Elvis Presley - Stories Behind the Songs (Vol 1)

Elvis Presley - Stories Behind the Songs (Vol 1)

It starts in 1969 – 50 years ago – when Elvis was re-discovering himself as an artist, after years in the Hollywood wilderness. He had just performed the 68 comeback special – showing that he was still able to excite as a performer. However 1969 was crucial to prove that Elvis was not a golden oldies act, but in fact a contemporary artist and still a relevant chart force. The book looks at those essential 1969 Memphis recordings, it looks at Elvis’ majestic return to the live stage, and the huge concerts at Madison Square Garden and the Aloha Satellite Show from Hawaii.

Although many of Elvis’ countless solid gold hits feature in the book, the author is also keen to explore the lesser-known album tracks – all of which he feels deserves their special place centre stage.

The book aims to help the reader look at each song in a different light – maybe they will go and play the lesser heard songs and appreciate them in a whole different way after reading the story behind that particular track. If it further builds on the fans’ knowledge about Elvis and brings around a bigger appreciation of Presley’s music then the book will have achieved its purpose. 

About the Author

Matt Shepherd has presented several shows over the years for BBC Local Radio on Elvis Presley, including more than 50 with his good friend Freddy Zapp on BBC Radio Cornwall. Matt has been an Elvis fan for more than 30 years and has amassed a huge collection of hundreds of records and Elvis information over the years.  He has written Elvis related articles for the BBC News website and Elvis publications. His has also interviewed many of Elvis’ friends over the last few decades including Jerry Schilling, George Klein, Larry Gellar and the late Joe Esposito.