1950s | The Mystery Train

I was 16 when I wrote this article back in 1992 for The Elvis Beat #1, the first issue of my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

The King of Rock and Roll is the tentative name of a 5-CD set to be released for the fifteenth anniversary of Elvis’ death. This will be a “definitive 50s” set, according to Ernst Jorgensen of BMG International who is a co-producer of the set.

Along with “pristine” versions of the standard fifties songs, the set will also feature unreleased material obtained by Graceland from Colonel Parker in their recent multi-million dollar purchase of his Elvis memorabilia. Parts of his collection will be displayed in a new museum under construction across the street from Graceland.

The King of Rock and Roll should be a good companion piece to 1991’s 3-CD set Collectors Gold, which contained unreleased songs from the sixties (including a disc devoted to his 1969 Las Vegas concerts).

I was 16 when I wrote this article back in 1992 for The Elvis Beat #1, the first issue of my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

On February 24, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Nevada, the dream of millions of Elvis fans finally became reality. United States Postmaster General Anthony Frank, along with Milton Berle and Barbara Eden, officially unveiled two possible versions of an Elvis Presley stamp, one of which will become an official U.S. postage stamp.

The two stamp finalists were chosen from more than 50 entries, according to Frank. One is a circa-1950’s Elvis and the other is circa-1970’s. The public will be given the opportunity to select their favorite through the use of five million ballot cards which will be available at post offices in the month of April. The ballot cards must be mailed with the appropriate postage.

The winning stamp is expected to be announced in May at Graceland, and will be issued in 1993 as the first in a series of American music legends expected to be issued over several years. “He broke new ground,” said Frank, who went on to say that Elvis was the obvious choice to begin the series.

Elvis fans have been lobbying for this recognition for years. Pat Geiger of Vermont began the “Elvis Presley Postage Stamp Campaign” in 1983, and thought that having the stamp passed would be a “simple thing.” In 1987, the first year Elvis became eligible, she quickly found that it wouldn’t be that easy. But after the initial rejections, Elvis is finally to be honored six years later than she had planned.

The Elvis fans have won, and now it is up to the general public to pick their favorite Elvis.

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