Elvis Tribute Artist Eddie O'Rourke presents A Tribute to The King

"Dreams come true...in Blue Hawaii"

Of all the programs I perform as an Elvis Tribute Artist, the Aloha from Hawaii remains one of my favorites.

A good amount of production songs, lots of classic Elvis moves and to enhance the ambiance I like to use some tiki props. Add to all that…the fact that the Aloha Concert was one of the high-points of Elvis’ career and the fans remember it fondly. On August 20th it was the offering for the third concert of my New Jersey Elvis Summer Festival presented by The Bayonne Town Center Classic Car Shows. The event came in the midst of a heatwave and surely tested my endurance. While the thermometer registered ninety degrees…the temperature inside my jumpsuit felt more like one hundred plus! Thank goodness for adrenalin ’cause that’s what keeps you going in these situations. In spite of the extreme weather, the crowd was attentive and really into the moment. A fact that never ceases to amaze me! The Aloha from Hawaii is one of my longer shows and you’d think the audience would have had enough heat by the end of the concert. As is often the case, the crowd happily stayed after the performance to take pictures with me. Gotta love those Elvis fans!!

The man who elevated the electric guitar to iconic proportions and revolutionized the recording industry with multi-track and echo delay has left us. Although not himself a rock artist, his playing style and vision of what the electric guitar could be paved the way for “Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

Since the passing of Les Paul, there have been countless news postings about his many accomplishments. So I won’t bore you by repeating the litany. I was privileged to have known Les and got to spend some personal time with him at his home in Mahwah, NJ. When I received the news of his death, it was those private times I recalled most.

I got to know Les through his son Les, Jr. We met in the Army and eventually wound up working gigs in the South East as well as the New York and New Jersey areas. In addition to performing, I also wrote a weekly music column for a local newspaper and thought a piece about one of the greatest guitarists of all time might be a good subject. Jr. asked his Dad if he was interested…Les said yes and one June night many years ago, I was on my way to my first meeting with “The Wizard of Mahwah.

The house was situated on a hill overlooking The Ramapo Mountains. A sprawling, two-story modified ranch-style. I entered through the studio wing and was greeted by Les’ sidekick and ex brother-in-law Wally. As he escorted me to the adjacent room, I could already hear Les playing his guitar. As I entered the master control room…there, behind a huge mixing console and looking much like Captain Kirk on the deck of The Enterprise, sat “the man” himself. A battery of tapedecks lined the right-side of the room. At the end and immediately to Les’ right was a seven foot relay rack which housed a stack of electronics. The rack sat on top of a two foot platform raising it within inches of the ceiling. I was looking at the infamous “Octopus”…the heart of the custom Ampex recording system that enabled Les to create the multi-track hits he became known for. Les put a reel of tape on one of the decks, turned on the recorder and began recounting stories of his life and times. I still have the two reels containing that original interview. One thing led to another and I found myself at the house on numerous occasions.

Another time that stands out in my mind took place in the den, just off the kitchen at Les’ home. The house was decorated in a comfortable western motif. The formal rooms boasted a mid-century style while the casual areas would have been a perfect setting for a cowboy star like Roy Rogers. The den or great room had walls of wood paneling and brick. At the far end there was a raised hearth and a bank of windows near the two-story ceiling. The opposite end had an open counter to the kitchen which was decorated in pickled-pine and hammered copper. Hanging overhead in the den was a huge customized wagon wheel ten or twelve feet in diameter with illuminated spokes and wired for sound. The furniture was western-style; wood with wine and cream colored leather. The backrests were embossed with cowboy designs. The floor was Tennessee flagstone. Got the picture? On more than one instance, we would sit at that kitchen counter, just the two of us, chatting and eating scrambled eggs with popcorn. We’d open the back door…a good thirty feet from where we sat. A family of raccoons would make their way into the room and would catch cubes of cheese we had cut up to toss to them.

I was fortunate to get to know the everyday side of Les. He had a great sense of humor and told a great story. He approached life with the enthusiasm of a child. He never lost his wonder for what new adventure might be just around the next corner. Genius  is an understatement when attempting to describe Les Paul!

