Elvis Touch News
ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT - ON TOUR DATES FOR 2010
Great news has been released recently that the return of "Elvis Presley In Concert" - The Live Production has now been confirmed to tour Europe in February and March 2010. Tour schedule is -
Sheffield Arena - 19th February
LG Arena, Birmingham - 20th February
Rotterdam AHOY, Holland - 24th February
Manchester Arena - 26th February
Wembley Arena, London - 27th February
O2 Arena, London - 28th February
Odyssey Arena, Belfast - 2nd March
The Point, Dublin - 3rd March
Newcastle Arena - 5th March
SECC, Glasgow - 6th March
Liverpool Echo Arena - 7th March
TEN PIN BOWLING - 3rd MAY 2009
A date has been confirmed for our ten pin bowling fun day. We have booked a group package for Sunday 3rd May 2009 at 2pm in AMF Bowling Glasgow, Unit 2, The Quay, 1-39 Springfield Quay, Glasgow G5 8NP. Charge will be £15.90 per person - a fee of £10 will be requested per person and the remaining £5.90 will be subsidised by the Elvis Touch. Could those who put their names forward for this event please confirm their place as soon as possible to pass on final numbers. We will meet in the foyer of the Bowling at 1.45pm on 3rd May.
LOCH LOMOND CRUISE - 18th JULY 2009
Saturday 18th July 2009 has been confirmed for our annual boat cruise on Loch Lomond. The cost for this event is £28 per person. This includes your return coach journey from George Square, Glasgow at 6.30pm, boarding the bus for a 2 1/2 hour cruise and dance, and includes a finger buffet on board. Return to George Square, Glasgow at approx 11.15pm. For those who are interested, a deposit of £10 has to be paid for the end of April, then £10 by the end of May and the final payment of £8 to be paid for 30th June. This is always a popular event, so please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested.
ELVIS TOUCH BIRTHDAY BASH - 10th JANUARY 2009
The 14th Elvis Touch Birthday Bash was a fantastic night as usual and was once again a sell-out with about 250 fans in attendance, as in previous years. There was an excellent turn-out of fans from the local area, and there was also large groups of fans from other parts of Scotland - Glasgow, Falkirk, Aberdeen and beyond. Edinburgh were represented by the MacKay family! The three DJs - Paul Downie, Harry Carrigan and Davie Brown - did a great job of rocking the Aviator Suite with non-stop Elvis music from 8-1.
Highlight of the evening was without a doubt the "Dirty Dancing" Competition with a record number of entries strutting their stuff for all they were worth to "Let Yourself Go". Worthy winners of this competition were - 1st place: Ally from Aberdeen & Ian from Ediburgh, 2nd place: Bonkers & Syd from Glasgow, 3rd place: Yvonne & Steven. Thanks to Ally Rose for these photos of the Elvis Touch Dirty Dancing Champions, 2009
An article from Saturday's Evening Times, says it all ...... big pat on the pack for The Elvis Touch!!!
SPONSORED WALK - SUNDAY 31st AUGUST 2008
We arrived at the Ferry Terminal at 11.45am at Largs to board the ferry to the large island of Cumbrae as our destination for our sponsored walk to Millport.
The Ferry left at 12.15pm at the heavens opened. The rain fell on us - all 23 of us who turned up for the walk for this year's charity fundraiser - our Branch Leader's grand daughter Reebeka Climson who is battling Ewings Carcinoma (bone cancer).
When we got off the Ferry we turned to the right and our walk began. The rain did not stop but we ploughed on and our first stop was a cafe and toilet stop. We had already walked 6 miles.
Our next stop was our scheduled Caravan stop. One of our members, Bette, has a caravan based on the island - she had very generously arranged to have tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and lots of goodies for our tired and sodden bodies. We would like to thank Bette and Eleanor for their hospitality, it was very much appreciated. Our next stop was in the town of Millport itself. It happened to be the Country & Western Festival Weekend and we saw many stetsons and cowboys in town. After a stop for a hot drink and something to eat we made our way back to the SALOON then back to the ferry for our journey back home.
We would like to thank each and every one of you, including baby Aaron for taking part in the sponsored walk and your donations are going to a worthwhile cause. Here are some Photos from the sponsored walk.
