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They rose on the back of the record business, a business that fancied it was going to be around forever but lasted not much longer than the
people who made nickels in the peep-show slot machines. Along with that business, they have now departed the stage. – David Hepworth
"Elvis has left the building," was a phrase uttered by announcers at the conclusion of his concerts stating that he had vacated the venue and
that no further encores would be performed. There was nothing more to see or hear. This announcement would linger on till the end of his career when he was just a corpulent ghost of
his former glorious and regal self. Presley exited the building for the final time on August 18, 1977. It was estimated that 80,000 people lined the streets of Memphis during the
funeral procession.
Presley was and is the seminal figure in Rock 'n' Roll music. There were others that vied for that role. But they all seemed to crash and burn
due to their own self-destructive behavior – Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry just to name a few. Buddy Holly, the one who had his act together, died tragically
in a plane crash the morning of February 3, 1959. Don Mclean would refer to that date in his song "American Pie" as the day the music died. Of course, the extent of Elvis's
self-destructiveness wouldn't be discovered until his death at 42.
Music journalist David Hepworth in perceptive prose and spot on analysis documents the rock star era in his book, "Uncommon People: The
Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars." According to Hepworth, musical eras have a life span of about forty years. And for the rock era, he surmises that it started in 1955 and ended
in 1994 with the suicide of Seattle grunge rocker Kurt Cobain. Of course there are still rock stars in our midst. But the ones that have survived, have decided to burn out –
not fade away. Many of the last men and women standing are now septuagenarians and octogenarians. They will not live fast, die young, and leave behind a beautiful
body…apologies to Keith Richards.
Elvis did live to middle age, but just barely. He was never served well by the numerous hanger on's, the feel-good doctors, and his manager Col.
Tom Parker – he of the carnival barker grin and the fake southern drawl. It was alleged that Parker received just as much money as his famous client did in the end. Because of
his lavish spending and generosity/philanthropy, Elvis was forced to play second tier arenas across the South and Midwest to replenish his coffers. And anybody that has watched video
from those performances could tell he was a dead man walking, forgetting lyrics and slurring his words…on his way out of the building. But the truth was that these were the
very people that loved him the best. Perhaps they were enablers just like everyone else was or perhaps they simply wanted a final glimpse of a falling star.
Elvis didn't invent Rock 'n' roll, but he certainly personified it. In his book, Hepworth devoted two chapters to Presley: one to his rise and
one to his fall. In fairness, some rock stars did have a second act, notwithstanding F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous quote that, "There are no second acts in American life." Most
notably, Jerry Lee Lewis, the intransigent one, transitioned to country music in the 70's and enjoyed a productive career. But as Hepworth so acutely documents, most rock icons did
not escape the fire unscathed.
Elvis has left the building and he's never coming back.
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