Part III of the Q&A with Joe Tunzi by you, the readers of ElvisNews and For Elvis CD Collectors. Part III focuses on Elvis and Elvis’ music

Joe Tunzi On Elvis In General

42. What information do you have on Elvis making any statements about USSR? (Question from Narek Markarian)

Joe: Elvis had a deep appreciation of people from all over the world but I really have no idea if Elvis ever commented any way regarding the USSR. Elvis wasn’t a person to make political statements. Elvis was in a business where he understood the power of the podium. He knew that if you’re not knowledgeable in an area in which you‘re talking about, it could get you into trouble with the media. A lot of people underestimate this aspect of Elvis.

43. I heard that if not for Elvis Presley's benefit and contributions the Pearl Harbor Memorial may not have been completed is this true? (Question from Steve).

Joe: No, it’s more likely that the USS Arizona Memorial would have been built irregardless of Elvis’ concert. It may have taken a little longer to build the memorial but I believe it still would have gotten done. Six months after the benefit concert, Hawaiian Senator Daniel Inouye was able to secure $150,000 in federal funds to assist in building the memorial. These funds had been lobbied for by AmVets National Commander Harold Berc. So it really didn’t stop with Elvis and it didn‘t really begin with him either. Construction of the memorial had already begun in late 1960 and concluded in the spring of 1962. There were many others besides Elvis who contributed their time and effort to getting the money raised. It’s a shame that Elvis has overshadowed the other individuals and their contributions of time and money.

44. I am curious to know what was inside the gift Elvis gave to Priscilla on her birthday in a long box that she opens but we cannot see what is inside. In the film she is dressed in green and then she cries having Elvis by her side. I was wondering what it could be? (Question from Vera Regina Prandi)

Joe: I’m not really an expert on this but I would have to guess that the home movie was taken in Palm Springs shortly after their wedding where Elvis may have given Priscilla a gift. I would have to guess that it’s either a necklace or a bracelet.

45. Elvis was always known for his generosity, especially to those in need. What has surprised me is that I have never heard of Elvis providing help for guitarist Hank Garland following Hank's debilitating accident. Similarly, no book I have ever read has even mentioned what Elvis might have thought about his accident. Legend has it that Hank was leaving an Elvis session when the accident occurred. Do you know how Elvis responded? (Question from T-roy Sims).

Joe: I have spoken several times to Brian, Hank’s nephew and his caretaker before Hank passed away several years ago. I don’t recall Brian ever making mention of Elvis contributing any money towards his medical bills but I’m sure that Elvis felt very bad that Hank was involved in a serious accident. This doesn’t mean that Elvis didn’t do anything. He may have done it without any fanfare.

46. In your book Recording Sessions vol. 3 it states that Elvis’s funeral service was recorded. Is this true and who has this audio of this sad service (question from Darren Cavanagh).

Joe: The audio was recorded by Bill Porter and was turned over to Elvis’ father, Vernon Presley. More than likely the recording is still contained in the Graceland archives.

47. Do you know how many guns Elvis owned, what his favorites were and what happened with the collection after he died? (Question from Kenneth McGowan).

Joe: I would have to think that Elvis owned many guns. Collecting guns and badges was a hobby in as much a sense as Elvis fans collect Elvis’ music and movies. It would be hard to guess how many guns Elvis ever purchased, given that he collected guns his entire career and that he purchased guns as gifts for family and friends.

Joe Tunzi On Elvis’ Music

48. This question relates to the female backing vocal(s) to the on soundtrack songs “Pocketful of Rainbows'” and “Spring fever”. Do you have any information when these overdubs were done, such as who recorded the “Pocketful of Rainbows” vocal, as well as dates, locations, and if any other production numbers were assigned to either cut during the recording process or after these overdubs were finished. (question from Garry Brennan).

Joe: "Pocketful Of Rainbows" was sung by Juliet Prowse. As for "Spring Fever" I believe this was done by B.J. Baker. Both of these were sung during post-production of their respective films.

49. You mention in Sessions III, possible recordings of Elvis and Tom Jones. Do you think they really exist and chance for a release? (Question from Samuel Ketenjian).