Always for Elvis
The Committee
The Elvis Touch
THE ELVIS TOUCH VISITS BAD NAUHEIM
Here are some photos from a recent visit by members of the Elvis Touch to Elvis's former army base in Bad Nauheim, Germany.
CLUB DANCE, THE QUARTER GILL - 29 AUGUST 2008
We would like to thank everyone for their support at the last club dance. We had to change our venue with 6 days' notice and managed to obtain the function lounge at the Quarter Gill in Glasgow. On arrival we were surprised at the size of the hall as it was quite small. The Committee had decided that if it was not for this place, we would not have had a dance, as the Junction Bar had double booked us.
As members and visitors arrived we knew it was going to be a tight squeeze so we had to improvise - and Paul suggested we dance where we stood!
But what a night - we had many visitors and we had to make the most of what we had. The atmosphere was ELECTRIC!!!
Big thanks to the staff at The Quarter Gill and thanks to all the members and visitors who came along and made it a fantastic night.
See you next time.
The Committee
The Elvis Touch
LOCH LOMOND BOAT TRIP - 19th JULY 2008
We met at the usual meeting place at the old GPO building at George Square, Glasgow at 6.30pm to board our luxury coach that would take us to Tarbet where we would depart for our annual boat trip.
We arrived at Tarbet at 7.25pm after much fun and frolics on the coach and our singalonga Elvis. We were greeted by the staff of Cruise Loch Lomond and our usual Captain Robert was on board ready to take to the rolling seas with the rest of his crew.
Introductions were made to all our new people and it was not long until we took to the dance floor and made the boat rock'n'roll. A delicious buffet was laid out for us to help ourselves and the weather was glorious, but a touch windy.
It was all over too soon and we landed back at Tarbet at 10.30pm. We said our goodbyes to the crew and said we would be back again next year. If you would like to join us next year, look out for our list of dates for 2009 to secure your place.
The Committee
The Elvis Touch
ELVIS WEEK - TUPELO AND MEMPHIS, AUGUST 2007
Here are some photos photos taken during Elvis Week in Tupelo and Memphis between 11th and 17th August. Many Scottish fans made the trip. It was a great Elvis Week, probably the busiest ever and definitely the hottest ever (120 degrees in Memphis most days)!!
THE ELVIS TOUCH - ANNUAL TRIP TO LOCH LOMOND - SATURDAY 21st July 2007
I would like to start this article by stating that I have been a member of the Elvis Touch for more years than I care to mention – we are talking A LOT of years, since the mid-70s!! I am told this annual trip has been an Elvis Touch tradition for 10 years, and incredibly this is the very first year I have gone, It was very strange, I almost felt like a newcomer, I didn’t know what the night had in store, didn’t know we would have the “Maid of the Loch” all to ourselves, didn’t know we would be dancing to Elvis all night, didn’t know there would be such a great buffet laid on.
Nobody could believe it when I told them it was my first time, I couldn’t either! Never mind, better late than never.
Our group of about 40 Elvis fans left George Square at about 6.30 and we got to Loch Lomond less than an hour later. When we arrived at Balloch, on the shores of Loch Lomond, we boarded Maid of the Loch the last paddle steamer built in Britain in the early 50s, now restored to its former glory. It’s a great old boat, we would have it all to ourselves for the next 2 and a half hours, and its lovely crew (known by the “regulars” from previous trips) were great and the more energetic among them (Robert, are you reading this? Are you an Elvis fan yet?) even joined in some of the dancing.
The weather was kind to us and it stayed dry. We sailed the length of the Loch and back. Friendly campers were spotted at the various beaches dotted along the shores of the Loch, we were waved at and even “mooned” a few times – cue all the video cameras suddenly springing into life and everybody coming out on deck to see what was causing all the hilarity!! Some of campers were dancing, noise carries on the Loch and whenever anybody hears Elvis they can’t help but dance!
All too soon, just as the dancing was hotting up, we were fast approaching Balloch and the bus to take us back to Glasgow was there waiting for us.
