Thank You. Thank You Very Much

Elvis has left the building … until he just returned. Is it possible that a movie, Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” can rekindle a fire? 400,000 plus new Elvis Spotify listeners, and $31 million in box office in week one. Google the name Elvis and you’ll get 671 million results in 0.79 seconds!

He was a cultural icon like no other, Elvis Aaron Presley of Tupelo, MS. His Nashville connections run deep. He was signed to RCA and recorded on Music Row in his first days. His back up musicians/back up singers, etc, were all Nashville-area folks.

His manager had a house in Madison, TN, just a few miles North of downtown Nashville. Former WSM traffic reporter and retired Nashville cop Richard Thomas used to drive him. Like John Lennon said, before Elvis there was nothing!

So much to learn from the Elvis story for working music people today, things not to do and things to do. Elvis was merchandised very early on.

His manager, the Colonel, had a few folks like him along The Row. I was with one when he turned down a million dollar offer for his mega hot act. That was in 1992. The King was the first to get those kinds of paydays.

The movies, Vegas … all issues modern day managers deal with every day. Elvis was a groundbreaker.

It was not a perfect movie, but sure was entertaining. The soundtrack is worth checking out, too!

Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney and Eric Church are doing what Elvis wanted to do: stadium shows. It would have happened had he grown more healthy.

Graceland, for any performer, is humbling to say the least. Who deserves a musical film post-Elvis? Someday, The Beatles, but too soon. Madonna and Whitney Houston are getting bio films, but they are no Elvis! In Country, the big ones have been done, and done well: Patsy, Tammy, Loretta, Johnny & June and, this fall George & Tammy.

The icons are few and far between.

Elvis interest is high. A great American success story.

It’s halftime of 2022. It’s been so hot around here most of June you can’t think.

Pollstar put out a tour gross top 10 and Morgan Wallen is on the list. Any surprise there? No. Eric Church has been selling tickets and, obviously, Kenny and Garth have too.

Any really memorable music or events January to June? A few stadium shows, but a rather unremarkable year thus far.

Miranda Lambert’s half year has been great. Luke Bryan, too.

Quiet would be the descriptive term for most. Yes, Garth’s big shows are winding down. Alan Jackson’s tour is winding down too. Some label turnover and more radio downsizing. Don’t you feel the year will finish strong? I hope so.

Toby Keith’s health issues remain a big story. And fake Tobys online generate a warning to fans. Nashville’s quest to be a big city marches on.

There are stories in Bloomberg about luxury tourism. $500 dollar a night hotel rooms are a great invitation to tourists, right?

When did they drop Music City USA for just Music City? How does a town that was made mega famous by songwriters make it too expensive to do anything and be proud of all that? How can a new Dean Dillon or Kris Kristofferson afford to write a song in Middle Tennessee for that matter?

Many questions January to July this year. At least two great films and a few good concerts make for good memories after two years of yuck! Cheers to part two of 2022!