Category Archives: Music

May27

Lisa Marie Presley – me and lisa marie through the years

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Lisa Marie Presley – me and lisa marie through the years

So the obsession begins again! With the release of Lisa Marie Presley’s new album Storm and Grace and her upcoming tour, I am completely obsessed with Lisa Marie Presley again. I never stopped loving her, but I become completely obsessed with her when she tours. I looked back through my Lisa Marie scrapbook that I started in 2002 the first time I saw Lisa. She introduced her song Nobody Noticed It at Elvis’ 25th Anniversary concert at the Pyramid in Memphis. She didn’t sing it live, but played the recorded version with the words on the screen. That was it, I was hooked.

 

The next time I saw Lisa Marie Presley was in Baltimore on July 24, 2003. This was the first time I saw her in concert, and the first time I met her. Lisa opened for Chris Isaak at Pier 6. It wasn’t crowded, so I moved down to the front row – standing and singing the entire time! At the end of Lisa’s set, I asked for a set list and one of the guys gave it to me. Then I left missing Chris Isaak because I wanted to meet Lisa. I went to the parking lot and after about five minutes, Lisa came out to greet everyone. She got to me, and I handed her my set list. Lisa smiled and said, “Oh you got a set list!” I told her it was a great show, and she said thanks. Then she said, “You were the one in front singing, right?” Lisa Marie Presley noticed me! 

A week later I saw Lisa Marie Presley in concert again. This time in Memphis at the Botanic Garden on August 1, 2003. Lisa again opened for Chris Isaak. I wasn’t as close as I was in Baltimore. I wasn’t standing at the stage, but I was seated at one of the front tables, but off to the side. I was about two tables away from Priscilla! It was amazing to watch Priscilla watch her daughter on stage – and in Memphis! Lisa sounded so much better than she did in Baltimore because the sound was so much better – the band did not drown out her voice this time. Lisa was so excited, and her performance was just amazing!

The next day I saw Lisa Marie Presley perform in Nashville at the historic Ryman Auditorium on August 2, 2003. I ended up staying at the same hotel as Lisa and her band. I waited near her tour bus from 4-7 before the show, but never got to speak with Lisa. I saw her walk by a few times and saw Priscilla. My seat was in the 6th row, right behind Priscilla – she beamed with pride watching her daughter perform. Everyone was forced to sit in the Ryman, but we periodically stood up and cheered and Lisa acknowledged us and Priscilla turned around and smiled at us. When I got back to my hotel room after the show, I realized that Lisa’s band was staying on my floor. We talked with them in the hallway, but we never saw Lisa. 

 

I didn’t see Lisa Marie Presley again for another two years. She performed at the Beale Street Music Festival on May 1, 2005. I arrived at the festival just before the gates opened, but there was a long line waiting to get in. I had to run all the way to the other side of the park to the stage where Lisa was playing. I didn’t get a spot on the front rail, but three people back dead center. Luckily those three people were short, so I had a great view. And Lisa put on a great show – so much better than her first tour. She was so relaxed. Lisa played my favorites Indifferent, SOB, Lights Out, I’ll Figure It Out, and Idiot. 

The next day I saw Lisa Marie Presley in Nashville at the Cannery on May 2, 2005. After waiting four hours in line, I was rewarded with a spot up front on the rail. I thought this Nashville show was even better than the show in Memphis. For the first time ever, Lisa played High Enough, which I love! She also played Now What, Road Between, and Here Today, all of which she didn’t play the previous day in Memphis. I got a set list for this Nashville show!

A few days later I saw Lisa Marie Presley at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA on May 9, 2005. It was a seated show, and I was at a table right up front. The set list was the same as the Nashville show, except Turned to Black was played instead of High Enough. It was a great show, and Lisa talked a lot. She was really funny. Unfortunately, the meet and greet was cancelled after the show. 

A few days later I saw Lisa Marie Presley at the history Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on May 15, 2005. It was Lisa’s last official show of this leg of her tour. After waiting in line for several hours, I got a spot on the front rail all the way at the end. Lisa was sick, so she didn’t do the acoustic set of Now What and Road Between. She also didn’t play Turbulence or Indifference, but she did play High Enough and Turned to Black. It was still a great show. Priscilla was in the crowd, so Lisa sang Raven. It was amazing! Lisa kept looking at her and she and Priscilla were tearing up – as was I. During Thanks, Lisa invited some fans up on stage to sing with her. At the end of the show, Lisa Marie Presley shook my hand, looked into my eyes, and said, “Thank you!” 

