Elvis remembered by pals 40 years after death
It is not just the legend of Elvis Presley that has unmatched staying power 40 years after his death. The guilt, pain and regret felt by those who knew and loved him lingers, too.
Prolific session musician and producer Norbert Putnam was on vacation with his family in Hawaii when he heard his friend had died of a heart attack. After years of making groundbreaking music and acting in more than two dozen movies, Presley’s career had slowed, and historical accounts of his life note he was fighting obesity and substance abuse when he died in his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee.
Putnam was standing in line to pay for items at a general store when he heard someone say Presley had died.
“I reached into my pocket, threw some money down, ran to the car, threw the food down, turned on the radio,” Putnam told the Associated Press.
Putnam switched on the radio. The announcer said: “Elvis Presley died this morning.”
“I sat there in my car and bawled like a child who had a toy taken away from him,” Putnam said. “I could not believe it. I thought someone should have staged an intervention. I thought he could have been saved.”
Since Presley’s death at age 42, devotees of the swivel-hipped, smooth-talking performer who was born into poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi, and became an international star, have been flocking to Memphis for Elvis Week, the annual celebration of his life and career.
The event coincides with the anniversary of Presley’s death in Memphis on Aug. 16, 1977, and draws visitors from around the world. Most fans will have their first glimpse of a newly built entertainment complex that has replaced and updated old exhibits focused on Presley’s cars, movies and memorabilia. An estimated 30,000 people were expected to attend a candlelit vigil that began Tuesday and continued into this morning at Graceland, where Presley is buried.
For the first time, Graceland was charging fans for access to Presley’s gravesite during the nighttime vigil. Visitors could pay $28.75 US to join the procession leading to the graves. The ticket also provided access to other parts of the property, Graceland said.
Putnam is scheduled to make a public appearance during Elvis Week to honour the late rock ’n’ roll pioneer. Singer Bill Medley, who comprised half of the Righteous Brothers duo before starting a solo career, will also be there.
Presley and Medley played the same hotel in Las Vegas in 1971. Their schedules kept them busy, but still caught each other’s shows.
Medley had a strong following, and Presley sang Righteous Brothers hits Unchained Melody and You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling. They were friends dating back to the early 1960s.
Before Presley would go on stage at the Las Vegas Hilton, he and Medley would spend a few minutes together, talking about their mutual love for motorcycles and musical influences.
Medley remembers those chats fondly, as Presley had few moments when he could just be himself, away from fans and handlers. “We would sit there, one on one,” Medley said. “So Elvis and I just really became Bill and Elvis. We would just talk about normal stuff — nothing too deep.”
Putnam, a bass guitarist and member of the renowned Muscle Shoals rhythm section, played on 120 Presley songs. He recalls how much energy Presley displayed during the marathon recording sessions that ran all night at RCA Studio B in Nashville in 1970.
“Elvis could focus better than any artist I ever worked with,” Putnam said. “He would learn a new song in five to 10 minutes, and was ready to deliver a killer vocal on the first take.”
Medley wanted to visit Presley when he was in hospital in the mid-1970s, but said he was discouraged by the star’s handlers.
Such regret probably follows Presley’s friends around to this day, said Ginger Holladay, a backup singer for Presley.
“We all have that guilt with Elvis,” she said. “Looking back, how could we have supported him more? I think we all have that feeling that we let him down.”