I think I can speak for everybody when I say what a great night we had, and hope to repeat the experience again next year. Big thanks to Jane and the Committee for all their hard work in organising this for us. You did us proud!
Watch this space – photos to follow.
Lillian Cumming
CHARITY NIGHT FOR KAYLEIGH FLANNIGAN
A Charity Night for Kayleigh Flannigan took place on Friday 8th June in the Iron Horse, West Nile Street, Glasgow. The night was a huge success and the members of the Elvis Touch and others raised the sum of £2,613.64. Neil & Judy have used the money to purchase a specially-adapted bed for Kayleigh, bedroom furniture, a play area in the garden and a short holiday in Blackpool. We would like to thank each and every member and anyone who contributed to this fund, and wish Kayleigh all the best from The Elvis Touch. Some Photos of Kayleigh (can also be viewed as slideshow)
"MAID OF THE LOCH" LOCH LOMOND CRUISE - SATURDAY 21st JULY 2007
The Loch Lomond Cruise will take place this year on Saturday 21st July on the "Maid of the Loch". The cost will be £25 per person, which is inclusive of a finger buffet, a 2 and a half hour cruise and pick-up and drop-off in Glasgow. Email Paul & Linda Downie for further information
HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY, MARGARET NOLAN
Margaret Nolan (known as "Bonkers" to her many friends) celebrated her 70th Birthday with family and friends at our Elvis Touch dance on 2nd March. Happy 70th Birthday, Margaret, from all your Elvis Friends, and may you have many more of them! Some Photos (can also be viewed as slideshow)
THE ELVIS TOUCH - NEW VENUE
We are delighted to announce that The Elvis Touch has found another location for its monthly dances. There will not be a dance in February, but the next dance will take place on Friday 2nd March 2007 in The Iron Horse (Function Suite), 115 West Nile Street, Glasgow G2 from 8pm to 1am. The Iron Horse is situated between Sauchiehall Street and Bath Street close to Buchanan Galleries. It is located between the Blue Lagoon Chip Shop and Coral Bookmakes. We have this venue for a trial period, and if we settle into this location we can have future dances there. We hope you can join us.
CLOSURE OF THE QUEENS CLUB
We heard the very sad news on Friday that the Queens Club is closing down, and the dance on Friday was the Elvis Touch's last event at the Queens Club. We have enjoyed 11 happy and memorable years here, and it was with a very heavy heart that Jane announced the closure of the Queens Club last Friday.
The Elvis Touch Committee are doing their very best to find a new venue for future dances, and we hope to find a new venue very soon. All members will be notified by post, and updates will be posted on the Elvis Touch website as soon as they come in. Please check the news page of the website regularly for updates.
THE MEMPHIS LULLABY
LAM Productions are proud to announce the World Premiere of the debut single by Whitehaven - THE MEMPHIS LULLABY on the Elvis-Express free internet radio show on 8th January 2007. Click here to visit the radio site
First there was the book, then the film, Now the music (to order single, click here)
THE ELVIS PRESLEY FILM SOCIETY - Next Film Event Sunday 28th January 2007
The Elvis Presley Film Society presents a Film Event on Sunday 28th January 2007 from 2pm to 8.30pm. The venue is O'Neill's Bar (The Music Room), 453 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow (near Charing Cross).
The Programme is King Creole, feature film from 1958 (followed by a short talk on King Creole's New Orleans locations "Then and Now" by Paul Downie). Next up is Elvis On Stage in St Louis, Missouri, 22nd March 1976; Elvis, His Best Friend Remembers - Documentary with Joe Esposito; Elvis' spots on The Ed Sullivan Show from 1956 & 1957 (from the recently-released high quality 3 x DVD set).
All on a big screen with surround sound; Elvis materials for sale; Short discussion; Display of relevant and other Elvis Presley imagery; Bar Food available throughout the day.
Come along and support the Elvis Presley Film Society. You won't be disappointed.
Tickets £5 on the door.
Check out Elvis Presley Film Society's website for further information.
THE HISTORY OF THE ELVIS TOUCH IN GLASGOW - 1964 to PRESENT - SOLD OUT!!!
