Shake, rattle and roll — it’s Elvis Week. If you’re an Elvis Presley fan, this week is your opportunity to do your best Elvis impersonations. I would say put on your blue suede shoes and head to Las Vegas, but the pandemic has changed everyone’s plans, so it’s best to do your shaking and rattling at home.
Did you know that Elvis had a twin brother? Sadly, he died at birth so we never got the chance to see two Elvis’s at the same time. I also learned that he was a Capricorn (like me), but unlike me, he got all the moves and the tunes, so being born under the sign of the goat is our only thing in common. That’s OK, no need to sing “Heartbreak Hotel.”
Searching through the library’s catalog, I discovered quite a few books about the King of Rock and Roll as well as several of his movies. If you’re revved up to watch the King sing and dance, check out “Jailhouse Rock” and “Viva Las Vegas” from our DVD collection. If you want to know more about his life and relationships, put holds on “Being Elvis: A Lonely Life,” “Elvis and Ginger” (not to be confused with Ginger Rogers, it’s about the relationship between Elvis and his fiancee, Ginger Alden) and “Elvis Presley: The Searcher,” a documentary described as “the definitive film about Elvis, the artist.”
You can’t hear the name Elvis Presley without thinking about Las Vegas. When he started doing shows in Vegas in 1969, his career had taken a turn for the worst. But audiences loved his return to the Strip (he performed in Vegas briefly in 1956 but was poorly received), and it wasn’t long before he became a Vegas icon, putting on more than 600 shows in seven years and spawning an enthusiastic Elvis impersonator industry. If his comeback intrigues you, be sure to check out “Elvis in Vegas: How the King Reinvented the Las Vegas Show.”
