‘Elvis’ Editors on Why the King’s Performance of ‘Unchained Melody’ Almost Didn’t Make the Film

Elvis Presley’s relationship with Black musicians has always been complicated, but his ex-wife insists that racism wasn’t

Elvis Presley‘s ex-wife Priscilla Presley has claimed that the late musician was “not racist in any way” while speaking about ‘cancel culture’.During a recent interview on TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored, Priscilla spoke about Baz Luhrmann’s new biopic Elvis, which sees Austin Butler portray the titular King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.Later, host Piers Morgan asked her whether she believed there would be “a campaign to try and cancel [Elvis] for inappropriate statements, inappropriate behaviour [or] inappropriate lyrics”.Elvis has been criticised by a number of Black artists in the past. Last year, Quincy Jones said that he wouldn’t have worked with the star, claiming he “was a racist”.“He was not a racist – he’s never been a racist,” Priscilla told Morgan. “Elvis had friends, Black friends, friends from all over.

Elvis Presley was indisputably the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, but there’s no denying his bold sense of style goes down in history, too.

Elvis Presley is being remembered following the release of "Elvis" - a new biopic from Baz Luhrmann which tells the story of the King's life. His ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, has often spoken about her relationship with the King over the years, and once confessed that she didn't feel as if she truly had "teenage years" due to the couple getting together so early.

Elvis Presley is being celebrated this month after the release of the biopic, Elvis, which tells the story of the King's life. His ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, has often spoken about her relationship with the King over the years, and once confessed that she didn't feel as if she truly had "teenage years" due to the couple getting together so early.

Elvis Presley's next long-term lover was Miss Tennessee model Linda Thompson. The 22-year-old lived with The King at Graceland from 1972-1976 and despite claiming to have saved his life on numerous occasions, only featured for mere seconds in archive footage during Baz Luhrmann's new biopic. The Elvis movie biopic basically ends in 1974 before skipping forward to The King's death in 1977 at 42.

Elvis Presley's major girlfriend after separating and divorcing Priscilla Presley, Linda Thompson. From 1972-76, she lived with the music icon at Graceland and even though the movie basically ends in 1974, before skipping to his 1977 death, she appears only for a split second in archive footage and isn't even mentioned. Linda previously wrote on social media: "No, I haven't seen it yet.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticRenowned music producer Dave Cobb was working on a film job where he recreated the music of one singing icon — Tammy Faye Bakker — when he got the assignment to do the same for an even more significant vocalist, high a bar as that may have been: Elvis Presley. Truly, both figured into his youth, growing up as a Pentecostal kid in the Southeast.

Scroll To See More Images

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorWhile Austin Butler’s performance in Baz Lurhmann’s “Elvis” is visually captivating, the music experience is immersive. The film needs to be seen, but it demands to be heard.Composer Elliott Wheeler worked closely with music editor Jamieson Shaw, as the film dances between Butler’s vocals, Elvis Presley’s voice and newly recorded versions of the King’s classics like Kacey Musgraves’ rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”Wheeler says Butler recorded every single line of each performance seen in the film, and Presley’s voice was then mixed in when needed.

Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Elton John, who got his own movie with “Rocketman,” Presley comes with more pop-culture baggage than you could stuff into a million Gracelands.There’s the campy Vegas impersonators, the “thank you, thank you very much” catchphrase, the white jumpsuit, the late-in-life weight gain and, of course, dying on the toilet at age 42. For such a singular figure in music — still instantly recognizable to teens today in a way that Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon are not — he’s not allowed much dignity.Luhrmann’s hugely entertaining film and Butler’s sensational performance are dead set on righting that wrong. A movie that runs on jet fuel and confetti, “Elvis” is a tribute to Presley’s innovative spirit, deep passion for fusing blues, country and gospel music and the intense connection he had with his audience. Elvis taking inspiration from black musicians like B.B.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorDirector Baz Luhrmann  hoped “Elvis” would be much more than a biopic of Elvis Presley — he wanted to capture a time with a social history of this captivating figure that also told the story of America.Starring Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, “Elvis” spans two decades. The backdrop is America’s Southern bible belt, the evolving cultural landscape, and the rock ‘n’ roller’s meteoric rise to stardom.Costume designer Catherine Martin explains there are two costume styles in the movie — “recreations of costumes that existed, and the other fictionalized outfits that are a synthesis of outfits that he actually had that help tell the story.” The pink suit rockabilly suit Butler sports was just one of 90 costumes he wore.

Kacey Musgraves puts a slower spin on Elvis Presley‘s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for a newly released music video for the upcoming Elvis movie.

Kacey Musgraves celebrates the love between Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.

Elvis Presley’s legacy lives on. On Tuesday, three generations of Presleys, Priscilla, 77, Lisa Marie, 54, and her daughter Riley, 33, as well as her twins Harper and Finley, 13 participated in a historic Hand and Footprint Ceremony outside the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.The family had a gorgeous backdrop dedicated to the new Elvis movie starring Austin Butler. They all looked thankful to be together for such a special moment.Butler was also in attendance. The actor has been praised for his performance as Elvis, with the film gaining a 12-minute standing ovation at Cannes.

Priscilla Presley, daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and granddaughter, Riley Keough — made it official, with a hand and footprint ceremony at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.The trio — along with Lisa Marie's 13-year-old twin daughters, Harper and Finley — was honored in celebration of the legacy of their famous family, as well as the upcoming release of the biopic, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Austin Butler as the King of Rock and Roll himself. Luhrmann and Butler both spoke at the ceremony, which was a moving moment for all of the members of the family, who have been outspoken in their support of the upcoming film and its portrayal of their late, iconic patriarch.«It means a lot, absolutely, to my family and the people who knew Elvis really, really well, to be honored in this way,» Priscilla told ET, adding that the theater — then known as the Grauman's Chinese Theatre — was one of the first sights she saw with Elvis when she first came to Los Angeles in 1962. «It's just incredibly emotional and kind of hard to process, but it's definitely such a big honor,» Riley agreed.For Lisa Marie, the film's release feels like a much larger cultural moment than just a celebration of her father's legacy — not only explores the life of the man himself, but the Black artists and cultural traditions that shaped his musical background.«It means everything to us, it's so important,» she shared. «I mean, everything that's happening right now… the movie is important. The subject matter is important.

Elvis Presley’s family are leaving their mark on Hollywood.

Eminem and CeeLo Green have teamed up on ‘The King And I’ for the Elvis film soundtrack.Released today, the track is co-produced by Dr. Dre and sees Eminem compare himself to Elvis Presley over the course of the ‘Jailhouse Rock’-sampling track, rapping: “I’m about to explain to you all the parallels between Elvis and me”.“It seems obvious: one, he’s pale as me/ Second, we both been hailed as kings/ He used to rock the Jailhouse, and I used to rock The Shelter,” he raps, before adding “I stole black music, yeah, true, perhaps used it / As a tool to combat school kids / Kids came back on some bathroom shit / Now I call a hater a bidet / ’Cause they mad that they can’t do shit”.Listen to ‘The King And I’ below.The Elvis soundtrack is set to feature “original songs and recordings” by Presley along with the film’s star, Austin Butler.