week.

Thomas gave me the all clear, so today I’m going to talk about Elvis’ 1967 Christmas special.

Wait, wait, wait. Don’t fire off a correction message to me just yet.

Yes, I said 1967 Christmas special. That was not a typo.

While Elvis’ 1968 Christmas special is legendary, nearly lost to time is Elvis’ Christmas special from the previous year. His 1967 Christmas special no doubt inspired the original concept of the ELVIS (’68 Comeback) special.

Season's Greetings From Elvis flyer (1967)

Season’s Greetings From Elvis flyer (1967)

On Sunday, December 3, 1967, a special called Season’s Greetings From Elvis aired on over 2,000 stations across the United States. Why is it mostly forgotten? Season’s Greetings From Elvis was a radio special.

The special contained no new numbers by Elvis, but instead featured previously released Christmas and religious music. The songs in the half-hour show included:

  • Here Comes Santa Claus (1957)
  • Blue Christmas (1957)
  • O Little Town Of Bethlehem (1957)
  • Silent Night (1957)
  • I’ll Be Home For Christmas (1957)
  • I Believe (1957)
  • If Every Day Was Like Christmas (1966)
  • How Great Thou Art (1966)
  • His Hand In Mine (1960)
  • I’ll Be Home For Christmas (1957)

The special’s finale, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” contained a new voice-over by Elvis: “Thank you for listening. I’d like to wish you a merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.” Oddly, this 1967 audio was later placed on top of “Silent Night” on Memories Of Christmas (and re-released on 1994’s If Every Day Was Like Christmas). However, the beginning music of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and not “Silent Night” can still be heard in the background on those releases as Elvis speaks the lines.

Exactly one year later, on December 3, 1968, the more famous Elvis Christmas special aired for the first time. Colonel Tom Parker’s original concept for the ’68 special sounded like little more than a TV version of Season’s Greetings From Elvis. The eventual show turned out much different, of course, and changed everything.

To fellow Elvis fans across the world, I’d like to wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas.

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Image Source
Thank you to Holger Bock at Rare Elvis for providing the original image of an RCA promotional flyer for the 1967 radio special. Please do not reproduce this image without obtaining permission of Holger at Rare Elvis.

Research Sources

  • Careless Love: The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick, Little, Brown And Company, Boston, 1999 (page 282).
  • Season’s Greetings From Elvis, Elvis In Norway, 2010.
  • Elvis: Word For Word by Jerry Osborne, Harmony Books, New York, 2000 (page 204).
  • Elvis: The Biography by Jerry Hopkins, Plexus, London, 2007 (page 205).
  • ELVIS: His Life From A To Z by Fred Worth and Steve Tamerius, Wings Books, New York, 1992 (page 560).

Please pray for Myrna Smith

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From ElvisMatters:

We’d like to ask […] all the visitors of this website to please pray for Myrna Smith. This is the latest from her friend Carole: “I just […] found out that hospice at West Hills Hospital has been brought in […]. This means that dialysis treatments have been stopped and Myrna will be slowly weaned of the feeding tube. […] It is just a matter of time, but I think it is best for Myrna. Please keep her in your prayers.”

Elvis is not just for Christmas anymore

/ TY

I wrote this guest post in 2010 for Elvis Today.

