Interestingly enough, I was missed by some back in Hyde County, as hard as that is to believe. There was an Elvis impersonator who performed on Friday night to mixed reviews. I wish they'd do Hee Haw again! I used to do that sort of thing, but I'm not as young as I used to be.

Elvis left us much too soon. He was just my age when he died. He lived a lot of life in those 42 years. When he started out, people said he was vulgar. His shaking was something I picked up honestly enough when I was on stage because I was nervous. I think he was too. He wanted the audience to like the show, and he gave his stage shows everything he could. Indeed, it is my contention that his desire to please his fans that let to the drugs. It's ironic that they are called "performance enhancing substances" now, because for better or worse, that's what they did. Some of the people that worked with him said that even after a show when everyone else was spent Elvis would insist that they gather round the piano and sing, and most of the time, he'd play and sing a gospel song. He would play and sing, praising God, sometimes until 3am. Whatever drugs he took did no harm to his spirit and soul. Elvis was not perfect, nor were his critics. If I had to choose which path to take, however, I'd choose Elvis. He loved his fans, and they loved him. It showed both ways! The hatred with which his critics attacked him was very unique, and just as wrong. That he never hated them back was a real testament to his faith and to the way he was raised. That's why he is as loved as he is today We could all learn something from that!