Elvis Aron Presley, born January 8, 1935, died August 16, 1977, age 42. In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Elvis’ birth – to be celebrated on January 8, 2010 – comes the first four-CD deluxe box set collection ever to provide the definitive overview of his entire recording career. ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT, produced by long-time Elvis chronicler and biographer Ernst Mikael Jørgensen, will be available at all physical and digital retail outlets starting December 8, 2009, through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

The release is currently available for pre-order at ShopElvis.com by clicking here. Pre-order on ShopElvis.com by December 8 and save $4 of the list price.


ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT presents 100 digitally restored songs, a broad collection of hit singles, deep album tracks, live performances, and rarities. The tracks appear in strict chrono¬logical order of recording dates over the course of Disc 1 (1953-1957), Disc 2 (1958-1962), Disc 3 (1963-1969), and Disc 4 (1970-1977). They range from the first demo acetate that Elvis made at the Memphis Recording Service of Sun Records as a gift for his mother in 1953 (“My Happiness”), to a sampling of Sun Records sides produced by Sam Phillips in 1954-55 (“That’s All Right,” “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” and more), through 21 and a half years of RCA tracks, from 1956 to 1977.

The 100th track on the box set is the JXL Radio Remix Edit created in 2002, for “A Little Less Conversation,” originally a 1968 single (written by Billy Strange and Mac Davis). The remix was done by Dutch musician-producer Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL (JXL, the XL stands for Xpanding Limits). It was commissioned for Nike’s World Cup ad campaign, and was commercially released in Europe as “Elvis vs. JXL.” It went on to hit #1 in the UK, Australia, and more than 20 countries worldwide. In the U.S., the CD single rose to #1 on the new Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. It later became the opening theme for tv’s Las Vegas series, starring James Caan on NBC.]

On January 5, 2010, RCA/Legacy will release a 26-track single CD titled ELVIS 75, featuring selections from the box set. As the year continues, RCA/Legacy will unveil a full slate of Elvis Presley catalog title reissues and compilations. (In July 2009, RCA/Legacy released a special expanded 40th anniversary Legacy Edition of 1969’s From Elvis In Memphis, his legendary sessions at Chip Moman’s American Studios that yielded the comeback hit singles “In the Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Don’t Cry Daddy” and “Kentucky Rain.”)

Adding to the historical impact of ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT is the 80-page full-color booklet included in the box set. In addition to rare photography and memorabilia, the booklet will include a 7,000-word biographical essay written by Billy Altman, an award-winning music critic, journalist, historian, and educator, whose work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and People magazines. The Grammy®-nominated writer is the recipient of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for music journalism.

The release of ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT coincides with a 4-day celebration of his 75th birthday, January 7-10th, centered at the Graceland estate, outside of Memphis. In addition to the annual birthday proclamation ceremony on the front lawn of Graceland, events will include parties, dances, and panel discussions. For further information, please click here.

From the moment in early 1956 when Elvis’ first string of hits on RCA Victor proclaimed his arrival on the old ‘Top 100’ – “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog,” “Don't Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender” – there were 17 chart titles in 1956 alone – his hammerlock on rock and roll was unquestioned, his influence on the destiny of all popular music about to be engraved in stone. Even after the Beatles’ conquest started in 1964, and the revolution of Bob Dylan in 1965, Elvis continued his reign on the charts, slotting nearly four dozen songs on the Hot 100 from 1964 to 1969.

The phenomenal chart statistics accumulated by Elvis come alive on this box set. As compiled by Joel Whitburn, Elvis is the top-ranked Hot 100 male artist (by far!) of the 1950s and ’60s – and the only act (male, female, or group) ever to be top-ranked #1 for two separate decades. Elvis holds unassailable records for the Most Chart Hits (151), Most Top 40 Hits (104), Most RIAA Platinum Hits (28), Most RIAA Gold Hits (24), and Most Weeks Charted (1,598).

The 100 digitally restored masters include hit singles, deep album tracks, rare cuts, live performances, and all 30 #1’s: “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “Don't Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “All Shook Up,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “A Big Hunk O’ Love,” “It's Now Or Never,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” “Crying In The Chapel,” “Can't Help Falling In Love,” “Good Luck Charm,” “(You’re The) Devil In Disguise,” “In The Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Burning Love” – and more!