Outside of Oldies stations and incidental music, I never hear Elvis on the radio here in the United States anymore – except at Christmas time. This phenomenon is not unique to Elvis, though. The same applies to Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and many other legends who seemingly turn up in the collective consciousness only during this season. There is something universal about Christmas music that spans across generations and genres.
Non-fans in the general public often seem to enjoy Christmas music by Elvis, even if they listen to little else by him the rest of the year. As an Elvis fan, it’s actually hard for me to relate to that point of view. It seems to me, if they enjoy his Christmas music, they could just as easily enjoy his other music all year long, just like we do.
The next time one of your friends asks you to recommend some Elvis Christmas music, consider giving her or him both some Christmas and year-round music selections. They might be surprised to learn that Elvis is not just for Christmas anymore.
With that in mind, I started thinking of non-seasonal songs with similar vibes as his Christmas music.
  • Trade “Blue Christmas” (1957) for “One Night” (1957)
  • Trade “White Christmas” (1957) for “Such A Night” (1960)
  • Trade “Here Comes Santa Claus” (1957) for “Treat Me Nice” (1957)
  • Trade “Silent Night” (1957) for “Love Me” (1956)
  • Trade “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1957) for “Young And Beautiful” (1957)
  • Trade “Santa Bring My Baby Back” (1957) for “Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do” (1957)
  • Trade “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” (1957) for “Reconsider Baby” (1960)
  • Trade “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (1957) for “Don’t” (1957)
  • Trade “Santa Lucia” (1963) for “It’s Now Or Never” (1960)
  • Trade “If Every Day Was Like Christmas” (1966) for “I’ll Remember You” (1966)
  • Trade “Blue Christmas” (Live-1968) for “One Night” (Live-1968)
  • Trade “It Won’t Seem Like Christmas” (1971) for “Where Did They Go, Lord” (1970)
  • Trade “If I Get Home On Christmas Day” (1971) for “It’s A Matter Of Time” (1972)
  • Trade “Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees” (1971) for “Separate Ways” (1972)
  • Trade “Merry Christmas Baby” (1971) for “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (1971)
  • Trade “Silver Bells” (1971) for “Stranger In The Crowd” (1970)
  • Trade “I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day” (1971) for “I’m Leavin”” (1971)
  • Trade “On A Snowy Christmas Night” (1971) for “How The Web Was Woven” (1970)
  • Trade “Winter Wonderland” (1971) for “Jailhouse Rock” (Live-1968)
  • Trade “O Come All Ye Faithful” (1971) for “Always On My Mind” (1972)
  • Trade “The First Noel” (1971) for “We Can Make The Morning” (1971)
  • Trade “The Wonderful World Of Christmas” (1971) for “Help Me Make It Through The Night” (1971)
So, there you have it, a non-seasonal playlist designed to feel like Elvis’ Christmas music. Maybe next year, Sony can release a double CD Christmas gift set with this kind of theme. It would give them a chance to put a slightly different twist on their annual Elvis Christmas music re-release.

My thanks to Thomas for letting me ramble on here on Elvis Today. Have a wonderful Christmas and a merry New Year, everyone!

/TY, The Mystery Train

Viva Elvis “Burning Love” video fails to ignite, while Elvis.com makes embarrassing mistake

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The official Elvis Presley Enterprises site reports that the folks behind Viva Elvis: The Album have released a new music video for “Burning Love.” Sadly, the Elvis.com news item states, “The video features archival footage of Elvis’ iconic Las Vegas performance.”

Uh, hello official Elvis site? Are you there? That footage is from Elvis’ iconic Aloha From Hawaii performances. You know, the ones that Elvis Presley Enterprises owns and occasionally promotes on DVD? The Aloha From Hawaii concerts took place, oddly enough, in Hawaii. White jumpsuit does not always equal Vegas. E! and other idiotic entertainment sites make this kind of mistake all of the time, but the official Elvis site should know better.

I loved the Viva Elvis album, including this track, so I figured I’d check this video out (“Burning Love” from Viva Elvis: The Album video — YouTube). First of all, it is miles ahead of the horrible video released last month for the otherwise incredible Viva Elvis version of “Suspicious Minds.” At least this “Burning Love” video doesn’t shy away from featuring footage of Elvis singing the song.

The first video, on the other hand, would have you believe that Elvis sang “Suspicious Minds” during the ELVIS (’68 Comeback) special. “Because, like, black leather is just so much cooler than a white jumpsuit,” was their way of thinking, I’m sure. That video mostly stars shadowy images of either 1968 Elvis or, it appears at times, an elvis impersonator dancing around on the screen. At least, that’s what I remember of it. I couldn’t bare to watch that thing twice.

