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Memphis Elvis Style
Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman
A phenomenal number of books have been written about Elvis. Recently it would seem that ever more such books are being published. Some are just rehashes of the same old story; others are the recollections of a five-minute fling, being as much a flight of phantasy as a worthwhile document; a few, a very few, are really worth buying and can be returned to again and again. "Memphis Elvis Style" by Memphis residents Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman is most definitely one of the latter. It has not been launched under a blaze of publicity, but it is nevertheless an almost indispensable addition to the Elvis library.
"Memphis Elvis Style" is, in fact, a guide book of Elvis related sites in and around Memphis. The no less than 129 sites have been cleverly organised firstly by their chronological relationship with Elvis and then further grouped by type. In addition, maps and an index help searching both in the book and in Memphis itself as simple as possible. And if this wasn't already enough, each entry contains detailed instructions on how to find its site and exactly what to expect, many buildings having been flattened or modified in the course of the years.
But the book is also for those who have never been or never will go to Memphis. Cindy and Mike have achieved this by expanding each entry with some background information and an anecdote directly relating it to Elvis. This additional information provides some excellent reading and is sometimes quite amusing Ñ I particularly liked the story of Elvis's visit to his local McDonald's with girlfriend Linda Thompson., but there are lots more stories and Elvis lore to satisfy all readers, even those looking for information about Hi Records, car dealerships, and just about everything else associated with Elvis in Memphis.
Definitely a book to get!
"Memphis Elvis Style" is written by Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman and is published in paperback by John F. Blair, 1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA. ISBN 0-89587-173-4, cost US$ 11.95.
David Neale
Copyright September 1997