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Press Release A Radio History 1945 - 1955

July 21, 2002 | Book
From the author of "A Radio History 1945 - 1955', Aaron Webster we received a press release. We'll add a review soon.

Out on August 1st a 264 pages book that deals with the radio shows Elvis did in the 50's. Aaron Webster's book goes back as far as 1952 and not only covers over 100 radio shows that Elvis was on (whether he sang or was interviewed) but gives information on any songs known to have been performed.
There are also many, many interviews with friends and witnesses who attest to the accuracy of the info. Also included is a Broadcast Map showing the geographic location of every radio station in America which carried Elvis live either as a performer or subject of a personal interview during the time period covered.


This fully-illustrated non-fiction work focuses on a young, energetic singer who had one foot in poverty and one foot in fame. And both feet never stood still. This time period was truly the Adventures of Elvis, in every sense of the word. His southern ascension. Taking place across twelve states, a grassroots phenomenon of hysteria was in its very genesis. In fact, it was a long-gone time and place he admittedly felt nostalgic for during the final years of his life. "...go back...do it all over again." Elvis Presley missed the Fifties...his lean and hungry early days in a regional music scene...when he was a rising star on a syndicated weekend radio show...when he was cutting sides for an independent label called Sun...when his manager was a deejay named Bob...when his mother Gladys was still there for advice and guidance.

Within these pages, discover a self-styled guitar-pickin' cool cat who immersed himself in Rhythm & Blues, Southern Gospel, Pop and Country. Distinguish how the in-dash AM radio in a pink Cadillac inspired Presley's repertoire in the studio and on stage. Identify all the notable Elvis wanna-be's who grabbed guitars when his debut record hit stores and airwaves. Some of these guys went on to make their mark on the music business...alas, some didn't. Be there at an annual music memorial event Elvis participated in once...and stole the show. But learn why he failed his first New York TV audition.

Presley, destined to become a music legend, was crossing paths with future Legends of Rock and Country music. Some he admired and befriended ...but some become an upstaged casualty from the driven force that is The Memphis Flash! The Rock-em Sock-em Singer. A hard act to follow.

The important role of the Disc Jockey is ascertained at the same time. Many of Elvis' life-changing opportunities quite often stem from the daily and nightly efforts of the common wax-spinning jock at the turntables and the mike. From the Deejay who gave a certain Tupelo boy acoustic guitar lessons . . . to the Deejay who provided office space for the original Elvis Presley Enterprises . . .

About the author

Aaron Webster, an artist, musician, and collector of vintage records, is a Southern Illinois disc jockey with programming/production experience in AOR Rock, Oldies and Country & Western formats. His very first concert was a birthday present which happened to be Elvis Presley's final appearance in St. Louis on March 22, 1976. Six weeks after Aaron's first trip to Memphis to see the famed Graceland music gates, he and his father were back on Elvis Presley Boulevard - this time to eyewitness the funeral motorcade for the entertainer on August 18, 1977. As a life-long fan, Aaron has been able to express that on the airwaves. He produced "Elvis: Southern Roots" (a two-hour 2001 Elvis Birthday Special) for Great Gold on WDDD 107.3. As host and producer of "The King on the Q" on WQRL 106.3, a thirty-hour serialized radio documentary sponsored in-part by Elvis Presley's Graceland, Aaron's on-air work received the 1999-2000 National Finalist for Best Audio Program in the 16th Annual Silver Microphone Awards.

Preface by Jacqueline Owens, a 1950s teenage disc jockey at WEIC in Charleston, Illinois who met Elvis in his Atlanta suite in 1973. She nervously presented him with a poem she penned entitled "I Was The One." Elvis read that poem aloud to a gathering of his friends, family and entourage, then gave Jacqueline a jeweled ring off his own finger as a gift and gesture of appreciation.

Early Reviews (as featured on the back cover):

"Having met Elvis at the very beginning of Presleymania - 1954 - and having watched closely his dealings with the press, radio and television over the years - I can truly say this book provides an incredibly accurate, compelling, informative and entertaining overview of Presley's dealings with the media. I give this volume Four Stars!"

Wink Martindale, WHBQ 560 (1952-1959)
Host, "The Elvis Presley Story" (Watermark Radio 1975)

"Different from the others, by a lot. Excellent."
Robert Ritter
WTUP 1340 Tupelo, MS

Excerpts:

As he walked down to the hotel, loud acoustic strumming, electric guitar licks and a caterwauling voice could be heard, near and distant, blasting from the in-dash radios of cars cruising through town. The song was coming from open windows in nearby apartments. It seemed like the entire city was listening to this new voice in the night. - from the chapter "A Voice in the Night"

"Sam Phillips brought Elvis to my house and tried to get me to manage him . . . My wife thought he needed a haircut, and she thought he needed his neck washed. But he was a good kid and we became close friends, but at the time, I didn't think it was the thing to do. That shows you how clever I was." - from the chapter "Cradle of the Stars"

Marlo Lewis, producer of The Ed Sullivan Show, was on the Godfrey set at Randle's request that he take a gander at the singer in hopes it might lead to a Sullivan booking. Lewis, having no interest in what he saw, reluctantly divulged to Randle the real reason why Elvis failed the audition. - from the chapter "Northern Aspirations"

Elvis was bruised, barefoot, bare from the waist up, and he was pale as a ghost. As he gathered his composure, and sought a comb to run through his hair, he said, "Damn, chief, them little girls are strong." - from the chapter "Pink and Black"

Included in Elvis The New Rage is a definitive Broadcast Concordance highlighting every live radio broadcast involving Elvis Presley from, as the title states, 1945 to 1955 (his pre-RCA Era). A decade worth of on-air moments (over 100) ranging from a grade school boy singing in a talent show...to the legendary late-night interview he mumbled and shrugged his way through...to the broadcast premiere of a new blues tune Elvis and his four-piece band were trying out on the road before recording...a song that would eventually earn the singer his first gold record.

Also included is a Broadcast Map showing the geographic location of every radio station in America which carried Elvis live either as a performer or subject of a personal interview during the time period covered.

Source:EPE - Elvis Presley Enterprises

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