August 16th will mark the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. I am an Elvis fan.

Examples of my dedication to the King:

• If an Elvis movie is located while flipping the channels, normal day to day life is put on hold until the last of the credits roll. It doesn’t matter if it’s Clambake, King Creole, or Roustabout.
• The summer of 1989 included a pilgrimage to Graceland with my buddy Mark.
• I sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” to my new bride at our 2003 wedding with my brother on guitar.
• I also sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” with a full band as best man for my buddy Derek. It was an impromptu performance. I had hit the open bar juuust a bit too hard prior to my toast, and before I knew it, there I was, frozen in front of 500 people with not a coherent phrase in my head. Lucky for me, there was a band behind me. I turned around, asked the guys if they knew any Elvis, and they launched into “Can’t Help..” I went from the tipsy, embarrassed best man to matinée idol in a matter of minutes. My shining moment!

Elvis’s music has always connected with me. His last years were a tragedy for sure, but behind the troubled “Vegas Elvis”, underneath the uppers and the downers, was the same Elvis – a warm and compassionate spirit.

So on to the giveaway. On July 31st, Sony BMG released Elvis: Viva Las Vegas, which is a CD collection that “features music from and is inspired by the ABC television special ELVIS: VIVA LAS VEGAS – the visual chronicle of Elvis’s life during the Vegas years with particular focus on his music, his ground-breaking style and his legacy.” The ABC special will air on September 18th at 9pm EST.

Leave a comment below if you’d like a chance to win the CD. I’ll pick one in a few days.

Here are a couple of tracks that Sony is streaming…

Elvis Presley – See See Rider (Quicktime) | Viva Las Vegas (Quicktime)

For a special treat, listen to this performance of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” (not included on the CD). It’s the infamous “laughing version.” It starts off innocent enough, but as soon as Elvis sings “Do you stare at your bald head, and wish you had hair?”, well, all bets are off, and he basically loses his shit. It’s great!

Buy Elvis: Viva Las Vegas

Elvis’s Official Site.

August 11-18 is Elvis Week in Memphis.

LONG LIVE THE KING!!

Elvis: Viva Las Vegas Track Listing

1)  Viva Las Vegas
2)  See See Rider
3)  The Wonder Of You
4)  Polk Salad Annie
5)  Release Me
6)  Let It Be Me
7)  I Just Can’t Help Believin’
8)  Walk A Mile In My Shoes
9)  Bridge Over Troubled Water
10)  Patch It Up
11)  You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
12)  You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
13)  An American Trilogy
14)  Never Been To Spain
15)  You Gave Me A Mountain
16)  The Impossible Dream