Feature

Adib Reza

Even 30 years after his rather pre-mature death on 16 August 1977, the King of Rock n' Roll still lives in the hearts of his fans all over the world.

Few ever manage to become iconic enough to be known simply by their first name and only one Elvis managed to make a significant impact on the music and popular culture of the world to be considered one of the most important and beloved figures of the 20th century.

Many exciting plans to pay homage to Elvis have been taken up on August 16th. The epi-centre of the gala festivities was Graceland, his home near Memphis, Tennesse, USA.

Elvis & me
I was still a small boy going to school in the mid-80s when I first heard songs sung by Elvis in audio cassettes in our house and came to know about his movies that my parents had seen many years ago in some Dhaka movie houses. Those were the days when Elvis's movies used to run full house in the cinema halls in Dhaka and Chittagong. Then I came to know more about this great performer from my Anglo-Indian friend Sean Dawes of Dilu Road who studied with me in the same class. Our common interest in Elvis Presley strengthened our friendship. Soon I became possibly the biggest Elvis fan in town or at least I thought so.

Then in 1992, my unforgettable experience as an Elvis Presley fan took place. Since my father too had been an ardent Elvis fan in his student days, I could easily convince my parents to pay a special visit to Graceland during a family trip to the USA. I remember that it was after Bill Clinton had just been elected the President of the US in the early part of November 1992 that we took a TWA flight from Washington's Dulles airport to Memphis. There we went to visit his magnificent house along with other tourists and took some pictures. I was as excited as my parents were. For a while we could not believe we were actually standing on the same grounds Elvis walked when he was alive! When we remembered he was long gone, gone forever, we became pensive and sent a silent prayer for the salvation of his soul.

In fact, my visit to Graceland in November 1992 opened to me new windows to know and study Elvis as a singer, actor, a loving son to his mother and a kind-hearted man. The visit was a homage to the most influential singer-actor and one of the greatest icons of the 20th century.

One year later in 1993, my friend Sean migrated with his family to Texas, USA and left with me all his Elvis collections which included books, magazines, paper clippings, posters and some audio cassettes. This further strengthened my bonding with Elvis and his memory.

Small town boy to matinee idol
Elvis was discovered by Sun Records label chief Sam Phillips, who realized that he had found a singer who could bridge the musical divide and bring black music to a white audience. Elvis himself recognized his inherent gifts when he announced, upon his arrival at Sun studios “I don't sing like nobody” to the front desk girl while owner Sam Phillips was away for the day.

In 1956, “Heartbreak Hotel,” Elvis' first single for RCA became a smash hit selling well over one million copies. Despite his controversial style and charisma, Elvis' legend continued to grow. He became a superstar that year with his network television appearances, high-energy concerts and one hit record after another.