A new and unique book charting the history of the Elvis Touch in Glasgow from the early days in 1964 to the present day, including hundreds of photos and fans' stories and memories over the years. An essential read and a great reference guide for all members and friends past and present of The Elvis Touch. The author of the book is Harry Carrigan and the cost of the book is £20. The book is now published with a very limited run, and is already sold out. There are no plans at the moment to do a reprint. Email Paul Downie for further information
THE ELVIS TOUCH, GLASGOW AND ELVIS ABERDEEN - RETURN TO LONMAY - AUGUST 2006
For full story of this great annual weekend and photos - click here.
ELVIS PRESLEY FILM SOCIETY - FILM EVENT ON SUNDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2006
The Elvis Presley Film Society Presents A Film Event on Sunday 10th September 2006 from 2pm to 8.30pm in O'Neill's Bar (The Music Room), 453 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. The films to be shown include the following - The Trouble With Girls (full uncut US version), Omaha Nebraska July 1974 Concert, Elvis, The Colonel & Me, Live Spirits Concert Film. Tickets £5 on the door.
Check out Elvis Presley Film Society's website for further information.
ELVIS, HOW GREAT THOU ART - A REVIEW BY GERRY McLAFFERTY, PRESIDENT, ELVIS PRESLEY FILM SOCIETY
Elvis, How Great Thou Art - A Portrait of the Artist had its World Premiere on 16th August 2006 in the Glasgow Film Theatre.
What is this short film about? It is a poignant, thought-provoking account of the incontestable phenomenon that is Elvis Aaron Presley – providing great insight into his music, his image and his incredible achievements. Utilising audience-shot concert film footage with numerous images, the narrator (Christopher Kent) unfolds in painstaking detail an account of Elvis’s amazing career. This may not be a ‘warts and all’ expose – it concentrates on the positive side of Elvis’s life, and in so doing it offers a refreshing alternative to the often embarrassing tabloid nonsense that masquerades as ‘fact’.
Unintentionally or otherwise, Elvis Presley made a huge global impact on society in general, and in music in particular. It is absolutely essential that the cultural and musical changes he brought about are appropriately documented and celebrated. In this film there is much statistical information provided that serves to highlight how prolific Elvis was in the field of recording, in motion pictures and in various other endeavours. The structure and the content leave absolutely no doubt as to the continuing importance of the legend surrounding Elvis Presley. The film informs us that he had serious doubts about being remembered. In this fine example of work by first-time film-maker Linda Ann McConnell she offers ample evidence that Elvis will never, ever be forgotten. Email Linda Ann McConnell
ELVIS TOUCH CHARITY EVENTS - JANUARY AND MARCH 2006
The Elvis Touch did George and Gerry proud at their charity events from January through to March, with a total of over £3000 being raised for charity. Click here for full story and photos.
BIRTHDAY BASH & "HEARTBREAK HOTEL" 50th ANNIVERSARY - Prestwick Airport, 7th January 2006
Read all about it here!!
MABLETHORPE, October 2005
Mablethorpe rocked as always, and the Elvis Touch and Elvis Central were there!! See Mablethorpe 2005 for a write-up and photos.
LONMAY, Aberdeenshire - 20th August 2005 (where Elvis's Scottish Ancestors originated)
The day trip to Lonmay was a huge success! This venture was organised jointly by The Elvis Touch and Elvis Aberdeen, so well done to Jane, Paul, Linda and Ally for all their hard work. The weather was kind to us (for a change!) and after a day of fun and games, and lots of food and drink, members of the Elvis Touch, Elvis Aberdeen, Elvis Central in Falkirk and the Memphis Mafia in Edinburgh had a bit of a dance in the hotel in Lonmay until the wee small hours. Looks like this could be an annual event! See Lonmay 2005 for a full report of the day and photos.
ELVIS THE CONCERT, GLASGOW - 2nd May 2005
Elvis The Concert returned to Glasgow for a near sell-out show at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on 2nd May. This was the 4th Glasgow concert, and by popular opinion the best to date! Great sound (seemed louder than before) and the band were superb as always. Ronnie Tutt was missing, but Paul Leim, his replacement, was more than up to the task. Ronnie taught him well! Stand-outs for me were "I'll Remember You", "You've Lost That Loving Feeling", "In The Ghetto" and "American Trilogy" with the reworked gospel-style ending by the Sweet Inspirations. Nice also to see lots of new camera angles and gorgeous close-ups!
