Celebrating the King's 75th Birthday at Sea will be some of his closest friends and co-workers.
There have been Elvis cruises before, and there will be more, but I noticed something about the upcoming Elvis cruise by Sixthman Productions of Atlanta. To celebrate what would have been Elvis' 75th birthday, the company has assembled a group of musicians who not only knew the King - they played in his backup band throughout most of his career - onthrough the Hawaii shows and up to the Vegas finalé.
Legendary players from the TCB Band - the official band name dubbed by Elvis - the "Takin' Care of Business" band, will be playing during the upcoming Elvis Cruise 2010 sailing on Carnival Fascination November 4 through November 8, 2010, from Jacksonville, Florida, to Nassau, Bahamas. James Burton and Glen D. Hardin, original members of Elvis' TCB Band will be backing up several of the tribute artists onboard.
Elvis' took his own motto, "TCB" so seriously that the three letters were arranged around a lightning bolt, creating a logo that was used on everything from stationary to Elvis' private jet, the Lisa Marie. Elvis hired these now legendary players when he returned to live performances in 1968.
The first time Elvis asked James Burton to play guitar for him he had to say no because he was already playing for Frank Sinatra. Previously he had been with Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and the Everly Brothers. James is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Pianist Glenn D Harding was one of Buddy Holley's Crickets. He went to play with Gary Lewis and the Playboys and he met James Burton on the show Shindig when he joined the house band - the Shindogs.
This band will be backing up some of the most renowned Elvis tribute artists in the world. The list includes the winners of last three Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contests: Shawn Klush, Brandon Bennett and Bill Cherry. Other Elvis tribute artists include David Allen, Mark Anthony, Kevin Mills, Gino Monopoli, Ted Torres, Victor Trevino, Jr., and Jay Zanier. Needless to say, all of these Elvises are the best in the biz, but add these original Elvis band members and you are sure to see a show that is as close to what the King actually performed as is humanly possible.
In addition to the musical guests, Elvis' stylist and close personal friend Larry Geller will share his personal stories and memories. Fellow actors from Elvis/movies include Diane McBain and Warren Berlinger, who costarred with Elvis in the classic film, Spinout. Roy Turner and Jim Palmer, Elvis historians and documentarians, will screen their recent documentary "Homecoming: Tupelo Welcomes Elvis Home" and will show clips that have never before been seen by the public.
Also, just added to the line-up is a behind the scenes peview of "Viva ELVIS" the new show by Cirque du Soleil who will be sending members of the creative team to show video clips and photos, play music and share their stories on creating the new show that is getting Vegas "all shook up."
Tickets are already on sale. View the full list of entertainment at theelviscruise.com
