Latest news with #JerrySchilling
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Inside the final burst of Elvis Presley's creativity 48 years after his death
Two and a half years before he died, Elvis Presley sat on the floor of a walk-in closet at the Las Vegas Hilton and discussed a project that might have changed the course of his life. The meeting, as recounted by Presley's longtime friend Jerry Schilling, put the King of Rock and Roll face to face with Barbra Streisand, who'd come to see Presley perform at the Hilton in March 1975 then sought an audience after the show to float an idea: Would Presley be interested in appearing opposite Streisand in her remake of 'A Star Is Born'? At the time of the duo's conversation — Schilling says that he, Presley's pal Joe Esposito and Streisand's boyfriend Jon Peters squeezed into the closet with the stars in a search for some quiet amid the commotion backstage — it had been six years since Presley had last played a dramatic role onscreen; Streisand's pitch so tantalized him, according to Schilling, that they ended up talking for more than two hours about the movie. 'We even ordered in some food,' Schilling recalls. Read more: All 43 of Billy Joel's Hot 100 hits, ranked from worst to best Presley, of course, didn't get the part famously played by Kris Kristofferson — a casualty, depending on who you ask, of Streisand's insistence on top billing or of the unreasonable financial demands of Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker. (In her 2023 memoir, Streisand wonders whether the character of a self-destructive musician was in the end 'a little too close to his own life' for Elvis' comfort.) Whatever the case, Schilling believes that the disappointment over 'A Star Is Born' set Presley on a path of poor decision-making that effectively tanked his career before his tragic death at age 42 on Aug. 16, 1977 — 48 years ago this weekend. 'That was the last time I saw the twinkle in my friend's eye,' Schilling, 83, says of the sit-down with Streisand. An intriguing new box set commemorates the King's final burst of creativity. Released this month in five-CD and two-LP editions, 'Sunset Boulevard' collects the music Presley recorded in Los Angeles between 1972 and 1975, including the fruit of one session held just days before the meeting about 'A Star Is Born.' These were the studio dates that yielded songs like 'Separate Ways,' which Elvis cut amid the crumbling of his marriage to Priscilla Presley, and 'Burning Love,' his last Top 10 pop hit, as well as 1975's 'Today' LP, an exemplary showcase of Presley's latter-day blend of rock, country and blue-eyed soul. Is yet another repackaging of Presley's music really something to get excited about? The Elvis industry has never not been alive and well over the half-century since he died; in just the last few years, we've seen Baz Luhrmann's splashy big-screen biopic, the latest book from the singer's biographer Peter Guralnick (this one about Parker) and not one but two documentaries about the so-called '68 comeback special that heralded Presley's return to live performance after nearly a decade of film work. More gloomily, 'Sunset Boulevard' arrives as Priscilla Presley — who got her own biopic from director Sofia Coppola in 2023 — is making headlines thanks to an ugly legal battle with two former business partners she brought on to aid in managing the Presley brand. (The feud itself follows the sudden death two years ago of Priscilla and Elvis' only child, Lisa Marie Presley.) Yet the new box offers an opportunity to ponder the curious position Elvis found himself in once the glow of the comeback special had faded: a rock and roll pioneer now strangely removed from the culture he did as much as anyone to invent. 'Sunset Boulevard's' title, which the set shares with Billy Wilder's iconic 1950 movie, can't help but evoke the spoiled grandeur of an aging showbiz legend. It also refers to the physical location of RCA Records' West Coast headquarters at 6363 Sunset Blvd., across the street from Hollywood's Cinerama Dome. Now the site of the L.A. Film School, the building is where the Rolling Stones recorded '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' and Jefferson Airplane made 'Surrealistic Pillow' — and where Presley set up in the early '70s after cutting most of his '60s movie soundtracks at Radio Recorders near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. By 1972, rock had long since evolved beyond the crucial influence Elvis exerted at the beginning of his career. Nor was the King particularly dialed into what was happening in music while he was busy in Hollywood. 'We weren't as exposed as much as I wish we would've been to everything going on,' Schilling says on a recent afternoon at his home high in the hills above Sunset Plaza. A core member of Elvis' fabled Memphis Mafia, Schilling has lived here since 1974, when Elvis bought the place from the TV producer Rick Husky and gifted it to Schilling for his years of loyal friend-ployment. 'When you're doing movies, you're up at 7 in the morning and you're in makeup by 8,' Schilling continues. 