He directed his band an background singers throughout all his performances. He is the only performer I've seen who does this as well as sing and move at the same time....and some people complain that he didn't write his own songs?????
Diane
I've always wondered, when Elvis did this:
at the end of a song, did he actually signal his band when to stop, or did he just move to the ending beat?
Sorry if it is a stupid question or if the answer is obvious and little ol' me can't see it.
Last edited by LtCarman; 01-07-2009 at 10:19 AM.
He directed his band an background singers throughout all his performances. He is the only performer I've seen who does this as well as sing and move at the same time....and some people complain that he didn't write his own songs?????
Diane
Ronnie Tutt And James Burton Said That They Always Watched For Hand Movements And Signals From Elvis On Stage.
Thanks for clearing that up for me guys.
Last edited by LtCarman; 01-07-2009 at 03:41 PM.
i'm not wondered,Elvis directed his band.
Also, they would watch his leg moving to the beat. But like you said it was mostly his hands.
Thing about stealing was stupid...Yea, but writer of the song has rights on who can sing it and who can't. Like Paul Anka(sp?) writer and singer of My Way and etc.
Love to all,
Tim
Yes Elvis was always the boss on stage. He knew how he wanted the band and singers to sound. He had a great feel for the music.
As I always heard the band say that he was not moving to the beat....that they were playing of his movements.Scotty Moore said that they were the only band he knew of that was directed by a a**.Scotty laughed when saying that.But yes LtCarman....that was always Elvis' cue to end the song.
I've got a question also. On disc 4 of "Elvis Live in Las Vegas Box" you can hear Elvis say to Jerry Scheff at the beginning of 'Burning Love':"What a bass groove" or is he saying "Play that bass groove". I'd like to know what Elvis is saying to Jerry.
"Here's to our wives and girlfriends...may they never meet!".
Groucho Marx
It was a combination of both showmanship and band direction.
Let's face it, Elvis didn't need to be signalling the band to end All Shook Up or whatever right at the end of his career. They knew the songs so well.
And at the very end, Elvis' direction was virtually superfluous.
Getlo - cute'n'cuddly
I agree with you Getlo except one point.
When Ronnie Tutt was replaced in '77 it needed these movements to show him when to stop.
"If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary; If you're not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible.“
(George Klein)
In watching Tutt on videos its almost at times like he was an extension of Elvis. Tutt said watching the TTWII SE he saw Elvis clap his hands at a point in rehearsals and he knew Elvis was telling me he wanted him there on drums.
I tried to explain to my 17 year old nephew who plays drums how good Tutt was in doing this.
He said "Oh thats not so hard" so my brother and I sat and jammed with him on some pretty simple songs-and I did a few kicks and chops (lamely of course) and he saw it was not as easy as he thought to interrupt his basic drumming to add the extra beats where I wanted. It was kind of fun to see him trying.![]()
Work in Progress!