new sonny west book

[KPM]

How could they have lived independently from Elvis when he created these positions for them because he felt a chauffeur, a valet, a bodyguard etc., was needed?...How could they stand on their own and earn money when Elvis wanted them to work for him?....should they have worked a good few hours every day for him and done it for free?

My point in independent is that if it was to much of a drain on their life to work for Elvis they should have quit-period. Then they should have got a job outside of the Elvis world and been a friend in their off time, as they could without any on call situation involved. In other words just because Elvis wanted them to work for him did not mean they had to. Sure it was hard to be on Elvis's payroll as friend and worker,but if they did not like it they should have quit and stood on their own in a world where you do not get jewelry given to you for no reason, and cars, vacations motorcycles, houses, parties with the most famous and rich in the world. Its a lot to give up and lets face it they did not want to-they enjoyed this life in the Elvis world and were willing to take whatever to stay there.
You are right Elvis would have got other people to do the various jobs he had them doing, but if he had I think he may have been better off in a lot of ways. It is a Catch -22 to have friends as employees and friends as your boss. You feel obligated to them on both sides and friction always crops up. They were not always the best people for the jobs (as most of them never did the jobs before Elvis hired them and they learned as they did) He wanted the guys, as friends, but blending them into part employee- part friend really seems now, listening to them and their stories,(and books) not to have worked well on many levels.

[joanne]

I have many differing views on this first of all I`ve always felt that Elvis needed people around him and I feel that he gave them jobs as a way of keeping them there on the payroll.
I`m not saying that he didn`t need certain jobs doing for him but I feel that some of them were perhaps made for the person if you know what I mean.
This is perhaps true when you look at the guys that were around him before he went into the service compared to the amount afterwards when he obviously felt the need for more company due to his emptiness after the loss of his mother.
He certainly did not need the amount of guys that he had during the movie years for instance compared to what he needed when he went back to touring but he needed the companionship 24 hours a day.
Perhaps someone can list all the jobs of the guys and we can put it into perspective.
Thats why I felt they had an easy ride somewhat and I feel a lot of them thought their real job was just to laugh at Elvis`s jokes and be a yes man.
Having said all that though and watched other entertainers with their entourage I have come to the conclusion that stars need people around them, particularly Elvis.
Sammy Davis Jnr once said in an interview about Elvis that "There would always be 10 or 15 people in the room not in his private dressing room but I`m talking about sitting around cause that meant that if he wanted to be alone he could go in there and do whatever he had to do beside getting dressed or he could come out and he had the comradery, he thrived on comradery, he thrived on what he called his family y`know and you read things that people put him down for it, the Elvis entourage, there was no entourage, their people that make you exist because what you gonna do you can`t go up to the top of the Himalayas and sit in a box and say people are no **** good."

[0349054]

One thing I would like to add, is that while it was a choice for them to be with Elvis, and they chose to be with him, it should also be made clear that they did not get paid well. They got perks, but over all, there pay was not that good.

All I am saying is that while it may seem like a great job, most of them were there because they loved Elvis, especially the guys from the start - not because they loved the job or being away from home for long periods of time.

Look at most of them now, when Elvis died they were left with nothing. No jobs and no obvious qualifications, except they were with Elvis for a long period of time. Although, Vernon doctored that will after Elvis died, that I believe for a fact. Elvis looked after they guys in it, untill Vernon had a little fiddle with it. He always hated anyone getting anything.

[joanne]

One thing I would like to add, is that while it was a choice for them to be with Elvis, and they chose to be with him, it should also be made clear that they did not get paid well. They got perks, but over all, there pay was not that good.

All I am saying is that while it may seem like a great job, most of them were there because they loved Elvis, especially the guys from the start - not because they loved the job or being away from home for long periods of time.

Look at most of them now, when Elvis died they were left with nothing. No jobs and no obvious qualifications, except they were with Elvis for a long period of time. Although, Vernon doctored that will after Elvis died, that I believe for a fact. Elvis looked after they guys in it, untill Vernon had a little fiddle with it. He always hated anyone getting anything.

I agree with Vernon, he probably felt that they had had a very sweet life with Elvis so they had had enough and I agree with that.