 

Two days later I saw Lisa Marie Presley perform Idiot on Good Morning America on May 17, 2005. I got up at 4am and got a cab from my hotel in New Jersey and waited on the streets in New York City until they let us in the studio at 7am. Lisa didn’t come on until 8:45am. It was only one song, but I was SO close and apparently I was on tv because my mom called to tell me she saw me singing along. After her appearance, Lisa stopped to sign autographs with her fans.

Still in New York City, two days later I saw Lisa Marie Presley at City Hall Park for a free concert. I was right up front and center on the rail. The set list was changed a bit. Lisa played I’ll Figure It Out, Sinking In, Turbulence, Lights Out, Dirty Laundry, Idiot, Here Today Gone Tomorrow – and the Ramones drummer played along on their cover.

 

I didn’t see Lisa Marie Presley again for over a year, but it was well worth the wait. It was my 34th birthday – October 4, 2006. Lisa performed at the Birchmere again in Alexandria, Virgina and I had been selected for a Meet and Greet after the show. For the show, I had a seat up front, but way to the left of the stage. Lisa announced my birthday during the show. She had never sounded better. She played SOB, Lights Out, Sinking In, Indifferent, Excuse Me, High Enough, Yellow to Blue, Idiot, I’ll Figure It Out, Turbulence, Thanks, Dirty Laundry, Here Today Gone Tomorrow, and a duet with Ryan Cabrera. After the show, I met Lisa Marie Presley and got my picture taken with her. She signed my cd cover and wished me a Happy Birthday. I told her she gets better every tour, and we discussed how it sucks to have seated venues and how excited we were for the Stone Pony show.

Two days later I saw Lisa Marie Presley in concert again at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on October 6, 2006. After four long, cold, windy hours waiting in line, the doors opened and I got a great spot front and center on the rail. The crowd was great, but the sound wasn’t that good. It was the same set list as the Birchmere show, except she closed with a cover of Joan Jett’s I Hate Myself for Loving You.

Two days later I saw Lisa Marie Presley in my hometown of Baltimore at Rams Head Live on October 8, 2006. I was again front and center on the rail. Rosanne Barr opened and was hysterical. Lisa sounded amazing! The crowd wasn’t great because they weren’t really Lisa Marie Presley fans, but by the end of the show, they got into it. The set list was the same as the previous two shows except for the encore Lisa played Turned to Black and did a duet with Rosanne - Baby I Love You. There was a lot of interaction between Lisa and the audience. After the show, Lisa stopped to sign autographs and meet with her fans. This Baltimore show was my favorite of the tour.

The next day I saw Lisa Marie Presley in New York City at BB Kings on October 10, 2006. I was once again up front on the rail, but a little to the left of center. This New York crowd was amazing – everyone knew the words! The set list was the same, except instead of Yellow to Blue it was Turned to Black and she closed the show with a Joan Jett cover.

 

A year later I saw Lisa Marie Presley as she performed In the Ghetto in Memphis at Elvis 30th Anniversary concert on August 16, 2007. It was amazing! The crowd went wild, and Lisa sounded great!

 

It has been almost five years since I have seen Lisa Marie Presley in concert. She is touring this summer to promote her new album Storm and Grace. I am going to see her in Baltimore on June 15th at the Baltimore Soundstage – there are only two shows scheduled at the time of this writing (more are supposed to be added shortly). I can’t wait to see Lisa perform again! I am very excited that she is starting her tour in my hometown of Baltimore. It is a fully seated show, but I got a table right up front next to the stage.

May19

Reliving my Youth in the Summer of 2012 with 6 concerts in 3 months

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Reliving my Youth in the Summer of 2012 with 6 concerts in 3 months

I am seeing 6 concerts in 3 months in the Summer of 2012. It is a little different than 16 concerts in 3 months like I saw last summer, but U2 is not touring this summer. This summer I am seeing Lisa Marie Presley and Lucero in June, Def Leppard (with Poison) and Toad the Wet Sprocket in July, and New Kids on the Block twice in August.