Joe: This rumor comes from a well known paparazzi photographer, Peter Borsari. He took several pictures of Elvis and Tom Jones together for a then upcoming article in a magazine. He told me several years ago before he passed away that he witnessed Elvis and Tom Jones fooling around singing while a portable cassette or a reel-to reel recorder on a table was in use. One of the titles he distinctively recalls Elvis singing was the Billy Eckstine number “With These Hands.” In the biography “Tom Jones: Close Up” by Lucy Ellis and Bryony Sutherland, it is mentioned that Tom first met Elvis on the set of “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” and Elvis came up to Tom singing “With These Hands.” Tom also mentioned in the book that he regretted not being able to locate some 8 mm film of him and Elvis jamming together that he said was shot by Joe Esposito and that Priscilla was unable to locate. Whether this is of the same jam is unclear.

50. What can you say about rumor that John Lennon suggested Elvis to sing Imagine in duet? Have they ever met after the meeting with Beatles? (Question from Narek Markarian)

Joe: No, Elvis and John Lennon did not ever meet again after their meeting on August 27, 1965 at Elvis’ home. As for the rumor regarding “Imagine” I would be willing to guarantee that it is not valid at all.

51. Do you think the unreleased takes and studio talk/clowning from Elvis' May 1971 Nashville recording sessions, where he recorded a lot of Christmas music, will ever be released by BMG or FTD? (Question from Jeanne Pellicani).

Joe: A great idea would be for FTD to do two 7”CD sets of the 1971 albums “Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas” and “He Touched Me.” Rarely anyone mentions these two albums for potential classic album material. A third FTD could be dedicated to outtakes from the non-secular material from the March, May and June sessions. If FTD wants three releases in November, this would be the ideal way to present these 1971 outtakes.

52. Do you feel the CBS 77 tapes should be released by EPE? ((Question from Cory)

Joe: Yes, absolutely the Estate should release “Elvis In Concert.” Elvis only did three television specials. Why should the Estate deny the fans the material or for that matter try as much as they may to eliminate something from the public consciousness so as to make it that it didn’t ever happen. If any person from the media wanted to know about “Elvis In Concert” all they would have to do is search the internet to read about it. Also, in this day and age the media is more concerned with other agendas as opposed to Elvis’ appearance during “Elvis In Concert.” How the “Elvis In Concert” material is presented is another question. It doesn’t have to be both shows complete. It could be a DVD that contains the best of the ‘77 material.

53. In Sessions 3 you stated that the 6/28/73 St Louis Mo concert in on Soundboard in your opinion could this be a possible release? (Question from Mark Wengler).

Joe: This comes from solid information we received that the June 28, 1973 show in St. Louis was recorded on soundboard. It tied together with other information I’ve researched years ago that made it valid enough to include in “Elvis Sessions III.”

54. I wanted to know if there is any professional footage of the 69 comeback show in Las Vegas (Question from Riccardo).

Joe: I’ve never seen any professional footage from the 1969 Las Vegas engagement owned by anyone including the Estate or any production house. I doubt I will be wrong but I would love to be proven wrong on this.

55. On FTD's "I Found My Thrill" the soundboard tapes used on the last track to compile the medley differ favorably in sound from the Jan.27 D/S. Word has it that these were recorded with the addition of an audience effects mike, hence the stereo sound? The same applied with the bootlegged Aug.20, 1973 M/S. How often was this practiced? and was this restricted only to Elvis' Las Vegas shows?

Joe: I’m not sure on the technical aspects made to compile the “I Found My Thrill” medley but I do know that a good many audience recordings are owned by RCA. It is possible that parts of this medley were made up from audience recordings, some of which may actually sound better than a soundboard. To be quite frank, I’m not a big fan of this release. I think the big thump you heard when you put the CD in to play it was Elvis rolling over in his grave.

56. On FTD's "Today" re-issue it was disappointing that an unreleased outtake of "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" wasn't included in the line-up. What happened to takes 2 and 3? (Question from Darren Breeden).

Joe: I can’t speak for FTD but obviously takes 2 and 3 were not good enough for release. If I remember correctly takes 2 and 3 are not complete.

57. In the soundboard section of "Sessions III" the May 11 1974 from Los Angeles tape is listed but there is no distinction of whether it's the matinee or evening show, the former features the once only live rarity "You Can Have Her". Does it indicate both shows? (Question from Darren Breeden).

