Katie Couric's Notebook: Elvis
Thirty years ago this week, Elvis Presley died. He's had a remarkable impact on our culture -- and there are a lot of reasons to remember his amazing life and early death.
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August 16, 2007 5:39 PM
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August 16, 2007 1:21 PM
When Elvis Died: Burying The King
As a young radio reporter for The Associated Press, Mark Knoller was dispatched to Memphis 30 years ago today to cover the death and funeral of Elvis Presley. Now a CBS News White House correspondent, Knoller recalls his coverage of the death of an icon.
What I remember most vividly are the crowds that gathered outside Graceland Mansion.
I wasn't what you could call a fan of Elvis Presley, but I knew his songs and movies. I remembered seeing him on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and hearing jokes about his hip gyrations, but I was surprised by the extent to which he had touched many lives.
By the thousands, they gathered in genuine grief and disbelief on the sidewalk of Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis. They touched the gates of Graceland, which were adorned with decorative guitars and musical notes.
Back then, there were no iPods or even boom boxes. Instead, the mourners carried AM radios and battery-powered tape recorders to play Elvis' music and sing along.
They all had stories to tell about how Elvis had touched their lives. Interviewing them, I was amazed by the number of times someone told me how generous Elvis was. I don't know if it was urban legend or not — but again and again I heard the story of how Elvis was in a Cadillac dealership and bought cars for every customer in there.
The scene took on a circus atmosphere in the heat and humidity of Memphis in August. The restaurant and souvenir shops in the strip mall across the street from Graceland did big business. And there were long lines of people waiting to use the couple of pay phones there.
For reporters, a big part of the story was the cause of death...
(CBS)
I wasn't what you could call a fan of Elvis Presley, but I knew his songs and movies. I remembered seeing him on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and hearing jokes about his hip gyrations, but I was surprised by the extent to which he had touched many lives.
By the thousands, they gathered in genuine grief and disbelief on the sidewalk of Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis. They touched the gates of Graceland, which were adorned with decorative guitars and musical notes.
Back then, there were no iPods or even boom boxes. Instead, the mourners carried AM radios and battery-powered tape recorders to play Elvis' music and sing along.
They all had stories to tell about how Elvis had touched their lives. Interviewing them, I was amazed by the number of times someone told me how generous Elvis was. I don't know if it was urban legend or not — but again and again I heard the story of how Elvis was in a Cadillac dealership and bought cars for every customer in there.
The scene took on a circus atmosphere in the heat and humidity of Memphis in August. The restaurant and souvenir shops in the strip mall across the street from Graceland did big business. And there were long lines of people waiting to use the couple of pay phones there.
For reporters, a big part of the story was the cause of death...