To round off an amazing night, The Elvis Touch hosted a ticket-only After Concert Party, and we were well up for another 5 hours or so of Elvis music after seeing this great concert! Our DJ Paul put on a fantastic All-Elvis disco and the floor was packed to overflowing. The dance "officially" finished shortly after 3.30am.
The Spirit of Elvis and the Sweet Inspirations - Monday 30th May 2005
The Sweet Inspirations are making a rare live appearance in Scotland, performing with Elvis Tribute Artist Louis Rockafella in the Normandy Hotel, Renfrew. The event will take place on Monday 30th May 2005 and will kick off at around 7pm with over 2 hours of live music from the Sweet Inspirations performing with Louis Rockafella. This will be followed with DJ Paul Downie hosting a 100% Elvis Disco, along with a hot and cold buffet. There will also be an opportunity for fans to meet with the Sweet Inspirations for autographs, photos etc.
Tickets are priced at £28, contact Paul Downie on elvistouch@aol.com for more details. Alternatively, contact www.elvis4uk.co.uk, or email Louis Rockafella on louis@elvis4uk.co.uk. Should be a great night!
ELVIS TOUCH UPDATE- 25th March 2005
The Elvis Touch continues to go from strength to strength, and month on month attendance continues to rise. At tonight's dance we had a record turn-out of nearly 100, pretty good for a holiday weekend! Also delighted to report that, after the charity event earlier this month and Eugene's generous donations over the past few months, the Elvis Touch raised the sum of £1635.10 for CHAS. A representative of CHAS came along to the dance on 25th March to be presented with the cheque. Also worth a mention is the Elvis Touch donation of £640 to the Tsunami Appeal, which was collected at the January Dance.
The 2005 Member of the Year has just been announced - Congratulations to Margaret Colhoun, who was voted 2005 Member of the Year by members of The Elvis Touch.
ELVIS BIRTHDAY WEEK 2005
A group of Scottish fans from Glasgow, Falkirk and Edinburgh travelled to Memphis with 500 members of the Official Fan Club for the Elvis 70th Birthday Week. Margaret organised a beautiful floral tribute on behalf of The Elvis Touch, Glasgow while in Memphis in the shape of a St Andrews Cross, and it really stood out amongst the other tributes from all over the world on display on the Graceland lawn. Elvis Touch Floral Tribute - January 2005.
ELVIS 70th BIRTHDAY BASH, Prestwick Airport
The Elvis Touch again hosted the Elvis Birthday Bash at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire and on Saturday 8th January 2005 we celebrated in style the 70th Birthday of Elvis Aaron Presley. A large contingent of fans from all over Scotland - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Falkirk and Ayrshire joined us in celebration. Over 250 of us, the biggest turnout yet. Paul did a wonderful job as DJ as always, and Jane Boyce (Glasgow) and Ally Rose (Aberdeen) won the infamous Dirty Dancing Competition.
"Hi Voltage" - a brilliant 50s rockabilly band played a fantastic set half way through the evening, including a stunning version of Steamroller Blues and other Elvis songs, and a selection of Sun tracks which soon had everybody jiving and bopping on the dancefloor. They went down a storm, and hopefully we'll see them again sometime soon! There was a collection for the Tsunami Disaster, and the sum raised came to a total of £640 (approximately $1000). The night ended with Paul playing "Jailhouse Rock", which was confirmed as the No 1 selling single on the Top 40 chart. Happy Birthday Elvis!
"THE MEMPHIS LULLABY" - THE BOOK LAUNCH - Monday 16 August 2004
On Monday 16th August 2004 in the Queens Club, Glasgow, the Elvis Touch hosted the Book Launch of "The Memphis Lullaby", a play script written by Glasgow-based writer Linda Ann McConnell. This unique publication is written using Elvis's own words throughout and features some rarely-seen photos. The play takes us back to Graceland in early August 1977, Elvis is reminiscing about his life up until then.