[0349054]

I think Vernon should have left Elvis' will intact. Besides it was through Vernons judgement that Priscilla became involved with the estate following Elvis' death. Something Elvis never made any provision for in his will, just as he left Priscilla nothing in his will.

[joanne]

I think Vernon should have left Elvis' will intact. Besides it was through Vernons judgement that Priscilla became involved with the estate following Elvis' death. Something Elvis never made any provision for in his will, just as he left Priscilla nothing in his will.

Can you let me know what happened as I`ve heard some conflicting stories?

[0349054]

In so far as the will is concerned or how Priscilla became involved?

Elvis' last willwas originally written in November, 1976 at the urging of Vernon but was not signed until March, '77 just before Elvis left for a Hawaiian vacation.

The will he signed was probated when he died with three pages being deleted by Vernon after Elvis died.

Elvis gave a copy of the will to Billy Smith and showed him how much he had left to everyone in it, Billy wasnt that interested and he just filed the will away, but he did see that Elvis was looking after the guys.

After Elvis' death Patsy Presley called Billy and asked for that copy of the will, which Billy gave her. Vernon had asked her to do that, so that the detail of the 3 pages he deleted would never be known.

As for the ex-wife...Priscilla, along with the National Bank Of Commerce and Joe Hanks, Vernon's accountant, were named by Vernon as executor of the estate should he die. It is true that Priscilla begged Vernon on his death bed to add her.

They were to be executors until Lisa became 25. She then allowed her mother to keep running it until she was 30.

What most people are not aware is that there was/is a Board of Advisors from the bank and a few from the business community in Memphis who advise Priscilla and Jack Soden.

The fact is Elvis didn't want Priscilla to have anything to do with his estate should he die. He expressed that to the guys and that's probably why Vernon hesitated to name her

[joanne]

Thanks darlin.

[KPM]

I am a little confused about the doctored will. My father in law died a year ago. His will was drawn up by his lawyer, and my father in law signed the will in front of witnesses and a notary. The lawyer had the original which his office had drawn up and my father in law had a copy. When he died that will went to probate, if any one had tried to delete anything from the original the lawyer who drew up the document would know. How could this have happened without the lawyer and his office knowing, unless you're saying they were in on it? If Billy is sure- he should have contested the will as a great injustice was done to him and anyone else who may have benefited. I know in my father in laws piddly small estate some of my wifes family almost did that until they saw the original will in the lawyers office. In an high profile estate like this it seems funny to think anyone would try and change anything knowing the scrutiny it would be getting, from family and friends (as it is in many wills for normal people) but in this instance from the press and government, who looked very closely at this situtation because of the tax issues involved.
When I read these differing accounts of something I personally have no direct knowledge of I can only go by what I have experienced which is similar in some way. If so many people seem to have a knowledge of pages deleted, why did no one come forth and contest this will? Any lawyer would chomp at the bit to maybe get a stake in the, then future, revenue of that estate. Did any of them even consult a lawyer? (Billy, Patsy, Billys wife- whoever had even a hint of this) Not only were they cheated, but Elvis's last wishes were not followed.(if this is all true) I tell you its such a tangled web of accusations and stories I am coming to the belief that the truth on most things Elvis will never be known in totality. But that adds to the mystique.

[0349054]

I am a little confused about the doctored will. My father in law died a year ago. His will was drawn up by his lawyer, and my father in law signed the will in front of witnesses and a notary. The lawyer had the original which his office had drawn up and my father in law had a copy. When he died that will went to probate, if any one had tried to delete anything from the original the lawyer who drew up the document would know. How could this have happened without the lawyer and his office knowing, unless you're saying they were in on it? If Billy is sure- he should have contested the will as a great injustice was done to him and anyone else who may have benefited. I know in my father in laws piddly small estate some of my wifes family almost did that until they saw the original will in the lawyers office. In an high profile estate like this it seems funny to think anyone would try and change anything knowing the scrutiny it would be getting, from family and friends (as it is in many wills for normal people) but in this instance from the press and government, who looked very closely at this situtation because of the tax issues involved.
When I read these differing accounts of something I personally have no direct knowledge of I can only go by what I have experienced which is similar in some way. If so many people seem to have a knowledge of pages deleted, why did no one come forth and contest this will? Any lawyer would chomp at the bit to maybe get a stake in the, then future, revenue of that estate. Did any of them even consult a lawyer? (Billy, Patsy, Billys wife- whoever had even a hint of this) Not only were they cheated, but Elvis's last wishes were not followed.(if this is all true) I tell you its such a tangled web of accusations and stories I am coming to the belief that the truth on most things Elvis will never be known in totality. But that adds to the mystique.

