35th Anniversary Of Elvis’ Death
Is Marked With New CD Release

By Tom Wilk
Contributing Writer
   This year (2012) marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. RCA/Legacy is paying tribute to his roots in country music with the release of “Elvis Country: Legacy Edition.”
     The reissue offers two albums from 1971, “Elvis Country” and “Love Letters from Elvis,” on a pair of compact discs along with six bonus tracks.
      Both albums found him recording in Nashville with some of the city’s top sessions players, including bassist Norbert Putnam, drummer Jerry Carrigan and guitarist James Burton.
     The repertoire of “Elvis Country” includes a heartfelt version of “Snowbird,” a hit for Anne Murray; an emotionally intense reading of “Tomorrow Never Comes;” and a soulful interpretation of “Make The World Go Away,” a 1960s hit for Eddy Arnold.
     Elvis showed he hadn’t lost the knack for rockers with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” the breakthrough hit for Jerry Lee Lewis; and the exuberant “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water,” which was inspired by earlier versions by Johnny Rivers and Charlie Rich.
     “Love Letters from Elvis” kicks off with a gospel-styled version of “Love Letters,” a hit for both Dick Haymes and Ketty Lester. 
     Elvis shows his eclectic side with with an extended workout on the blues standard “Got My Mojo Workin’” and a rendition of “Rags to Riches,” a hit for Tony Bennett in the 1950s.