'You work all day and you come home — you're not necessarily putting on the latest records.' More than the growling rock lothario of Presley's early days — to say nothing of the shaggy psychedelic searchers who emerged in his wake — what the RCA material emphasizes is how expressive a ballad singer Elvis had become in middle age. Schilling says the singer's romantic troubles drew him to slower, moodier songs like 'Separate Ways,' 'Always on My Mind' and Kristofferson's 'For the Good Times,' the last of which he delivers in a voice that seems to tremble with regret. (Presley had to be cajoled into singing the uptempo 'Burning Love,' according to Schilling, who notes with a laugh that 'when it became a hit, he loved it.') Read more: John Fogerty on the stories behind 5 of his turning-est, burning-est hits But in the deep soulfulness of this music you're also hearing the rapport between Presley and the members of his live band, with whom he recorded at RCA instead of using the session players who'd backed him in the '60s. Led by guitarist James Burton, the TCB Band — that's Taking Care of Business — was assembled ahead of Elvis' first engagement at Las Vegas' International Hotel, which later became the Las Vegas Hilton; indeed, one of 'Sunset Boulevard's' more fascinating features is the hours of rehearsal tape documenting Presley's preparation in L.A. for the Vegas shows that began in 1969. The sound quality is murky and the performances fairly wobbly, as in a take on 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' where Elvis can't quite seem to decide on a key. Yet it's a thrill to listen in as the musicians find their groove — a kind of earthy, slow-rolling country-gospel R&B — in an array of far-flung tunes including 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me,' 'Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues,' even the Pointer Sisters' 'Fairytale.' In one rehearsal recorded Aug. 16, 1974, Elvis cues his band to play the Ewan MacColl ballad made famous by Roberta Flack: ''The First Time Ever I Saw Your Friggin' Face,'' he calls out as we hear the players warming up. Then they all lock in for a closely harmonized rendition of the song so pretty there's something almost spooky about it. Sitting next to the balcony he was standing on when he got the phone call alerting him to the news of Presley's death, Schilling takes clear pleasure in spinning well-practiced yarns about his years with Elvis: the time John Lennon told him to tell Presley that he grew out his sideburns in an attempt to look like the King, for instance, or the audition where Elvis took a flier on a relatively unknown drummer named Ronnie Tutt who ended up powering the TCB Band. He's more halting when he talks about the end of his friend's life and about what he sees as the lack of a serious artistic challenge that might have sharpened Elvis' focus. Staying on in Vegas a bit too long, making so-so records in a home studio set up at Graceland — these weren't enough to buoy the man he calls a genius. Does Schilling know if Presley saw 'A Star Is Born' when it came out at the end of 1976? He considers the question for a good 10 seconds. 'I don't know,' he finally says. He started tour managing the Beach Boys that year and was spending less time with Presley. 'He never mentioned it to me. I wish I knew. There's probably nobody alive now who could say.' Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jerry Schilling Remembers Close Friend Elvis Presley - Nearly 50 Years After His Death
Tens of thousands of Elvis fans from all over the world have converged on Memphis for the annual 'Elvis Week' leading up to the anniversary of his death – August 16th, 1977. They come together to pay tribute, celebrate his music and movies, and hear from those who knew him best. Jerry Schilling is one of the many in town to share stories and personal recollections. Schilling was only 12 years old when he first met Elvis Presley. Their chance meeting happened during a pickup football game at a local park and changed Schilling's life forever. The fact that it happened just before the rest of a world discovered the singer, and turned him into a global superstar, was fortuitous. It laid the groundwork for a deep and lasting friendship built on the things the two had in common. 'We were both teenagers and he didn't have a hit record yet, so I got to know him before he became the famous Elvis Presley,' Schilling recalls. 'He grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi but moved to Memphis when he was 12. So, we were both living in the same poor neighborhood.' Schilling says even back then, however, there was something special about the way Elvis carried himself. 'I was a huge fan of James Dean and Marlon Brando, and here was Elvis in a pair of jeans and t-shirt (like they wore) and nobody knew who he was. But he had a rebel streak, he had charisma. I've met a lot of people and had clients who were famous, and they usually develop that 'after' they've had hit records or movies or both. Elvis had it - even when he had nothing.' This was the summer of 1954. Things would soon take off for Elvis. 'When he started going on the road, I was still in high school at the time,' says Schilling. 'But when he was in Memphis, which was all the time when he wasn't working, things would get pretty crazy. He would rent the amusement park, and we'd ride rollercoasters all night or he'd rent the theater, and we'd watch all-night movies. We kept up the friendship and I was always welcome.' Elvis would later ask Schilling to come to work for him. In the years that followed, Schill filled many different roles. He was a member of the 'Memphis Mafia,' served as a bodyguard, worked with Elvis as a photo double in movies, co-produced a karate film for Elvis, and much more. Their work relationship began in 1964 when Elvis headed to Hollywood to shoot his next movie. 'We drove across country in a little Winnebago and Elvis drove all 2000 miles,' Schilling remembers. 'It was such a fun time. We'd stop at truck stops and get lunch, he'd throw me the football, and I'd dive for passes. And we had these great conversations. It could start off talking about a girlfriend, then go into religion or politics. Elvis was a very smart man; he was ahead of his time.' When they were in Memphis, Schilling lived with Elvis at Graceland. He even drove Elvis and Priscilla to the hospital for the birth of Lisa Marie. The place he once called home still holds special memories. 