The pages in Elvis' will were not numbered. Beecher - the lawyer was used because it was done in Memphis not Calif, and therefore governed by Tennessee laws.

As far as challenging Vernon, the thing is and most people don't like hearing it, but the guys wern't interested in looking for anything from Elvis' estate. They did not want to further upset Vernon who had a serious heart condition and had just lost his son, and most important of all they did not want to start taking from Lisa Marie's inheritence. When Elvis died he had very few liquid assets.

Vernon and Beecher were in it together. He purposely had Charlie and Ginger witness the will, because under Tennessee law the witnesses cannot inherit anything. Vernon grew up poor and had an innate fear of ending up that way again, Elvis' spending scared him, and he also didn't want to give money out to anyone at any stage, especially if Elvis died.

[joanne]

The pages in Elvis' will were not numbered. Beecher - the lawyer was used because it was done in Memphis not Calif, and therefore governed by Tennessee laws.

As far as challenging Vernon, the thing is and most people don't like hearing it, but the guys wern't interested in looking for anything from Elvis' estate. They did not want to further upset Vernon who had a serious heart condition and had just lost his son, and most important of all they did not want to start taking from Lisa Marie's inheritence. When Elvis died he had very few liquid assets.

Vernon and Beecher were in it together. He purposely had Charlie and Ginger witness the will, because under Tennessee law the witnesses cannot inherit anything. Vernon grew up poor and had an innate fear of ending up that way again, Elvis' spending scared him, and he also didn't want to give money out to anyone at any stage, especially if Elvis died.

I don`t blame him. Vernon deserved it all anyway, he loved his son dearly.

[KPM]

Like I said the tangled tales get even more tangled as the years go by. How they changed a will of one of the most scrutinized people of the modern world is a pretty tall tale of many I've read or heard. If its true its a crime that needs to be investigated. Do you think Billy would have any problem, after all the years that have gone by, of having a hint on this dropped to the Attorney General in Tennesee? If there is any legal proof (beyond heresay) it could change a lot of things for the people who were cut out. Also it would Show Elvis did not cut out people who many expected to be included. In the copy of the will I got in 1978 it is numbered and it is (as most will are)in an item by item form
Item I- Debts, Expenses and Taxes
Item II-Instructions Concerning Personal Property:
Enjoyment in Specie
Item III-Real Estate....there are a total of 15 Items of seperate interest in all the pages are numbered to 13 with the 13th page being
the notary page with witnesses signatures. My copy is from the Shelby County Probate court and is stamped from that court. It is stated on that page
I, B.J. Dunavant, Clerk of the Probate Court, do hereby certify that the forgoing Thirteen (13) pages contains a full, true, and exact copy of the Last Will and Testament of Elvis A. Presley, Deceased. As the same appears of record on file in Will Book 209, Page 266 the date is 8-24-77
If this story is true the Will was not just missing 3 pages, it would have had to be totally rewritten to keep the Item by item running in a proper order. One of the Items would be dealing with the bequests to others or something similar and it would have to be listed as"ITEM-?" If it was missing the whole will would be out of sync. I'm afraid this would involve more than just Vernon and the lawyer if its true and "if it is" someone needs to look into it. (even if its only Geraldo)

One other thing about this story which troubles me is Vernon had done 3 years in prison for altering a check in Tupelo and from all accounts had learned his lesson the hard way about altering documents and breaking the law. It was an incident he never spoke of even to closest friends. He and Elvis when dealing with the government always stayed well within the law(IRS did there taxes every year to avoid any mishandling of there affairs etc...)Would Vernon, being scared as a young man from prison time for altering a check, allow a document to be altered which would be a million times more scrutinzed than that dinky check in the 30s? 3 years would be nothing compared to the mess it would cause if found out. I just don't know about this. But stranger things have happened.