My first concert of the summer is Lisa Marie Presley at Baltimore Soundstage on June 15th! It is a seated event and general admission seats are $25 or a show package table for two is $75 – guess which one I got? I have to skip seeing the Beach Boys at Merriweather the same night, but I would never miss Lisa Marie, especially in Baltimore. I have seen her every time she’s played Baltimore – this will be the third time. I have seen Lisa Marie Presley several times in concert. For more on me and Lisa Marie, please read my upcoming blog post. There are sure to be more Lisa Marie Presley concerts this summer – just waiting for them to be announced.

 

My second show of the summer is a week later. I am seeing Lucero at Rams Head Live in Baltimore on Friday June 22nd. It is a general admission show and tickets are $25. Lucero is this great rock band from Memphis. The lead singer has a very unique, raspy voice that I love. I lived in Memphis for three years and never got to see Lucero – something always got in the way. And now that I am back in Maryland, I’m seeing Lucero – ironic.

 

My third concert of the summer is Def Leppard and Poison at Merriweather on Tuesday July 10th. This is going to be quite the 80s scene. I am pretty excited about this one. I have always wanted to see Def Leppard, as I was a big fan in high school. And recently Bret Michaels of Poison has peaked my interest. Plus 80s rock queen Lita Ford is opening. This show should provide for some great crowd watching. I bought a lawn ticket for $50.

 

My fourth concert of the summer is Toad the Wet Sprocket at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis on Monday July 30. I love Toad the Wet Sprocket and have seen them several times in concert. They are definitely one of my favorite bands. They were the soundtrack of the 1990s for me – along with U2 and The Cranberries. This show will be my only seated show of the year, so it will be quite a different atmosphere. Tickets are $50.

 

My fifth and sixth (and final) concerts of the summer is a two-day festival. I am seeing the New Kids on the Block at the MixTape Festival at Hershey Stadium in Hershey, PA on August 17-18. New Kids on the Block are playing both days of the festival. The first day by themselves and the second day with Back Street Boys. I have seen New Kids on the Block four times. In fact, New Kids on the Block were my very first concert. It was 1990, I had just graduated high school, and my mom deemed me finally old enough to go to a concert. I was way up top in the back of the Baltimore Arena, but it was a great show – lots of screaming girls. I saw New Kids on the Block again in 2009 in Memphis almost 20 years later. Those same girls were now women screaming for New Kids on the Block, now referred to as NKOTB, And then I saw NKOTB a year later in Las Vegas for the first two shows of their tour, and even went to the after party. Also playing the MixTape festival are LL Cool J, The Fray, The Wanted, Kelly Clarkson, DJ Pauly D, and others. Tickets are crazy expensive (almost $200.), but I get to see NKOTB twice! Plus, since I’m skipping the Beale Street Music Festival for the first time in 10 years, I really wanted to go to a music festival – even if it is a pop music festival.

 

So I’m not seeing the coolest, hippest, or even most current bands, but I’m going to have a great summer reliving my youth! Not sure if I’ll know if it is 2012 or 1992.

May5

One Life No Regrets

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One Life No Regrets

I try to live my life pursuing my passion and by the motto, “It’s better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven’t done.” Especially since it’s all about the journey, not the destination. Along my travels this past summer on the U2 360 tour, I met a guy who was living his life the same way. His name is Patrick Stark and his motto is One Life No Regrets.

I met Patrick in Seattle, the day before the U2 360 show. While my friend Jenny and I were exploring Seattle, we heard the drums for U2′s Desire. We paused because we weren’t sure we had heard it correctly, but then we heard ‘Lover I’m on the street.’ So we ran toward Desire. It was a band and gospel choir on the back of a semi truck playing U2 music. The banner above the stage read ‘One Life No Regrets’ and then in smaller letters ‘noregretsu2.’ The singer, Patrick Stark, turned 40 and wanted to make sure he was living his life with no regrets – something I identify with as I am turning 40 this year and want to live my life with no regrets. Patrick had always had a fear of singing in public, so to conquer his fear he is making a documentary called One Life No Regrets about his quest to sing on stage with U2. In preparation, he sang a set of U2 songs with a Gospel choir – Desire, In God’s Country, All I Want is You, One, Until the End of the World. Unfortunately, Patrick did not get on stage with U2 the next night, but he has made a great documentary.

