Sun Star Studios Music Elvis Fan Page

First Elvis Pin. Issued in 1956

Bubble gum card, 1956

As a kid I grew up around his music. However It was my aunt Sharon who really turned me on to Elvis. My parents took her to the concert with them. She was the reason they
went. She is the biggest fan I know. She would send me his records, and when we visited her, she would always have his music playing on the Hi-Fi. As a kid I can remember hearing the song, Burning Love" on the radio. That was the song that made me a fan for life. I listened to Dick Clark's countdown every week and saw that single go to #1.

Original Jailhouse Rock EP. 1957

Original Jailhouse Rock single

Sonny has put together a collection of interviews that he has conducted over
the years dealing with Elvis. You will find the list on the next page. Each interview is fully produced and loaded with wonderful Music.

You will have a chance to meet some of the people that recorded or made films with him. It's a wonderful gift idea for any (Elvis) fan, And the best part is that they are all FREE! You pay only $3.50 for S&H. It's the Gift that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Feedback

You are invited to share your Elvis story or thoughts in our feed back section. Just click on Elvis and it will take you to the contact page. From there you can send us your comments. We will post your thoughts on bottom of page 2 .

Original copy of Elvis' first LP

Back Cover

Sonny's pick of the month!

Each month sonny will suggest a great Elvis film. He will give you his take and share some fun facts This months pick:

Easy Come, Easy Go

Easy come, Easy Go was released in 1967, two years before Elvis' last feature film, "Change Of Habit." Elvis plays a frogman who is about to complete his time with the US. Navy. He stumbles onto a sunken treasure on his final dive. One big problem..... someone else as has made the same discovery. This makes for a fairly compelling story line.

Of course there are plenty of pretty girls. The cast was wonderful Dodie Marshall, the beautiful Pat Priest, and the wonderful Frank McHugh who played the (frightened of water) Captain Jack. The whole cast was great.

The photography was stunning. Hats off to William Margulies for his incredible Cinematography. The scenery and settings were wonderful. The underwater scenes were very well done. This was a tough shoot. The credit goes to underwater photographer Michael J. Dugan.

The drawback in this film was the Yoga scene. This has to be one of the worst scenes ever shot in film history. What was John Rich thinking? For that matter what was film editor Archie Marshek thinking. This was a no brainer. That scene should have been cut. I really believe that if it wasn't for that one scene, This would be one of Elvis' best. It was really that good. Well acted and Elvis looked like he really cared. If you can overlook the (Yoga) scene, this film is well worth watching.

(Interesting Facts)
Easy Come, Easy Go began shooting on October 3, 1966. It was Elvis' 23rd film and his last at Paramount. It also ended his wonderful relationship with legendary producer Hal Wallis. It was filmed at the Long Beach Naval Station, the Santa Monica pier and harbor, a private home in the Hollywood hills, and Paramount Studios. By the way, the Navy ship used in the opening was the USS Gallant.

Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall) was Elvis' love interest. Interesting note; Dodie worked in an earlier film with Elvis. She had a bit part in Spinout. The part of Dina Bishop was played by the beautiful Pat Priest. She is best known for her legendary role as Marilyn Munster, in the Munsters. The legendary Frank McHugh played Captain Jack. His career dates all the way back to the vaudeville. This was his last picture.

Easy Come, Easy Go was directed by the man who directed Elvis in Roustabout; Emmy Award winner John Rich. As a producer and director he was responsible for such television series as 'Our Miss Brooks', 'Gunsmoke', 'The Rifleman', 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', 'Gilligan's Island', 'I Spy', 'The Brady Bunch', 'All In The Family', 'Maude', 'Good Times', 'The Jefferson's' , 'Barney Miller', 'Newhart' and 'Murphy Brown'.

Elvis Presley's Impact on music
(Here is what some of the greatest names in the entertainment business have to say.)

Concert Sonny's parents attended at Sicks' Stadium
in Seattle on September 1st 1957

“...it was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody’s ear, and somehow we all dreamed it.”
Bruce Springsteen

“You have no idea how great he is, really you don’t. You have no comprehension - it’s absolutely impossible. I can’t tell you why he’s so great, but he is. He’s sensational.”
Phil Spector

“A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his.”
Jackie Wilson

"Describe Elvis Presley? He was the greatest who ever was, is, or will ever be."
Chuck Berry

.“Elvis had an influence on everybody with his musical approach.”
Al Green

"Ask anyone. If it hadn't been for Elvis, I don't know where popular music would be. He was the one that started it all off, and he was definitely the start of it for me."
Elton John

“I wasn’t just a fan, I was his brother."
James Brown

“Before Elvis, there was nothing.”/ "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been a Beatles."
John Lennon

“That’s my idol, Elvis Presley. If you went to my house, you’d see pictures all over of Elvis. He’s just the greatest entertainer that ever lived."
Eddie Murphy

“Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution - the 60’s comes from it.”
Leonard Bernstein

“Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps.”
Rod Stewart

“He was a unique artist - an original in an area of imitators.”
Mick Jagger

“When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn’t going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss...Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.”
Bob Dylan

"I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun studios. Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent. He was a dynamic young boy. His phraseology, his way of looking at a song."
B.B. King

"Elvis was God-given. There's no explanation. A messiah comes around every few thousand years, and Elvis was it this time."
Little Richard

"Elvis is the big bang of Rock 'n' Roll. It all came from there."
Bono

"The cutting edge of it was Elvis singing 'Hound Dog.' There was something
about that music that got me excited. Elvis was dangerous in a way that
even Buddy Holly wasn't."
Eric Clapton

"Elvis is the best ever, the most original. He started the ball rolling for us all."
Jim Morrison

Elvis had a robe made for me. I don't admire nobody, but Elvis Presley was the sweetest, most humble and nicest man you'd want to know."
Muhammad Ali

"I'm just a singer. Elvis was the embodiment of the whole American culture."
Frank Sinatra

The Jordanaires!

You can't help but think of the Jordanaires when the name Elvis is mentioned. Their
names are synonymous. They sung with Elvis from his first session
with RCA in 1956 all the way to 1970.

I want to say a few things about this wonderful Group. I have the honor of knowing
Gordon Stocker and Ray Walker of the Jordanaires. I can tell you that they are true
gentlemen. I recently had them on my radio show. They had some incredible
stories to tell.

Gordon joined the group in December of 1949. He started as their piano player. A
year and a half later he began singing 1st Tenor. He has remained the groups 1st
tenor to this very day. Besides singing with Elvis, Gordon played piano on a number of
songs. One of the biggest songs was "Hound Dog." He appeared on every television
show during his time with Elvis, including the Ed Sullivan Shows. Gordon was also a
part of every concert and appeared in a number of Elvis' movies.

Ray joined the Jordanaires in 1958 as their new bass singer. He has preformed in
musical groups since he was a child. His father was a traveling evangelist.

Ray was part of Elvis' last session before going into Army. Some of the songs in that
session included "I got Stung" and "Big Hunk O' Love". Later, Ray was the one who
urged Elvis to sing "How Great Thou Art". That song became Elvis' signature song.

Besides working with Elvis, The Jordanaires worked with many other Legendary singers.
The names include Rick Nelson, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and the list goes on. Today
They still tour and record. Their latest project is a new album with Willie Nelson. The
Jordanaires have been elected into 5 halls of fame. More then anyone in music history.

-Sonny Starr

Check Page Two for your FREE copy of the wonderful Interviews with Ray Walker and
Gordon Stoker. Check out the the Jordanaires on the web: www.jordanaires.net