LEGACY, EHRLICH CELEBRATING ELVIS '68
Fifty years after Elvis Presley wowed TV audiences with his groundbreaking "comeback" special, RCA/Legacy Recordings is releasing a five-CD/Blu-ray set of all the performances and rehearsals. Furthermore, NBC and Ken Ehrlich Productions are producing a tribute show that will air next year.
Elvis Presley–'68 Comeback Special (50th Anniversary Edition) will be released 11/30 and will include the original album and outtakes, the "sit-down" and "stand-up" shows from June 1968, the rehearsals in Elvis' dressing room and Wrecking Crew studio sessions from June.
Ehrlich’s The 50th Anniversary of the Elvis Comeback Special will feature an all-star group of music superstars re-creating the spectacle—even the staging’—of the legendary 12/3/68 broadcast. In addition to the musical performances, the production will include rare Elvis footage, outtakes and interviews from those involved in the original Comeback Special.
For young-uns unfamiliar with one of the most important musical events in television history, the officially titled Singer Presents…ELVIS was The King’s first performance in public in seven years. He hadn't appeared on television since 1960.
The show, recorded over several sessions in June 1968, included elaborate production numbers and an intimate "sit-down" performance with Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana, the guitarist and drummer who backed Elvis on his earliest records and shows. "If I Can Dream" was premiered on the special in spectacular fashion.
The special was the most-viewed television program in the U.S. the week it aired and re-established Presley as a major musical and cultural force.
Bruce Springsteen said the Comeback Special was life-changing. “I remember I waited for weeks for the ’68 Special. I knew it was coming. I can remember exactly where our TV was set up in the dining room, the exact place I was sitting. I mean, it’s one of those things that’s imprinted on my memory forever."