May4

No More Beastie Boys

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No More Beastie Boys

It is a sad, sad day. We lost Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys. He lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 47. First it was Michael Jackson, then Whitney Houston, and now MCA of the Beastie Boys. All musicians I listened to growing up. I listened to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston in middle school and the Beastie Boys in high school. But I continued listening to the Beastie Boys in college and after. I was lucky enough to see the Beastie Boys perform live a few times in the 1990s at Lollapalooza and Tibetan Freedom Festivals, and I saw them one last time in 2008 at the Virgin Mobile Festival – on the front rail. My favorite song of the Beastie Boys is Hold It Now, Hit It.

 

Now that I am almost 40, musicians of my generation are dying and it makes me pause, think and reflect.

May1

26 of My Favorites A to Z

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26 of My Favorites A to Z

I had a lot of fun in April blogging about 26 of my favorite things in the A to Z challenge. So much fun in fact that I wanted to list all of my favorites in this one blog post, each highlighted with links back to the original posts. I have also included some honorable mentions to truly include all of my favorites. So here are 26 of my favorites from A to Z!

A is for (brady) Anderson with Autobiographies as honorable mention.

B is for (denver)  Broncos with Biographies as honorable mention.

C is for (johnny) Cash with Casinos as honorable mention.

D is for Dogs.

E is for Elvis Presley.

F is for Facebook and social media.

G is for Grease.

H is for Happy Days with History as honorable mention.

I is for iPhone with Ice Cream as honorable mention.

J is for James Dean.

K is for (the) Kennedys.

L is for Larry Mullen with Lisa Marie Presley as honorable mention.

M is for Memphis with Music as honorable mention.

N is for (olivia) Newton-John.

O is for (baltimore) Orioles with Orange as honorable mention.

P is for Pizza.

Q is for Queso (aka Cheese).

R is for Robert Cassotto (aka Bobby Darin).

S is for Soap Operas with Sit Coms as honorable mention.

T is for (lana) Turner.

U is for U2.

V is for (las) Vegas.

W is for Writing.

X is for Xanadu.

Y is for Yoo-Hoo.

Z is for Zoo.

I will definitely participate the A to Z Challenge again next year. I met lots of new friends, read a lot of interesting new blogs, and I loved writing my about all of my favorite things.

Apr24

U is for U2 – my favorite band

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U is for U2 – my favorite band

A favorite of mine that begins with U is U2, my favorite band. More than my favorite band, U2 is one of my greatest  passions. And as such, U2 has two shelves of memorabilia in my place as well as walls of posters and a display of hundreds of cds and dvds. My passion for U2 began 25 years ago.

I was a freshman in high school when The Joshua Tree was released in 1987. I remember hearing With or Without You and realizing it was by the same band that sang that song Pride I had heard a few years earlier. Luckily a classmate had a picture of U2 because at the age of 14 it is VERY important what the band that you might be interested in looks like. Out of the four guys, one was stood out. His name was Larry Mullen Jr,, and I have been in love with him ever since. Besides being gorgeous, Larry is my favorite member of U2 because he is very matter of fact, no nonsense, and always says exactly what he is feeling. I admire that about him. I have seen U2 in concert 75 times over the past quarter century, and I have had a few personal encounters with Larry Mullen Jr along the way.

Because of Larry Mullen, there is U2. He started the band with a note on the school bulletin board. And for a few minutes, the band was known as The Larry Mullen Band, which is the t shirt I wear to every U2 show. Because of Larry Mullen, I discovered U2 my favorite band for a quarter century. Because of U2, I have traveled all over the United States seeing great places and meeting great people. My favorite U2 song is I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. My favorite U2 album is The Joshua Tree. My favorite U2 tour was the Elevation Tour. I am currently searching for a publisher for my book about my travels on the U2 tours the past 20 years called On the Road with U2: my musical journey.

 

Who is your favorite band?

This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.

Apr20

R is for Robert Cassotto (aka Bobby Darin) – one of my favorite singers

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R is for Robert Cassotto (aka Bobby Darin) – one of my favorite singers

A favorite of mine that begins with R is Robert Cassotto, whose stage name was Bobby Darin. My favorite artist, after Elvis and U2, is Bobby Darin. I first learned of Bobby Darin at age 4 while watching my favorite tv show Happy Days. Potsie, Richie and Ralph would sing Bobby’s hit Splish Splashevery time they played Arnold’s. Of course I called it ‘Pish Pash.’ I didn’t speak too well back then, but I loved that song.

