Saturday, August 18, 2007 Libre: Elvis Presley’s legacy By Mel Libre Seriously Now
AUGUST is the occasion for fans of Elvis Presley to remember the “King of Rock n’ Roll.” I must confess I am not much of an Elvis fan but I’ve done Elvis impersonations in the past.
Elvis died of heart failure caused by a long period of misuse of drugs on Aug. 16, 1977 at the age of 42. At the time of his sudden death, he was only a shadow of the star that he was in his early years.
Listening to the early works of Elvis is fascinating with the range of his voice displayed in the rock ‘n roll anthems that made him famous. But hearing his recordings in the late ‘60s and in the ‘70s, one gets the impression he was no longer the pioneering idol that he was. He had become as standard as Frank Sinatra.
If there was something original with Elvis, it was his body movements while he performed. As far as music is concerned, he merely imitated genuine rock n’ roll pioneers like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. Even his image was borrowed from James Dean, who died young and made a cult following with the movie, “A Rebel Without a Cause.”
Lacking the ability to create his own songs, Elvis was at the mercy of composers and his manager. He lost whatever respectability that was left in him as an artist when he became an entertainer in Las Vegas.
His legacy? Nobody really remembers anything much about his back-up band because its members played note for note without room for improvisation.
While The Beatles and Bob Dylan acknowledge Elvis for opening their eyes to the new sound that he popularized, it is a fact that the Fab Four and Dylan created music that had more impact on later generations.
Lisa Marie, Elvis’ only daughter, attempted to pursue a music career, but the attempt is best forgotten. Perhaps, what can be counted as her biggest achievement was her having married the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, then followed that up by snagging Elvis fanatic and actor Nicolas Cage as her husband after divorcing Jackson. She has since also divorced Cage.
What is astounding is that Elvis’ business empire thrives until today with earnings of $50 million annually. How this happened is not rocket science but simply marketing acumen.
The business handlers of Elvis’ estate knew the value of the Elvis brand. They turned his home, Graceland, into a shrine and marked his death anniversary like it was Christmas with as many Elvis souvenir items available for sale. If I read it right, even Elvis impersonators now pay a fee to the estate.
The truth about Elvis is that he was packaged well at the start of his career.
But unlike Michael Jackson and Madonna who have mastered the art of reinventing themselves, Elvis and his management chose to take the more profitable option sans artistry.
While Elvis is a basic material in pop music history, he may also be good subject in the study of business as well as estate management.
