I was first introduced to him as I was lying on our living room sofa. It was 1973 and through sleepy eyes he appeared on the TV screen. I was enthralled. The black hair and the white jumpsuit, even as a kid, I thought was just so dang cool. My next recollection of him was a couple of years later when my mom, her sisters and my mom’s sister in law were at our house excitedly getting ready to go see him perform at the Anaheim Convention Center. What really sticks out to me from that night was how excited they all were. They were talking over themselves while making last minute efforts to locate purses and sweaters and lipstick. I vividly remember thinking how I wanted to come along and be a part of something that they were so excited about. About a year later it was the Summer of 1977. My cousins from Massachusetts were out to visit. My oldest cousin who was about 17 at the time couldn’t wait to go to the beach cause he had heard that girls wore “French bikinis’. I also remember that, because of their visit, myself and my brother had to sleep on the floor in the den. This particular day it was hot, not unusual for Southern California in August. Me, my brother, and this older cousin were outside playing catch with a football when the phone rang. I ran in the house to answer it and my mom’s youngest sister was crying and asked if my mom was home. I said that she was at the mall but would be back in just a few minutes. Through tears my aunt wanted me to tell my mom that Elvis had died. I don’t remember how I felt at that moment. I knew from her reaction that this was a big deal and that I had to tell my mom. I hung up the phone and went back to playing football until a short time later my mom pulled into our driveway and I shared the news with her.

It’s hard to understand the impact that a celebrity can have on your life? It’s a weird thing isn’t it? I mean most of us don’t know the celebrity whom we adore. They seem to live lives so far removed from our own everyday lives. And yet they can have such a profound impact on us. We all have our favorites, don’t we? From musicians to movies stars to sports figures. We all have people whom we look up to or most identify with. Elvis was that guy with my family. Both my mom and dad loved Elvis. I grew up listening to the record that my dad received as a Christmas present from his parents when he was in the Air Force. It was Elvis’ first record on RCA in 1956. My dad liked to tell the story that when he opened the gift his buddies started making fun of him for getting a record by a guy named Elvis. Aunt’s, uncles, and grandparents in my family all loved Elvis. All except my mom’s parents. They thought that Elvis was nothing but a sex crazed trouble maker who was leading the youth of our country into the very pit of hell.

I had my own journey with Elvis. From those early beginnings of being introduced to him to full blown fandom throughout my teenage years that included posters and pictures on my bedroom wall. Over the years I have come to memorize hundreds of his songs and have watched countless hours of videos, concerts and movies. There were about 10 years in my 20’s where I didn’t listen to Elvis much at all. Not sure why. I just felt that I needed to branch out and enjoy other music. Since that time, I picked up my Elvis habit again and after having three kids of my own I wanted them to know Elvis as well.

As I’ve gotten older I now see Elvis as a symbol of the contradictions that live in all of us. We all struggle with the desires to do what is right while also battling the temptations of the world. The lessons that I have learned from his life have been profound. In both the good and bad he symbolized America in so many ways. He learned the importance of perfecting one’s craft and having started out as dirt poor he rose to the pinnacle of American wealth and stardom. Along the way he did the unthinkable, at the height of his career, he joined the Army. Can you imagine any singer today doing such a thing? Later in life he became the epitome of American excess; from money to cars to women and drugs. Certainly not a lifestyle to emulate by any means. And in the end, that’s the lifestyle that killed him.

Today I will focus on the good that he brought to our world. And to commemorate the 41 years since his passing, tonight my 12 yr. old and I will venture over to our local movie theatre and watch a showing of Elvis’ 68 Comeback Special.  I have seen this show many times but never with my son. As we watch we will be reminded of just how great of an entertainer he was. In the end it all comes down to the music anyway. Isn’t that why we fell in love with him in the first place?