From an article on the CBS News website:
"I remember when he introduced me to Elvis Presley, And Elvis says, 'You know, they call me the King of Rock and Roll. But your Father is the King of Cool,'" Martin's daughter Deana Martin said. "And I went 'Oh my gosh! Elvis Presley said that Dad's the King of Cool!' But we all knew that he was the King of Cool.That is so true. We all know that Dino oozed coolness. He's the coolest cat that ever swaggered on this planet. Even Elvis realized that and was inspired by Dino.
Click on the Elvis Information Network for a great article on how Elvis was influenced by Dino. It's really fascinating. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Here's a clip of Elvis singing Welcome To My World. He does do a really cool job with this song. I hope you enjoy it. Cheers!
Hey pallie Keith, gotta admit that I have never ever been a fan of the pelvis, buts do so dig that the King of Rock and Roll dug our Dino likes to the max....even drivin' by the Dinoestate, but too shy to stop and call on our great man....
ReplyDeleteHey pallie DMP. Growing up I was a bigger fan of Jerry Lee Lewis. I preferred the Killer over the King. The older I've gotten, the more I've gotten into Elvis. I do love how he was just a big fan of Dino.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, Elvis was a huge Dino fan. Dean comes up a lot in several Elvis books I have read...my favorite story is perhaps in Jerry Schillings when he recalls a time Elvis saw Dean golfing in Pals Springs and he called out to him right in the middle of his stroke.
ReplyDeleteDean flubbed it and Elvis was so embarrassed that he wouldn't come out of his room the next day...
Jerry recalled that Dean searched him down and asked about Elvis and Jerry told him he felt bad about messing up his swing. Dean just said he was honored that he had said hello and was hoping to see him again...two kings who were very fond of each other.
There is also the time Dean saw Elvis in Vegas and Elvis stopped the show to introduce him and he sang part of "Everybody Loves Somebody" for him.
Folks go out of there way to credit any number of blues artists as Elvis' biggest influences and the true father of rock n roll but I think Dean Martin has one of the biggest stakes in that claim.
From the beginning to the end...you can always hear some Dino in Elvis' recordings and Elvis would have been the first to admit that.
Hey Jeremy. Thanks so much. Wow. That's incredible. I don't think I had ever heard any of those stories. I think it's so wonderful that Elvis was such a big fan of Dino. It's cool to see that one legend was in awe, etc. of another one. If you're going to have a celeb who is a fan of you, it doesn't get much better than Elvis. I really appreciate your response. Question for you. What is the Elvis bio that you would most recommend someone read?
ReplyDeleteThis is almost as good as Dean's version which I sing every time I have a booking in the UK! Wow!
ReplyDeleteHey Bill. I love this song. Elvis does do a good job on it. I really love Dino's version.
ReplyDeleteHey Keith...the most essential Elvis biography is a two parter by Peter Guralnick. The first one is called is called Last Train to Memphis and it covers his life up till the army...the second is called Careless Love and it handles the rest.
ReplyDeleteThey are amazing...Peter is a tremendous writer and they are the best books on Elvis...
For the best book by someone who knew him, I would recommend Jerry Schilling's Me anda Guy Named Elvis (that's where the Dino golf story came from if I am remembering correctly).
Enjoyed this post. A few good books on Elvis, but be careful because there is a lot more bad reads than good. My recommendation is a two part series by Peter Guralnick. Last Train To Memphis. Elvis up until the army. Then the second part Careless Love, post Army Elvis. They are both really great books. Lets you get to know the real Elvis.
ReplyDeleteJeremy: Thanks so much for the recommendations. I'll definitely have to look those up. I wanted to read a good bio or two on him. I wanted something that was informative, etc. and not just trash. Know what I mean. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteMike. Thanks so much too for your recommendations. I'm definitely hearing that those are the books to get. I'll be sure to get my hands on them. I definitely want to read a good bio on him and not trash talking about him instead. I appreciate it.