Keeping one’s name alive through the ages

In pop culture history, there are a few who have managed to keep their names alive, among them Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and The Beatles. A recent account datelined Nov. 22, 2012 bylined by Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph reporters in the UK, relates that an audition tape for Decca Records, an important relic, has been found in pristine condition after 50 years.

Last Dec. 5, it was announced that the audition tape was sold at an auction for 35,000 UK pounds (US$56,764 or P2,324,000 million). With two of the members already dead, The Beatles consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr apparently still manage to make waves that help the individual careers of those still alive (Ringo and Paul).

The Beatles was the most successful group in popular music

The story of the tape started with manager Brian Epstein making numerous trips to London to secure a record deal for the group. Finally, they were auditioned by Decca producer Tony Meehan on Jan. 2, 1962. Eventually, Decca rejected them which proved to be one of the worst decisions made in music history. Within months, The Beatles signed up with EMI and went on to become the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music.

Elvis Presley’s Graceland is declared National Historic Landmark

After enormous popularity dubbed Beatlemania in the early ’60s, The Beatles produced their best works from 1965 onward to include Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road. After their breakup, they continued successful solo careers. In 1980, John Lennon died after being shot by a deranged fan, and George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001.

Ringo Star continues to be musically creative, receiving praise in 2011 as the Fifth Best Drummer of All Time by Rolling Stone readers. Paul McCartney formed the band Wings after The Beatles breakup. Guinness World Records has described him as “The most successful composer and recording artist of all time,” with his Beatles composition Yesterday as the most covered song in history.     

If these celebrity Brits managed to keep a relatively quiet existence for a famous group in show business, the life of their US counterparts would be wild and woolly, characterized by unrestrained behavior, exorbitant costumes and a known history of addiction.

Elvis Presley known as the King of Rock and Roll was shy and unpopular in school, loved black gospel music and had decided to become a singer upon graduation. Meantime, Sam Phillips of Sun Records had stated: “If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.” That was right down Elvis’ alley, and on the evening of a session with Sam, Elvis took his guitar and started jumping around singing the blues number That’s All Right. That was exactly the sound Sam wanted, so he lost no time in distributing the piece to DJs, and people started calling for the singer’s name. 

Fast forward to an immensely popular Elvis characterized by recordings, movies, live appearances, wild pelvis gyrating styles, until religious organizations got into the picture banning him as dangerous. He was also now becoming increasingly unwell, overdosing on barbiturates and finally dying of Demerol addiction. 

US President Jimmy Carter credited Presley for having “permanently changed the face of American popular culture.” Since his death, there have been numerous alleged sightings of Elvis leading to a theory that he faked his death so he could have peace. His home Graceland continues to attract half a million visitors annually, the second most-visited home in the US, a declared National Historic Landmark in 2006.

The Beatles Decca audition tape was recently auctioned

Michael Jackson is recognized by Guinness as the most successful entertainer of all time, from music, dance to fashion for four decades. He has had no privacy from accusations of child sexual abuse cases to his changes in appearance. While preparing for the concert This Is It, MJ died of cardiac arrest after being given an overdose of pain relievers and anti-anxiety medicine by his personal physician. Jackson’s death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and to this day the Michael Jackson moves continue to be copied but never mastered.

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