[0349054]

All I can go on is what I have been told. I think Billy would have a problem doing anything about it, because he did not all those years ago want to take anything from the estate, and judging by his lack of action he still does not.

Vernon was well capable of doing it, and Billy has nothing to gain from lying about it.

The thing most people forget is that most of the guys don't want anything from Elvis' estate.

[KPM]

Like I said it seems far fetched from the will I've got, but why would Billy lie is a good point. As I have no direct knowledge I haven't a clue. As with a lot of things involving Elvis it is yet, another unsolved mystery to which no definitive answer will be found.

[joanne]

In so far as the will is concerned or how Priscilla became involved?

Elvis' last willwas originally written in November, 1976 at the urging of Vernon but was not signed until March, '77 just before Elvis left for a Hawaiian vacation.

The will he signed was probated when he died with three pages being deleted by Vernon after Elvis died.

Elvis gave a copy of the will to Billy Smith and showed him how much he had left to everyone in it, Billy wasnt that interested and he just filed the will away, but he did see that Elvis was looking after the guys.

After Elvis' death Patsy Presley called Billy and asked for that copy of the will, which Billy gave her. Vernon had asked her to do that, so that the detail of the 3 pages he deleted would never be known.

As for the ex-wife...Priscilla, along with the National Bank Of Commerce and Joe Hanks, Vernon's accountant, were named by Vernon as executor of the estate should he die. It is true that Priscilla begged Vernon on his death bed to add her.

They were to be executors until Lisa became 25. She then allowed her mother to keep running it until she was 30.

What most people are not aware is that there was/is a Board of Advisors from the bank and a few from the business community in Memphis who advise Priscilla and Jack Soden.

The fact is Elvis didn't want Priscilla to have anything to do with his estate should he die. He expressed that to the guys and that's probably why Vernon hesitated to name her

Yes I knew Elvis didn`t want her to have anything he knew she was money hungry.

[mistymorning]

thenwhy didn,t vernon respect his son,s descision?

[joanne]

thenwhy didn,t vernon respect his son,s descision?

I can`t get my head round it because by all accounts Vernon didn`t trust her. After the divorce she was still using Elvis`s credit card and he stopped it. I think he was just thinking about Lisa and her future.

[Menwithbrokenhearts]

I can`t get my head round it because by all accounts Vernon didn`t trust her. After the divorce she was still using Elvis`s credit card and he stopped it. I think he was just thinking about Lisa and her future.

I think that is exactly why he did it.

[Elvisman76]

It makes my heart sick when I read this post. But to read Joanne's input was a pleasure to read.
There are so many people who were connected with Elvis. The main question is which one of them do we trust and believe. I believe that answer is Your own heart. Sure I was not there. I did not see what Elvis did.
But as far as I am concered, its none of my buisness. Elvis did what he did and thats it.
Wasnt he trying to say that when he sang My way in his last concert? Look at the conviction in his face.
I wouldnt read this book by the West's if my life depended on it. As a 20 year fan of Mr Presley, I do not need to read that stuff !
Elvis continues to give us his gift of Music. There is not a day when I dont listen to his music. When I listen to him sing "How great thou Art" or songs like Unchained melody, I am alsways so moved.
Best yet, the new love in my life now likes Elvis. I made her a 70's CDR. She loves it. The girl has good taiste.
Elvis was and always wil be the king of Rock n Roll, and I dont care about any of that other crud. To end I will recount something Sammy Davis Jr said on a documentry..."All I want to know is if he was my friend? Because all that other jazz doesnt matter !"

Mark
Lost Wages, Nevada

[Donut]

I like to read all points of view from people who were around Elvis and come to my own conclusions so i will buy it. Anything in life isn?t entirely black or white and every one of them tells the story the way they lived it or they felt it was and it won?t change a bit what i feel for Elvis. The sad part is we won?t be able to read the story from Elvis himself and the reasons he had to do some of the things he did. But we are adults enough to read between the lines, aren?t we ?