Coming from the small town that holds the biggest, annual Elvis festival in the world - Collingwood, ON - I was a bit surprised that we didn't mark the occassion with at least some public recognition. But I suspect that next July, when more than 100 Elvis tribute artists arrive for the annual show and contest, and 30-40,000 people arrive to watch and participate, someone will make note of it.
Although he revolutionized rock and gave rock and roll real vitality, Elvis was never my favourite performer in my youth. When I was old enough to really pay attention to pop music, Elvis was making mediocre movies, softer rock, and his days of being the mold-breaking rebel with the shaking hips were long over.
The Beatles arrived on the scene when I was 12 or 13, and they captured my attention - along with the others in the British Invasion - the Animals, Rolling Stones, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Dave Clark Five and so on. Elvis was moving into the background against a new wave of rebel musicians (mostly from the UK).
There was a bit of a resurrgence in his 1968 Comeback Special (a great show, by the way), but like Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and others of that era, the time had passed for that music. The era of psychedelic rock was upon us, along with a huge folk upswell. Had he lived, I've no doubt he would have made a comebback in the 21st century.
I really didn't start to appreciate Elvis until the mid-1990s, when Collingwood started to host its estival and I started to look deeper into his music and life. I started to listen to his early music with keener ears, I read a few biographies, and started to look into the early history of rock and roll to discover his roots. I got to appreciate rockabilly more, too. His story is very interesting to read and I recommend the two-volume biography, Careless Love and Last Train to Memphis to anyone who wants to know more.
I'm still not a fan of his 'softer' stuff and while I appreciate his talent in singing, I don't care for his gospel stuff either. But I like and appreciate a lot more Elvis now than I did when he was alive. I wish I knew then what I know now of the man so I could have appreciated him while he was still performing.