 

Splish Splash was pretty much the extent of my knowledge of Bobby Darin until I became an adult. I heard and fell in love with Beyond the Sea, and I was hooked. I read every biography I could find. I first read Me and Bobby D by Steve Karmen, Bobby’s boyhood friend and first music partner. Then I read Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin by David Evanier, Bobby Darin by Al DiOrio, Bobby Darin by Michael Seth Starr, and finally Dream Lovers by Dodd Darin about his parents Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. I also bought the three movies Bobby Darin starred in with Sandra Dee: Come September, If a Man Answers, and That Funny Feeling.

 

I learned many interesting things about Bobby Darin while reading all those biographies. The most attractive to me was his passionate performances. The main reason I love Elvis and U2 is for their passion. Actually passion is probably the most attractive and admirable quality to me. Bobby Darin was so passionate about performing that he wore a condom on stage while singing because he would get so excited. Music moved him that much! Of course after reading this, I had to find DVDs of his performances. I bought Bobby Darin: The Darin Invasion, Bobby Darin: Singing at his Best, and my favorite and his last Bobby Darin: Mack is Back.

 

Bobby Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto in 1936 in the Bronx. He grew up poor and sick. He was stricken with recurring bouts of rheumatic fever, which weakened his heart. Bobby lived his life knowing that it would be a short one. This motivated him to do as much as he could as quickly as he could. Bobby grew up with his mother and his sister. The man who he thought was his father died in jail before he was born. Bobby Darin married Sandra Dee in 1960, and they had one son Dodd. Unfortunately they divorced in 1967. A year later Bobby, at age 32, was shocked when his sister Nina told him that she was actually his mother and his mother Polly, whom he adored and had died years before, was actually his grandmother. Bobby never learned who his real father was. Later that same year Bobby was devastated when his friend Bobby Kennedy, whom he had been traveling with on his campaign, was assassinated. After all of this, Bobby sort of lost his way. He spent some time in seclusion in a trailer in the woods and turned to folk music. He eventually returned to the stage. Bobby Darin died in 1973 at the young age of 37 from an infection after forgetting to take his medication to protect his heart during a dental visit.

Bobby Darin was a great singer, a great performer, a great actor, and a very passionate man. He starred in many movies and was even nominated for an oscar. Bobby also played many instruments, including the drums. But what I admire so much about Bobby Darin was his singing – he was so passionate and versatile. He sang all types of music really well. He could sing 1950s pop like Splish Splash, big band standards like Beyond the Sea and folk music like If I Were a Carpenter.

 

What do you think of Bobby Darin?

This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.

Apr16

N is for Newton-John, Olivia – my favorite female performer

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N is for Newton-John, Olivia – my favorite female performer

A favorite of mine that begins with N is Newton-John, Olivia – better known as Olivia Newton-John. Olivia is my favorite female singer. I have loved her since I was five. She was my first obsession, my first scrapbook.  I discovered Olivia Newton-John in Grease and soon had all of her albums. Olivia has a memorabilia shelf along side Elvis and U2. My favorite Olivia Newton-John album is Totally Hot, which contains my favorite ONJ song A Little More Love.

 

Unfortunately I have yet to meet Olivia Newton-John, but I was lucky enough to see her in concert a few years ago. I was in the front row and cried during her first five songs. I was just so excited to finally see her live in concert. Besides being a wonderful singer and great actress (you should also check out Xanadu and Two of a Kind), Olivia is a a great humanitarian. She is giving back to the planet more than she is taking. I can’t say (or write) enough about this wonderful woman.

Who is your favorite female performer?

This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.

Apr14

M is for Memphis – my favorite city

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M is for Memphis – my favorite city

A favorite of mine that begins with M is Memphis, my favorite city. I love Memphis so much that I moved there – twice. I have to admit that I originally became interested in Memphis because of Elvis Presley and my love for him. But after a while, I loved Memphis for Memphis. It just felt like home. The food is fantastic, the people are nice and it is the home of Elvis Presley. Memphis has such a rich music history. It is where rock and roll began, and it is the home of the blues.