“Clothier To The King” is how Bernard Lansky has billed himself  for many years.

These days his clothing store is in the lobby of the legendary Peabody Hotel at 149 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN. He opened his original shop on Beale Street in 1946 with his brother Guy. That’s where Elvis got all those cool threads we associate with his look in the fifties.

Lansky came from a family of nine children, the off-spring of immigrants from Kiev. Wanting his sons to be their own boss, his father purchased a clothing store for Bernard and his six brothers. But, the younger Lansky felt the need to strike out on his own and wound up in high fashion for the black entertainers in Memphis. He was on Beale Street with all those blues clubs and theaters. Bernard started to dress his windows in a style that would attract the singers and band members. Word of mouth soon had Lansky Bros. doing a land office business.

In the early days, it was rare to see a white guy on Beale. So, when Bernard noticed a young Elvis peering in the store window, he was moved to invite him in to look around. Elvis thought the styles were “fantastic.” Presley was working as an usher at the Lowes Theater and confessed he had no money…”but, when I get rich, I’ll buy you out” he declared. His first purchase was a shirt for $3.95. Thereafter, Elvis would show up on pay-day to buy additional shirts. When things started happening for him, Presley showed up at Lansky’s to purchase clothes for his ‘56 Ed Sullivan appearance. Again, Elvis was without funds.  Bernard ran a tab that the young Presley paid off with installments. By this time, it was clear to Lansky that “the kid was going places.”  Once the “King’s” career hit it’s stride, it was not uncommon for Bernard to make trips to Graceland to drop off merchandise or to bring fabric samples for new fashions. Lansky always found the Presley family to be warm and outgoing.

Today you can still find the dapper Mr. Lansky and his son Hal behind the counter of his haberdashery in the elegant lobby of the Peabody. Amid the extravagant fashions on display you will also find autographed guitars and memorabilia from stars of country, rock, blues and jazz. In August of 2001 Lansky Bros. retained Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc (EPE) as its licensing agent to represent trademarks, property, name and their new clothing line inspired by Elvis and the styles he loved.

On a personal note; several years ago I was in the Nashville/Memphis  area on business. I never go to Memphis without visiting “Mr. Lansky”. Can’t help myself….I always buy something!  Bernard and his son Hal are well aware that I’m an Elvis Tribute Artist.  On this particular occasion I was relaxing, with a glass of wine, in the beautiful Peabody lobby…just outside the shop. It was closing time and Hal was locking up. He noticed me and asked if there was anything he could do for me. I told him the next day would be soon enough and didn’t want to keep him. Hal replied, “we opened up after hours for Elvis…we’ll open for YOU!” The Lanskys are keenly aware that they’re selling much more than clothes at Lansky Bros. Bernard Lansky, the man who shaped the fashions of the fifties as much as Elvis did with his music, still sees folks peering in his window and invites them to “come in and look around.” I’m honored to call him a friend.

Ever since the sale of Elvis Presley Enterprises to media mogul Robert Sillerman in 2005, there have been conflicting stories about who owns what at EPE!

As a result of the sale, Elvis’ only child and sole heir to the King’s estate received a whopping $53 million in cash, $25 million in debt assumption and $22 million in preferred stock of Sillerman’s new company CKX. She still owns 15% of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Basically, Graceland mansion, and the 13 plus acres it sits on and all of Elvis’ personal belongings. CKX has the rights to promote the name and image worldwide. The sale has not changed the scene in Memphis….It’s business as usual and all the folks employed by Graceland mansion still have their jobs. What has changed is the use of the Elvis name and image abroad. Elvis Presley has become an international marketing tool! At the time of the sale Elvis Presley Enterprises was bringing in some $12 million a year in pure profit. Amazing, when you consider the fact that very little music rights for most of Elvis’ biggest hits add to that figure. Col. Parker sold those royalty rights to RCA many years ago!

To sum things up; Lisa Marie pocketed $50 million, got rid of her debts, kept the mansion and property and is a large share holder with a company promoting the world’s #1 entertainment image!