“Elvis is not dead,” says Tommy Lee Jones in “Men in Black” from 1997, “he just went home.”
What could be more like home, then, than fellow Elvis lovers singing to you through your computer screen, as if from another room?
Launched by James Intveld in 1986 and later hosted by Ronnie Mack and Art Fein, L.A.’s annual birthday party for Elvis Presley has featured rockabilly royalty, country crooners, Vegas showfolk, and the cream of the California Americana scene for more than three decades. It is the longest-running Elvis’s Birthday show in America.
Marty Barrett took over hosting duties in 2020, just before the lockdown, and returns for an online celebration of the King’s 87th birthday on January 8 at 7 p.m. Pacific, as COVID again spikes in LA and we want to keep our precious fans and performers safe.
Join us right here on January 8 for great interviews and performances with rockabilly legend Ronnie Mack, gentleman crooner Alias Means, lonely cowboy Justin Curtis, soulful darling Carol McArthur, whiskey-sippin’ axe-slinger John McDuffie, soothing presence Lisa Finnie, biker-with-a-heart-of-gold Dylan Thomas, starry-eyed dreamers The Prickly Pair, and more!
Wow! The memories just came back one after the other! Many thanks for putting this show together; my first EBB was the 2002 edition at the House of Blues that Lisa was talking about–I remember the group doing “Wooden Heart”, and that Ben Weisman, who wrote it, did another of his songs. I went to the show after learning about it from Evie Sands, for whom Ben was a mentor, collaborator and friend for many years. Over the years, I’ve been to about half of the EBB events; a few years ago, when Art was having a bit of trouble lining up artists, I told him, “If anyone needs convincing, just tell them that Bob Davis will sing ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (I have an original Carl Perkins 78) if we are short-handed.” I’m not sure if this was necessary, but it turned out to be a great show. Thinking about Elvis brings to mind a saying from the planet Vulcan: “Parted from us, yet never parted.” And to all who honor the memory of the King, “Live long and prosper.”
This is great, Bob! I hope you can come to the next one. Unless everyone bursts into flame, it’s gonna be live!