Memphis, TN (Top40 Charts/
Elvis Presley Enterprises) - As part of the celebration of Elvis Presley's 75th birthday year,
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) has announced an exciting lineup of events for Elvis Week 2010 to be held at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn. Taking place August 10-16, Elvis Week is an annual, multi-day gathering of friends and fans from around the world celebrating Elvis' life and legacy.
Elvis Week 2010 will feature several new special events and concerts, including a screening experience of the newly-restored and remastered Blu-ray and DVD versions of 'Elvis on Tour' from Warner Bros. This exclusive event on Saturday, August 14, will feature a screening of the 1972 Golden Globe Best Documentary winner and a specially-produced, retrospective from Priscilla Presley. In addition, the premiere event at The Orpheum Theatre will also include raw, never-before-seen Elvis tour footage from the Warner Bros. vault as well as montage sequences produced by Academy Award-winner Martin Scorsese, special celebrity guests and a short concert by backup singers who performed in 'Elvis on Tour' as part of J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet.
The highly-popular and entertaining Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest will be held again this year with competitors from around the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. A new element to the contest this year includes a semifinal round position that will be filled by a tribute artist selected by fans in an online vote at ElvisWeek.com. Individuals can vote for the Elvis tribute artist that they would like to see compete during the semifinal round of the contest on Thursday, August 12, at The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. The top ten semifinalists on Thursday will then move on to compete for the top spot of Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2010 on Friday, August 13, during the final round of the competition.
The week will kick off on August 10 with Shake Rattle and Roll at the Shell, a benefit for the Alzheimer's Association. The event will take place at the historic 'Levitt Shell,' a recently-restored Memphis landmark formerly known as The Overton Park Shell, where Elvis played the first professional concert of his career. The evening will feature a live re-creation of this concert by the award-winning tribute artist Donny Edwards.
Conversations on Elvis, one of the most popular Elvis Week events, returns this year on Saturday, August 14 with two different sessions featuring many of Elvis' friends and associates who worked with him during his career. Joining host Tom Brown of Turner Classic Movies for session one at 10:00 a.m., sponsored by Avis and Budget Car Rental, will be Donnie Sumner and Bill Baize, backup singers who performed as part of J.D. Sumner & and the Stamps Quartet in 'Elvis on Tour,' along with Joe Guercio, Elvis' musical director and conductor from 1970-77. During session two at 1:00 p.m., sponsored by The Commercial Appeal, Michael Lollar, Commercial Appeal writer and contributing author for the new book 'Elvis Presley's Memphis,' will be on hand to take guests behind-the-scenes and share what he discovered when researching for the book. Joining Michael will be longtime Memphis supporter and former mayor Bill Morris and Elvis' friend Joe Esposito to share stories about their experiences with Elvis and his love for the city of Memphis.
Two new outdoor concert events at Graceland have been added to the Elvis Week schedule this year. On Sunday, August 15 at 9:00 a.m., fans will enjoy a celebration of the gospel music Elvis loved during the Classic Sunday Morning Gospel Music Singin'. Bill Baize, Larry Strickland, Ed Hill and Donnie Sumner, who performed on stage with Elvis as part of J.D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet, will perform many of the gospel hits Elvis loved. Also performing that morning will be gospel group Soul City from First Assembly of God, Memphis, which was Elvis' home church for many years.
Then, on Monday, August 16 at 9:00 a.m., the Elvis Week Finale Celebration Concert will be the perfect way to end an amazing Elvis Week when Jamie Aaron Kelley, along with Brad Birkedahl and Joe Fick, formerly with The Dempsey's, will perform Elvis' hits in their unique style. Another Elvis fan favorite, Terry Mike Jeffrey, will also be on hand to perform his favorite Elvis music.
Other events scheduled during the week include the Club Elvis dance party, a Graceland Trivia Contest, the Annual Elvis Presley International 5K Run to Benefit United Cerebral Palsy, a Midnight Southern Breakfast, Elvis Bingo, Youth Karaoke, Children's Craft Activities and more.
One of the most memorable events of every Elvis Week is the annual Candlelight Vigil, which will be held on August 15th beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT. Thousands of fans gather at the gates of Graceland in Memphis for their chance to walk up the driveway to Elvis' gravesite in quiet remembrance of the music icon who left his mark on music and pop culture. The gates to Graceland Mansion remain open until all who wish to participate in the procession have done so, which typically takes until the early morning hours of August 16, the anniversary date of Elvis' passing.
Fans unable to join the celebration in Memphis will once again be able to participate online at ElvisWeek.com via LiveCams with Facebook integration, a virtual wall, and photos and videos uploaded throughout the week.
Special ticket packages as well as tickets for individual events are now available. Visit ElvisWeek.com for detailed ticket and event information.