By the way, they could have actually featured “archival footage of Elvis’ iconic Las Vegas performance” of this song. There was a fantastic 1970 version of “Suspicious Minds” filmed in Las Vegas for That’s The Way It Is. Granted, Elvis Presley Enterprises doesn’t own that movie footage (they only own Elvis’ three 1968-1977 television specials), but I’m sure they could have worked something out with Warner Home Video. They cross-promoted and worked together on Warner’s recent Elvis On Tour release, after all.

Though it may represent a switch in the targeted market for Viva Elvis: The Album from newcomers to established fans, I love the fact that this “Burning Love” video actually embraces the jumpsuited Elvis as he appeared in the Aloha concerts. Elvis did not die in 1968 (or, worse, 1958), despite what some would have you believe.

What doesn’t work for me at all, though, is the juxtaposition of Viva Elvis musicians thrown into the Aloha footage. Perhaps it is because I have watched the real Aloha so many times, but there is no illusion established that these people are all playing together on stage. It looks like you are watching two different concerts at once. Maybe that’s one of the problems some fans have with Viva Elvis: The Album. I guess the visual mash-ups bother me more for some reason than the audio ones.

The “Burning Love” video also suffers from a bit of the same problem as “Don’t Be Cruel” on the 2010 version of Elvis On Tour. About halfway through “Burning Love,” the video producers decide to cut to Elvis dramatically taking off his guitar (in reality, from the end of the song). This allows Elvis to move around freely, dance a bit, and interact with the audience. Suddenly, he is back with guitar at the end of the song – and then dramatically removes it again for the song finale. Ugh.

It makes Elvis look silly to apparently do this guitar removal bit twice in this “Burning Love” video – much like hearing Elvis apparently sing his funny “Please let’s forget the past, before I kick your —” line twice for “Don’t Be Cruel” did in the 2010 Elvis On Tour. That’s the problem with the realm of video and audio trickery. Some people do not know how to properly use the toys.

If they just had to show him with the guitar again, why not at least show him putting the guitar back on first? Then, just have him leave the guitar on when the song ended. The footage was there to do both, using elements from “See See Rider.”

The whole thing just seems sloppy, cheap, and rushed. At least it’s better than “Suspicious Minds,” though.

Darlene Love among 2011 inductees to Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame

/ TY

By way of The Second Disc this morning, I learned that Darlene Love will be among the Class of 2011 inductees into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame (Rock Hall Gets It Right — The Second Disc). Love is known for the 1963 recordings “He’s A Rebel” and “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” among others – including a run of hits with producer Phil Spector.

To Elvis fans, however, she is best known as a member of the Blossoms, the group that provided vocal backing on the ELVIS (’68 Comeback) TV special. Her beautiful solo on “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child” featured prominently in the program, as part of a gospel medley.

Though it was dropped from the original soundtrack release, Love’s “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child” can be heard on the 1998 CD Memories: The ’68 Comeback Special.

In 1969, the Blossoms also recorded backing vocals on “Let Us Pray,” an Elvis song for the movie Change of Habit.

Love also works as an actress, including in the role of Trish Murtaugh for the Lethal Weapon film series. I was a fan of her in those movies for years before I finally realized the connection with the Blossoms and Elvis.

A movie based on Love’s life is currently in the works.

For more information

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Research Source: Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1998.

More lost Christmas songs

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Continuing on from yesterday’s post, I thought of a couple more “lost” Christmas songs by Elvis.

  • 1954’s “Just Because” includes the lines: “You caused me to spend all my money, you laughed and called me ol’ Santa Claus” and “There’ll come a time when ol’ Santa, he won’t pay your bills for you.”
  • 1975’s “Susan When She Tried” includes the line, “And it’s bad in December, when they play those Christmas songs.”

See Thomas’ “The Missing Christmas Song” on Elvis Today, which inspired both posts.