Joe: When we listed the May 11, 1974 show in Los Angeles we were referring to the evening show, not the show with “You Can Have Her.”

58. I'm very much interested in the rehearsals Elvis held leading up to his '69 stage Comeback in Las Vegas. Do you know of any recordings that were taken during the time of July 18 - July 31st? Is there any written material available to tell us what songs Elvis might have rehearsed other than your list in the rehearsal section in your Sessions III book? (Question from Alex from Germany).

Joe: A lot of the rehearsals for 1969 were done at RCA’s facilities in Hollywood, which would make it very likely that rehearsals could and would be recorded. Remember that Elvis did in fact have a new band, new backup vocalists and an orchestra that would need reference copies of how Elvis wanted to present these songs on stage. Logic would dictate that some of these rehearsals would be in these people’s hands.

59. Also I know that Elvis started very early in '69 together with Charlie Hodge to compile lists of possible material for the shows. Do you have or do you know of any written transcripts of this period either by Elvis or by Charlie that would shed some light on this material? (Question from Alex from Germany).

Joe: A few years ago I was privileged to look through Elvis’ personal lyric book, which was put together by Elvis and Charlie Hodge. This book had lyrics for practically every song Elvis ever did in concert as well as for some he planned to incorporate into the show but never did. I hope to have more information on this in the near future.

60. And last but not least, how did you come up with the list of rehearsed songs that you mention in your Session III book? Do you have further information on that other than what's been published already? (Question from Alex from Germany).

Joe: We do have some documentation of paperwork regarding the rehearsals. I would imagine the Estate has some of this as well and most likely more of this paperwork.

61. There seems to be some dispute on the last 4 songs that features on the 'Concert Years' CD ("Elvis Aron Presley" box set disk 4). In my copies of both your "Sessions II & III" books I read that these songs come from Dallas - June 6 '75 however Ernst Jorgensen’s "A Life In Music" and the documentation of the EAP box both state that they come from Shreveport on June 7. Which are correct? (Question from Darren Breeden).

Joe: These last four selections were taken from the Dallas show on June 6, 1975 rather than Shreveport the following evening. I’ve based this as fact after listening to the complete show from Dallas several years ago.

62. The songs "Steamroller Blues" and "American Trilogy" from the 'Aloha' dress rehearsal that were used on past releases are in a lot better clarity and balance than what we get on the "Alternate Aloha" release with its echoes and unbalanced mix along with some sloppy and repetitive audience overdubs. Could you please explain the difference? Could it be that different tape sources were used? (Question from Darren Breeden).

Joe: Again fortunately or unfortunately it is the same tape source. The job done by Don Wardell and his team I would consider one of the worst mixing jobs on any live recording. The bass drum in some parts is louder than Elvis' vocal. This too would be an excellent release for FTD to release both shows remixed as a 7” classic album.

63. FTD records released what's supposed to be nearly all the tracks recorded for the movie “Kid Galahad”. At the very end of the movie Elvis sings one line from the song “I Got Lucky” and it sounds quite a bit different from any of the additional tracks provided in FTD's “Kid Galahad” release. One of my friends said he thought they had just lifted the line from one of the takes then embellished it with horns. What do you think?

Joe: The film company “Mirisch Brothers” took a take of “I Got Lucky” and simply embellished it with horns during the post-production of the film. This is something that occurred during a good many of Elvis’ films during post-production on certain selections.

64. If the line is from one of the takes already released do you know which take? I wish they had released it in the same form as it came out in the movie because it's quite lovely with the horn work they applied. (Question from Rejane Hinkle)

Joe: I believe it is the master that was edited and embellished with an orchestra during post-production of the film.

65. According to Ernst, during the recording of "Blue eyes crying in the rain" at Graceland in 1976, Elvis was kind of rude to guitar player Billy Sanford (“Cover him up David”). Have you ever interviewed him? If you did, can you tell us what his recollections of the session and of Elvis were? (Question from Mattia Berti).

