Elvis at 75: A country singer?

There's no way I can ignore this. The King himself would be 75 years old today.

I wasn't a great Elvis Presley fan, but over the years I've come to appreciate what he'd done. He'd crossed genres, popularized Las Vegas entertainment, and gave us a lot of great songs to listen to, enjoy, and learn.

To my knowledge, he never claimed to be a great musician. But he did all those things that a great musician does.

Name the genre and you'll probably find it represented in his body of work. Rock? Of course. Blues? Well, not like Muddy Waters, but he could sing 'em. Country? No problem. Gospel? Man, that's where I think he did his best work.

As I write this I'm listening to some of his gospel songs, and this gives me a real appreciation for his range. These songs, well, they're done respectfully, and you need to capture the right emotion and phrasing. And this is the same guy who pulled out the stops with "Hound Dog" and "Heartbreak Hotel." Elvis was no one-trick pony.

He's continued to break ground though he's been gone more than 30 years. Tribute bands are a big thing these days, groups that replicate a performer or group. Hey, the person being replicated doesn't even need to be dead -- some years ago I spent time talking with a guy who did a Garth Brooks tribute show in Nevada. You can say the first of about a zillion Elvis impersonators (see: Honeymoon In Vegas for a whole passel of them) gave birth to that industry.

Then, looking to the macabre for a minute, Elvis was one of the first to build a fortune and release top-selling albums from the grave. You're seeing this now with Michael Jackson; albums continue to sell and movies continue to be made long after Jacko had anything to do with it.

When the Postal Service deliberated over which image of Elvis to put on a postage stamp -- the 50s Elvis or the Las Vegas Elvis -- I preferred the younger version. That's when he was belting out old Arthur Crudup blues songs, creating another version of rock and roll, scandalizing polite society with his animated stage presence. When he was still not far removed from his truck-driving days, when he thought it was a real blast that folks were actually paying to hear him sing. That's the Elvis I'd rather remember.

Over the years I think he got a lot more jaded, bought too much into the stardom lifestyle, lost a little something off his skills, but he could still deliver a song.

Considering Elvis was still young and still had many songs in him at his passing, this begs the question of what he would be doing today if he was alive and in halfway decent shape. Oh, he'd still be touring. Many of his contemporaries -- the Stones, Willie Nelson, guys around his age -- still maintain killer schedules even though they may not look so good. I'm still trying to figure out Keith Richards. I'm amazed that guy's even alive, let alone able to handle small objects without assistance. He may look like wires are holding him up on stage, but Keith can still play that guitar.

If Elvis was still around, it wouldn't surprise me to see him making the rounds as ... a country singer. Seriously. Although you'd never confuse him with Johnny Cash, he'd always been real popular with those who listen to country. He'd always had the voice for it, and country is one of those genres that you can continue singing as your voice ages. I can hear him doing the kind of songs Charley Pride sang.

Got to give The King his due on a milestone birthday.

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Some Elvisiana:





... and let's not forget all those flying Elvi: