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Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley's Longtime Drummer, D.J. Fontana, Has Died

Drummer D.J. Fontana (far right), on stage with Elvis Presley during the singer's landmark 1968 comeback TV special. Fontana died Thursday at age 87. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images hide caption

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NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Music News

Elvis Presley's Longtime Drummer, D.J. Fontana, Has Died

The drummer who laid down the sound of rock and roll on tunes like "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Jailhouse Rock" died Wednesday at age 87. He had been the last surviving member of Presley's 1950s band.

Priscilla Presley Remembers Christmas With Elvis

Album Cover, Christmas with Elvis and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Priscilla Presley Remembers Christmas With Elvis

XPN

From the first gifts they ever exchanged to their tree-trimming traditions at Graceland, hear heartwarming holiday stories and music from Christmas with Elvis and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Priscilla Presley On World Cafe

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Bob And Robin's Holiday In Space
Detlev van Ravenswaay/Science Photo Library/Corbis

All Songs Considered

Bob And Robin's Holiday In Space

Every year, All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton go on a musical holiday adventure. This year, they take a rocket ride to outer space and are joined by a few special guests.

Listen To Bob And Robin's Holiday In Space

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Music Interviews

Why Is Elvis Presley Still The King?

Thirty-two years after his death, Elvis Presley still attracts new generations of fans who recognize his distinct style, the power of his voice and the inventive exuberance of his performance. Scott Simon gathers friends, fans and critics to discuss how the legend of "The King" has endured over the years.

Why Is Elvis Presley Still The King?

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New Music

An 'Annoying Music' Tribute to Elvis

Elvis has been dead 30 years this August. Jim Nayder, host of The Annoying Music Show, shares some of the worst music performed by Elvis impersonators — and by the King himself.

An 'Annoying Music' Tribute to Elvis

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Photo Op

'Elvis at 21': Photos of a King in the Making

A new collection of photos by Al Wertheimer captures that moment in time when a young man from Tupelo, Miss., went from being a regional heartthrob to an international sensation.

'Elvis at 21': Photos of a King in the Making

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Music Interviews

New Memoir Describes Elvis Friendship

Fresh Air

Elvis Presley confidant Jerry Schilling talks about his new book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley. When Schilling was 12 years old, he met the teenaged Elvis Presley at a north Memphis pickup football game. As Presley rose to fame, Schilling joined him on the rise, eventually becoming creative affairs director for Elvis Presley Enterprises.

New Memoir Describes Elvis Friendship

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Music News

'Heartbreak' Studio Demolished for Parking Lost

"Heartbreak Hotel," hit song that helped launch Elvis Presley's career in 1956, may live on, but the studio where it was recorded is gone. The building at 1525 McGavock Street in Nashville has been torn down to make way for a parking lot.

'Heartbreak' Studio Demolished for Parking Lost

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Music News

Commentary: Memories of a First Concert

Commentator Darlene White remembers going to an Elvis concert in 1976 and becoming a convert to The King. She was a member of the generation that grew up listening to Bob Dylan and the Doors.

Commentary: Memories of a First Concert

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Music Interviews

Elvis

In this segment, John Ydstie talks with NPR's Jean Cochran, who is at Graceland mansion. She has made a personal pilgrimage to the site to remember Elvis Aron Presley on the 25th anniversary of his death. John also talks with music historian Robert Gordon, who has compiled Elvis memorabilia for a new biography called The Elvis Treasures. Included with the book is a 60-minute CD of journalist interviews with Elvis from over three decades. We hear excerpts and music from the CD. (12:59) The book and CD are published by Villard Books.

Elvis

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Music News

Selling Elvis to a New Generation

Twenty-five years ago Friday, the world lost the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley. NPR's Joshua Levs reports on the enduring appeal of Elvis, both for those who remember the rock icon when he was alive and among a new, young generation of fans. NPR Online marks the anniversary with vintage NPR coverage, music cuts including "Annoying Elvis" music, and an Elvis trivia quiz.

Selling Elvis to a New Generation

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Review

Music Reviews

Christmas Music in the Air

Host Bob Edwards talks with Jon Pareles, music critic for the New York Times. Pareles has logged year after year reviewing holiday releases, and says the Christmas music genre does a good job of representing the wide array of American attitudes toward the holiday. And, while there's a plethora of recordings out there, Pareles says a few notable ones do stand out.

Christmas Music in the Air

Only Available in Archive Formats.

Music Interviews

A Bio of Elvis, from Writer Bobbie Ann Mason

NPR's Bob Edwards talks with writer Bobbie Ann Mason about her new biography of Elvis Presley, part of the Penguin Lives series. Mason says she started out thinking other people might have better handled the fame Elvis faced. But she finished the project realizing nobody could've handled it any better.

A Bio of Elvis, from Writer Bobbie Ann Mason

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