Man, somedays it seems like it was yesterday and other days it seems like an eternity.
This is one of the harder posts I’ve made in all these decades.
We knew Elvis had gained weight and didn’t look his best. We saw constant photographs and there were times he wasn’t as swollen and yet more times he was so swollen it almost brought you to your knees.
It wasn’t cool to be an Elvis Presley fan in 1977 nor had it been for years. Yes, we bought all his records including the garage of re-issues. We still loved his music but longed for the days when he was in better health. But, through it all, he always had the gift from God of having a 4 1/2 octave range and he showed it off in concerts and on vinyl.
Elvis was still selling out stadiums across America as he had for 8 years. Remarkable. He should have been financially set for life but between Colonel Parker, never taking tax write-offs, and his spending habits that were not the case. But there were whispers that Elvis felt an obligation to his fans, to his employees, to Lisa Marie, to RCA, and with all this pressure he buckled down and went on tour. Time after time after time. How Elvis pulled this off is beyond my comprehension other than he was given gifts from God and he used them throughout his life and he was to leave to go on tour later the (sad) following day of August 16, 1977 the day Elvis Aron Presley died.
I specifically recall the last concert he performed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1977. He was very bloated and yet his infamous suit(s) help hide the weight along with ace bandages which were tightly wrapped around him so that he could fit into his (since 1976) altered suit. But from the time the Sweet Inspirations hit the stage to the sound of 2001 A Space Odyssey came the excitement was building and just when you thought you couldn’t stand it anymore, with the constant screaming there stood the remarkable man still young (looking back in hindsight only 3 years removed from his 30’s) with his infamous guitar and that…voice. There wasn’t before, during, or since Elvis Presley became an entertainer that anyone could touch his stage presence. This was before auto-tune. Before multi-million dollar stage gimmicks. Before lip-singing onstage. No backup dancers to draw your attention away from talented, yet boring, performers. Elvis just needed a stage and an audience and he rocked out.
I was going through some magazines from 1976 and 1977, before he died, along with other collectibles concerning Elvis and there was vitriol for sure but there was also respect, appreciation, and fans galore.
- NOTE – I have to go now for this is too emotional. I will finish it in the upcoming future.
