ELVIS ROCKED MEMPHIS 35 YEARS AGO - Elvis Concerts
Bass player Duke Bardwell Remembers The King’s Homecoming Concerts

Thirty-five years ago Elvis performed in his hometown Memphis for the first time in 13 years, for a total of 5 sell-out concerts in front of 62,000 fans. Elvis’ mid-70s bass player Duke Bardwell remembers that Elvis was nervous about these homecoming concerts, and wanted to give his best to his hometown folks. "Elvis was nervous, he really was", Bardwell remembers. "I was nervous too. Elvis hadn’t played in Memphis in 13 years, and we all really wanted it to go well for him". Elvis rose to the occasion, and he gave the hometown folks five dynamite shows. 

On stage, Elvis looked breathtaking in his dazzling white jumpsuits, and his sense of excitement about these concerts made him more animated than usual. He charmed the crowds every night with his charisma and his magnificent voice, which he used to great effect on songs like Trying To Get To You, How Great Thou Art and American Trilogy Bardwell remembers that everybody involved was very pleased with the shows. "It went well - the energy was good"

The final March 20, 1974 Memphis concert was recorded by RCA and release July 1974. "They were pretty smart about that", Bardwell observes, "They didn’t say anything to us about it". Elvis was real psyched about doing a live-album in his hometown because "this is where it all started out for me", and right before he went on stage, he said: "Man, I’m ready and prepared for this recording session". The album, Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis reached #33 in the Billboard Album Charts and sold about half a million copies

The album got rave reviews in "Rolling Stone" and Elvis received a Grammy award for the sensational live-version of How Great Thou Art... "Well I’ll be darned.." Bardwell says, clearly unaware of the Grammy award until now. It was, as Bardwell observes, "a great show". For Bardwell, the album is very special because he gets a rather unusual name-check from Elvis who says "Anyhow Duke, not talkin’ to you personally, Duke, just killing time so I can drink water"… "Good God..." Bardwell laughs.."“I remember thinking...‘If you're going to talk to me, talk to me, but don't say: 'I'm not talking to you'. My family still think that’s real funny" Elvis (having fun) on stage in Concert

Grammy Awards - How Great Thou Art