The evening kicked off with the Book Launch proper at 8.00 pm, with Linda reading from the prologue. This was a great taster for the book, and I for one couldn't wait to buy it and read it in its entirety! We were privileged to hear a lovely song written and sung by Linda as her tribute to Elvis - called 'Always'. This will be released in a five track EP on January 8th 2005. Many of Linda's friends, family, and members of the Elvis Touch and Elvis Presley Film Society were present on the night, and after several glasses of wine and an excellent buffet we danced the night away to Elvis courtesy of Paul, our DJ.
"The Memphis Lullaby" can be purchased from Ottakars Bookstore, Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow and Borders Bookshop, Buchanan Street, Glasgow. It is a limited edition of 1000 copies only. For more information, click here
ELVIS WEEK 2004
One of our members, Anne Allan, in Memphis for Elvis Week 2004 with the Elvis Touch floral tribute on display at Graceland, commemorating the 27th anniversary.
27th ANNIVERSARY PRESTWICK DANCE, Saturday 14 August 2004
The Elvis Touch held its 27th Anniversary Dance in Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, and once again it was a sell-out thanks to the fans who came from all over Scotland and visited the place Elvis visited (briefly) 24 years ago. It was good being able to dance to Elvis all night, even better to dance to Elvis whilst watching him on DVD in black leather on the big screen! The Dirty Dancing Competition was the highlight of the evening, more entrants than usual this year and all of them getting right into the groove dirty-dancing to "Let Yourself Go". Must have been hard for the judges to pick the winners! Lots of raffle prizes were won, and the best prize of the evening was a large framed Elvis "50 Years of Rock'n'Roll" montage including a limited edition vinyl 10" of That's All Right. A lucky fan from Glasgow took this great prize home with her! We were all danced out by 1 am, another great Elvis night comes to an end, though not quite the end for our poor branch leaders (Jane and Lesley from Glasgow and Falkirk respectively) who were still trying to gather up their missing members for the long bus ride home!!
ELVIS'S SCOTTISH ROOTS/MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Big news story from the last few months has been the "discovery" that Elvis's ancestry can be traced back to Lonmay, a wee village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The story was on national as well as local news, and it's something that most Scottish Elvis fans have known for a number of years. All good publicity for the Scottish Elvis scene! For more details click here
Lillian Cumming was presented with the 2003 Elvis Touch "Member of the Year" award during the February Elvis Touch Dance.Previous winners - Gerry Cairns (1994), Harry Carrigan (1995), Margaret Nolan (1996), Grace Cairney (1997), May Ure & John McGuinness (1998), David Murray/Helen Watt/Margaret Nolan/Margaret Nolan Jnr (1999), Gerry Cairns (2000), Thomas Hanlon (2001) and Eugene McGowan (2002).
SCOTTY MOORE AT THE RENFREW FERRY - Sunday 7 March 2004
Glasgow was treated to an unforgettable night of rock'n'roll when Scotty Moore, the Grundy Pritchard Band and Paul Ansell played the Renfrew Ferry on Sunday 7 March. The show started at 8.40pm and finished at about 10.45pm, with a short interval. There was a great turn-out from the Elvis Touch, and lots of old faces from way back. Great to see them all there to see the man.
The first half of the show was the band singing everything from blues, country, bluegrass, rockabilly and rock'n'roll. Excellent. Scotty came on in the second half and we were treated to 15 Elvis songs and 2 classic blues tracks from the Sun era onwards. It was a really special and intimate show (the capacity of the Renfrew Ferry is only 300-400). Scotty was on good form after his recent illness and he showed the audience that he lost none of that old magic, even when his amp gave out during King Creole! He wasn't signing autographs this time for obvious reasons, but there were CDs on sale which he and the band very kindly signed, so I just had to buy one!
A lovely touch was Gail's speech (Scotty's partner). She spoke of the early days with Scotty, Elvis, DJ and Bill and of the wonderful memories she has of the last 50 years, she was very emotional and thanked everybody for their support of Scotty after his recent surgery. She made a special point of thanking Paul Downie (The Elvis Touch PR & DJ) for his and Linda's support and friendship over the past few years, which made the night extra special for them.