Joe: I’ve interviewed Billy Sanford several times and he is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever talked to. He truly is a gentleman who regards the Jungle Room Sessions as one of the many highlights of his career. Yes, Elvis was being sarcastic with his uncalled for remark. It’s a letdown that Elvis has one of the finest guitar players at his session and Elvis disregards him. In my opinion, Billy's guitar playing on "Blue Eyes Cryin In The Rain" is one of the highlights of these recording sessions. Billy also recalled that they attempted a few rundowns of “Feelings” but then they decided to move on.

66. Why don't launch a national "barn search", a huge "all USA campaign" to find some new, unpublished or unreleased material which is hidden? We could certainly find out some real gems. What so you think of that idea? Also, do you think that a recording exists of the 1961 Memphis Show and is there a recording of the July 31st 1969 show and a soundboard recording from June 26 1977? (Question from Louie Germain Tremblay).

Joe: If anyone could do a national search for new material (audio, video, photographs, documents), it would be the Estate along with Robert Sillerman. Yes, the Estate could and probably should bring in the record label. It could be a massive hunt with rewards for each piece purchased. This is something that the Estate maybe should implement if they really want to do an anthology/documentary. There are no professional recordings of either show in Memphis in 1961 or of the Opening Night V.I.P. show on July 31, 1969. I seriously have my doubts that there would even be audience recordings of either show given the fact that the 1961 shows were for dignitaries who paid $100 a plate and tickets and the ‘69 show was for people Elvis and the Colonel invited. As far as the June 26, 1977 concert in Indianapolis is concerned, this is something that definitely was recorded on soundboard.

67. What about the rumors surrounding the 76 Graceland Sessions? Do you know if songs like “Blue Eyes”, “Feelings” and so on, survived on tape? I also read that Elvis usually warmed up playing the piano. Was any of that material ever recorded? (Question from Joe and Ulli)

Joe: I don' t know what "Blue Eyes" is that you're referring to but again the only chance that some of this material would exist is if one of the mini-cassettes that some of the musicians recorded while the sessions took place included such a selection. However, being that they were not recorded on the best of equipment, this would likely make for a low fidelity listening experience as the quality suffers tremendously. Just a few of these mini-cassettes have been located but it’s still a possibility that the few that are unaccounted for may contain what you're asking about. At the end of the Jungle Room Sessions Elvis asked David Briggs to stick around on February 11-12. David got paid but Elvis never showed up.

68. And what about the mystery of the complete 71 session? Why did BMG only release a handful of outtakes so far? Is there a tape of Elvis doing more Dylan songs? From what I heard, he worked on songs such as “Walking Down The Line”, “One Too Many Mornings”, “If Not For You”, “Blowing In The Wind”, “All I Really Want To Do”, “It Ain’t Me Babe”. These songs were mentioned in the book “Stolen Moments”. (Question from Joe and Ulli)

Joe: As far as I know the only Dylan songs Elvis recorded in 1971 are "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and the bit of "I Shall Be Released." There are however two different versions of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” Both seem to run approximately the same time (11 minutes). Elvis may have jammed on "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" as early as the September 10-11, 1967 or the January '68 sessions.

69. Do more outtakes from the 1971 studio version of “My Way” exist? It can’t be that only one take exists, released by BMG on the 70’s Master Box. (Question from Joe and Ulli)

Joe: You may have a point but in the RCA archives only the master is represented, which may indicate that it was done in one take.

70. Will there ever emerge any tapes containing material of those rehearsal sessions prior to Elvis Presley’s legendary Las Vegas season of 1969? (Question from Peter Hauri).

Joe: I think I’ve answered this question earlier but I’ll try to reiterate what I said before. Given that Elvis was starting a new band with new backup vocalists and that he was being accompanied by an orchestra, it would be logical that there are rehearsal recordings from 1969 out there. All of these people would need reference copies so as to work out arrangements. To give even more credence to the thought that there are rehearsal recordings is the fact that many rehearsals were done at RCA studios in Hollywood, California where equipment was readily available to record reference copies. Why have no rehearsals have turned up? It may be that these individuals feel quite differently about seeing rehearsal tapes released that Elvis may have given to them personally than the fan. The fan is more inclined to want to hear everything whereas the person with the rehearsal tape might look at it as a personal memento that’s meant to be kept private.

On behalf of the readers of ElvisNews.com and For Elvis CD Collectors Only we’d like to thank Joe Tunzi for taking the time to answer all seventy questions, sharing his view and experience with all of us.