I lived in Memphis for a year from August 2002 to August 2003 and then again from July 2008 to October 2011. While in Memphis, I worked at the National Civil Rights Museum (where Martin Luther King was assassinated) and a couple of hotels and visited my favorite places Graceland (Elvis’ home) and Sun Studio (where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee and many others started) regularly. I wanted to live in Memphis because I wanted to live where I vacationed and where I loved. I moved to a house five minutes from Sun Studio and ten minutes from Graceland. I visited all the local museums, ate at all my favorite restaurants, got yearly passes at Graceland and the Zoo, and bought season tickets to the Memphis Grizzlies. I became friends with a great local singer named Nancy Apple. I attended annual local festivals and local movie screenings, such as Footloose, Johnny Cash’s America and Daylight Fades. I went to the annual Blues Ball, Who Shot Rock n Roll photography exhibit at the Brooks Museum of Art, the opening reception for the Elvis: from Memphis to Manhattan exhibit at Stax Museum, the famous HiTone music venue, the Arts Memphis Bravo season kickoff party featuring the Bluff City Backsliders, WEVL’s annual Blues on the Bluff featuring the BoKeys, Marshall Grant’s (Johnny Cash’s bassist) final performance and book signing at the Brooks Museum of Art, and the Memphis Roller Derby.

I took day trips to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, TN, the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, MS, and the casinos in Tunica, MS. I visited Johnny Cash’s childhood home in Dyess, AR and Jerry Lee Lewis’ current home in Nesbit, MS. I spent a weekend in Nashville visting the Ryman, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Broncos win over the Titans. I took a five day road trip through Mississippi visiting the sights in Jackson, Biloxi, Vicksburg, Greenwood and Clarksdale. I took a ten day road trip out west along route 66 through Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico then toured all around Texas on the way back visiting sights in Lubbock, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas – and then Shreveport, LA. I finally made it to Chicago (and Wrigley Field), and have been three times since it’s only an eight hour drive from Memphis. Then of course there was the 3 month road trip back and forth across the America to all the U2 shows in the US. Besides all these wonderful places I’ve visited and great things I’ve done because I moved to Memphis, it was in Memphis that I discovered that I loved to write. I started this blog to share all of my activities and travels and then starting writing for Examiner.com about events in Memphis. This led to my second blog On the Road with U2 about all of my travels on the U2 tours, which led to me writing my U2 Tours Memoir.

 

What is your favorite city?

This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.

Apr5

E is for Elvis Presley – my favorite performer

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E is for Elvis Presley – my favorite performer

A favorite of mine that begins with E is Elvis Presley. I have loved Elvis all of my life. I grew up watching Elvis movies with my mom on Sundays. I became a fan of his movies before I became a fan of his music. But it wasn’t until the mid 1990s that I became a true fan. Ok let’s be honest, I am obsessed with Elvis Presley. It is basically the reason I moved to Memphis and lived there for three years. I visited Graceland and Sun Studio regularly. I have everything Elvis, including every book written about him, all his movies and videos, and obviously all of his songs. But more than that, I have lots of Elvis memorabilia – I could open an Elvis gift shop. I have two shelves dedicated to Elvis, and much more boxed up.

I love Elvis because he is beautiful inside and out. He was so generous, charismatic, talented and gorgeous! My favorite Elvis Presley songs are Heartbreak Hotel, Loving Arms, Just Pretend, Love Me and American Trilogy. My favorite Elvis Presley movies are Girl Happy, Wild in the Country, Jailhouse Rock, Loving You and Viva Las Vegas. Even though Girl Happy is a cheesy 1960s beach movie, I love it because it was my favorite growing up because one of main characters is named Deena. I got such a kick out of Elvis saying my name, and to be honest I still do. I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of Elvis’ friends, band members and co stars.

My favorite person I met from Elvis’ life is his daughter Lisa Marie Presley (I wanted to include her as one of my 26 favorites but it didn’t work out, so I’m including her here with her dad). I became interested in Lisa Marie because of Elvis, but soon grew to love her because of her. I love her music. She is a great lyricist. I’ve seen her in concert several times and have met her twice. The first time I saw her in concert I was SO excited, screaming as if Elvis was performing – she curled her lip and swiveled her hips just like her dad. I met her after that show in Baltimore, and she recognized me from the front row singing along. I met Lisa Marie again a few years later after a show in Virginia on my birthday – got my picture taken with her and got her autograph. She’s so down to earth and nice – just like her dad.

Who is your favorite performer?

This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.