Here is the list of songs from Scotty's set (the second half of the show, after the interval), featuring the Grundy Pritchard Band with Paul Ansell on lead vocals. 17 songs in total - 15 Elvis songs recorded between 1954 and 1960, and 2 old blues numbers -
Mystery Train
That's All Right
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Baby, Let's Play House
Trying To Get To You
I Got A Woman
Heartbreak Hotel
Milkcow Blues Boogie
I Was The One
Don't Be Cruel
Who Will The Next Fool Be
Lawdy Miss Clawdy
I Got The Same Old Blues
Blue Suede Shoes
King Creole
I Feel So Bad
One Night
Click here for photos of Scotty & the band
Medieval Night - 27 February 2004
Click here for Medieval Night & George's Birthday Photos.
ELVIS'S 69th BIRTHDAY - Annual Dance at Prestwick Airport
The Elvis Touch Annual Birthday Dance, in commemoration of Elvis's 69th Birthday, took place on Saturday 10th January 2004 at Prestwick Airport. The event was a complete sell-out as always, with over 200 in attendance from all over Scotland. A large group travelled through from Glasgow, and yet again everybody forgot to bring Elvis music to play on the bus!!!
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Aberdeen and Ayrshire were all well represented, and our DJ Paul (assisted by Harry) did a fabulous job as always. The dance floor was packed right from the start and we all enjoyed the infamous Dirty Dancing Competition, with contestants from all the Scottish clubs strutting their stuff to "Let Yourself Go". The results - in reverse order - in Joint 2nd Place were James & Catriona Campbell and Tam MacLean & Mary Stewart. The winners were Pat Clancy & Maria Smith. There was also a Raffle with many prizes (nae luck at our table though!)
The highlight of the evening was the news that The Elvis Touch raised £1,365.11 for our current charity, the Glasgow branch of "Friends Of The Disabled". A cheque was presented to a representative of the charity and was very much appreciated. Eugene & Cathy from The Elvis Touch raised a lot of money for the charity, and they were called up to the stage and presented with a bouquet and small gift in appreciation.
Looking forward already to our next visit to Prestwick, the Elvis Week Dance in August!
COTTIER'S THEATRE, GLASGOW
According to the Glasgow Evening Times dated 15th January, the next Elvis Night at Cottier's Theatre will be on Saturday 10th April 2004. Further information from Melanie Byrne (email: melaniebyrne@lycos.com). Cottier Theatre, Address: 93 Hyndland Street, Glasgow G11 5PX (telephone 0141 357 3868).
ELVIS'S 69th BIRTHDAY - THE TROUBLE WITH GIRLS AT THE GFT
The GFT in Glasgow's Cambridge Street excelled itself yet again by showing a rarely seen movie - The Trouble With Girls. Made in 1969, and appropriately, shown on his 69th!
Unfortunately there wasn't as big a turn-out as last year, but 14 members of the Elvis Touch were there. We all know who we were, but here's the list - Gerry, Margaret, Harry, Paul, Linda, Arthur, Tommy, Tracy, Graham, Eugene, Cathy, Robert, Lillian and Janet.
Slight glitch at the start when it transpired that 6-8 minutes of the movie were lost. Gerry saved the day by providing a VHS video which they used, reverting to the original print for the rest of the movie.
Elvis has rarely looked more stunningly gorgeous as he did on this movie, and I think I can speak for the females amongst us when I say that several jaws hit the floor during the close-ups!
Nice touch at the end. After the closing credits, "Happy Birthday, Elvis" came on the screen. We echoed this with a toast to Elvis during our wee gathering in the pub afterwards!
ELVIS TOUCH HALLOWEEN PARTY, 31st October 2003
56 Check out photos of the Halloween Party!
CLUB DANCE, 29 August 2003
The Elvis scene in Scotland has never been healthier. The Elvis Touch continues to grow and grow, since the heady days of 1964 when Elvis fans started to meet on a regular monthly basis in Glasgow.
123 fans packed into the Queens Club last Friday evening, and this is probably a record attendance. Over the past months there has been a marked increase in the numbers attending the dances. One of the main reasons for this is the very healthy fan scene we have always had throughout Scotland.