'We never called it Graceland, we just called it 'the house,' he says. 'And we never called it the Jungle Room, although that's a good name for it. That's where we watched football games. I have great memories of going back to the house and just sitting in the kitchen and talking. Elvis was great to talk to.' In 2006, Schilling wrote a book about their relationship called 'Me and a Guy Named Elvis.' It takes readers on an up-close and personal journey through so many of the experiences he lived, right alongside Elvis, through the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Schilling, who went on to become an actor, documentary producer, and manager for acts like the Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis, spent a lot of time with Elvis on set during many of his films. He believes Elvis had great depth and insight when it came to making movies and had the potential to become great actor. 'I think Elvis could have been a Barbra Streisand, in terms of acting ability, or a Clint Eastwood. I used to go to the dailies with him at MGM and Paramount and he'd say, 'When I go see Brando or James Dean in a movie, they're not in every scene, so I can't wait for them to come back. But here, these guys have me in every scene.'' Schilling pauses, then adds, 'I don't think Hollywood wanted him to get too smart. They had these formulas for him in films with 12 songs.' Throughout his life and career, Elvis was known for his incredible generosity. Today, Schilling still lives in the California home Elvis gave him more than fifty years ago. It was a gift that came from the heart. Elvis knew Schilling's mother died when he was an infant, and as a child, he moved around to stay with different relatives. 'This is the house Elvis bought me in 1974,' Schilling says. 'He stood right here on this balcony and said, 'You never had a home, and I want to be the one to give it to you.' We all know he was generous with cars and things, but I think I'm the only person he bought a home for, outside his immediate family.' After Elvis died, Schilling stayed close to Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and has worked hard to help preserve Graceland and make sure the singer's legacy lives on. 'Elvis had a great career,' he says. 'Unfortunately, it was only 23 years. But he left us with a great body of work.' And for Schilling, the music and the movies live on, and so does Elvis – in spirit. 'What I loved most about Elvis is his humanity. He was just the greatest human being. And I love what he stood for.'
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elvis balked about recording the oversexed 'Burning Love.' Then it became his last hit.
By all objective measures, Elvis Presley was a hunk, a hunk of burning love. But he clearly wasn't feeling it when he heard a demo of 'Burning Love' at RCA Hollywood Studios in March 1972. The song, a slightly shocking blend of the spiritual and sexual, seemed like a hit to those in the room, with its reverent, raunchy intro: Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature rising, higher, it's burning through to my girl, girl, girl, you're gonna set me on brain is flaming, I don't know which way to go, yeah. 'Elvis didn't hate the song, he just wasn't in the mood for it,' Jerry Schilling, Elvis' longtime friend who attended the session, tells USA TODAY. From Elvis to Michael Jackson: The biggest reveals in Lisa Marie Presley's memoir In the end, Presley reluctantly recorded the gospel-rock track, giving it his high-octane all: 'He knew everyone felt that he should do it, he was a reasonable man,' Schilling says. It became Elvis' final Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 that fall. 'I don't think Elvis was ever too thrilled about singing lyrics like 'Flames are now licking my body,' but he loved having a hit record," Schilling, 83, writes in the introduction to "Sunset Boulevard," a new five-disc, 89-track collection that spans Presley's Los Angeles studio sessions from 1970 to 1975. (Schilling can be glimpsed in the set's archival images: 'I'm very proud to be standing behind Elvis on the cover.') The set includes rare alternate takes − half of which have never been released in the U.S. − rehearsals for his Las Vegas residency, and new stripped-down mixes of classic Elvis cuts, including 'For the Good Times,' 'Tiger Man,' 'T-R-O-U-B-L-E,' 'Green, Green Grass of Home,' 'Pieces of My Life,' 'Memories' and 'Softly As I Leave You.' 'I'm kind of a purist, you know: Don't mess with Michelangelo's paintings or change the clouds. Don't mess with the artist,' says Schilling, talking from his home in California, which Elvis gifted him in 1974. 'There's a tremendous responsibility. When the big questions come up, I go, what would I do if Elvis was sitting next to me? That's how I judge it. I know my friend.' The singer never shied away from the provocation of songs like 'Burning Love,' Schilling adds. But in the early '70s, as Elvis privately struggled with his disintegrating marriage to Priscilla Presley, he gravitated toward expressions of heartbreak and regret such as the autobiographical 'Separate Ways' and 'Always on My Mind' (both included in the set). Over time, he came to embrace the lusty song as part of his live repertoire, breaking it out months later for an epic 'Aloha From Hawaii' performance. 'There's a part of Elvis that wanted to be sexy,' Schilling says. 'And there's a part of him that wanted to be a great gospel singer.' In 'Burning Love,' he got to be both. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elvis Presley wasn't fond of 'Burning Love.' Then it became a hit.