There are now five fan clubs in Scotland - the "Elvis Touch" in Glasgow, "Elvis Central" in Falkirk, "Elvis in Aberdeen", and the "This is Elvis" and "Memphis Mafia" clubs in Edinburgh. Fans from all of these branches are very supportive and attend other clubs' dances whenever possible, and the large numbers of fans showing up each month is due in no small way to the hard work and commitment of the branch leaders and their helpers who work extremely hard behind the scenes organising events and galvanising support. It's good to note that much of this support is coming from the local media which here in Scotland is (usually) very pro-Elvis.
BEACH PARTY, 25 July 2003
We had one of our most successful theme nights on Friday 25 July 2003 - a Beach Party. Beach wear was by no means compulsory, but many members really got into the "beach party" mood by dressing up Hawaiian style or in swimwear. Check out Beach Party Photos.
ELVIS TOUCH "VEGAS NIGHT" - May 2003
One of our most successful theme nights ever. Everybody got into the Vegas mood by dressing up in 70s style - lots of lurex, glitter, evening dresses, big hair etc. It didn't take long for the Casino to pack in the gamblers, and lots of Elvis dollars were swapped for tokens to play Blackjack and the Roulette Wheel. Prizes were awarded later in the evening for those who had won the largest number of tokens. Vegas Night Photos.
ELVIS MEET-UP NIGHT, BORDERS BOOKSHOP, GLASGOW: 3rd June 2003
The was the second Elvis Meet-up, and it was great to see such a good attendance. 5 fans were at the first Meet-up on 6th May, so it was great to see an even larger number last night. 9 of us turned up - Jan, Margaret, Paul, Linda, another Linda, Jane, May, Janet and Lillian. The conversation soon got going. There's never a lapse where Elvis is concerned, even when there's no Elvis music playing in the background to inspire us! Fascinating to hear how everybody first became aware of Elvis and became fans. This was the main topic last night. Meet-up finished around 9.30pm so, awash with Starbucks coffee, most of us popped downstairs to check out the CDs and DVDs and then home early(ish). Elvis Meet-up Photos, 3rd June 2003. Anybody who would like to meet up in the future, get yourself on the list now ...... Elvis Meet-up Page
PRESTWICK AIRPORT BIRTHDAY BASH, 11th January 2003
In celebration of Elvis's 68th Birthday, the Elvis Touch organised the Annual Birthday Dance to celebrate Elvis's 68th Birthday at the Aviator Suite in Prestwick Airport.
Sadly, the new owners of Prestwick Airport do not seem to appreciate or recognise the significance of Prestwick Airport to Elvis fans worldwide. The first thing we noticed on arriving at Prestwick was that the Graceland Bar is now closed and boarded up, and all the Elvis memorabilia and plaques have gone. Very sad. Hope the "powers that be" see sense and continue to keep Elvis's name alive at Prestwick.
Anyway, back to the Dance - It was a sell-out as always, not an empty seat to be seen, with 180 fans attending from all over Scotland.
The dancing started right from the very first record and continued until the end of the night (1 am). Paul & Harry did a fantastic job of DJ-ing and playing all the songs we wanted to hear! Thanks also to Danny for the great wee Elvis shop, which most of us couldn't resist.
The infamous Dirty Dancing Competition got underway part way through the evening. Everybody who took part deserved a prize, but the winners (same as last year) were Angela & Greg Cassidy. Anne Allan & Paul White of the Elvis Touch were the runners-up. The "Dirty Dancing" song was - what else - Let Yourself Go! And they did.
Everybody forgot to bring Elvis tapes, so the singers at the back of the bus back to Glasgow were much appreciated!
Elvis's 68th Birthday in Glasgow
Elvis, That's The Way It is (Special Edition) was shown "for one night only" in the Glasgow Film Theatre to a near-capacity and very enthusiastic audience (especially our Janet!!!) Five members of The Elvis Touch were there. Lillian, Janet, Gerry McL, Tommy S and Harry. A few drinks and lots of Elvis chat later, home to watch On Tour, the 68 Special and Ed Sullivan Rock'n'Roll Show Elvis Special on TV. Happy Birthday Elvis.