January 8th Celebrity Birthdays

I'm not big about celebrating my birthday, but I am kind of jazzed about the fact that I share a birth date with two of the biggest music stars in history, Elvis Presley and David Bowie. Especially Elvis. I've been a bit of an Elvis fan since I was a lad. Bowie, well, I liked some of his stuff on the radio as a teen, but it wasn't until decades later that I properly appreciated the genius of his songs. 

I bought my first Elvis album, an excellent collection of his best music, on 8-track tape back in the 70's. I still have that crazy tape, but I have no idea if it would even play today.... if I even had a player for that ridiculous format. Still... I loved listening to that tape endlessly, from Hound Dog to Surrender. Some of my fave tracks were - and still are - Good Luck Charm, Return to Sender, and (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear. A hunk a hunk a burnin' rock'n'roll. Today, I have a handful of Elvis "hits" collections on CD that provide me with the best of the different eras of his career. 

I watched a bunch of those goofy Elvis movies on TV when I was a kid, but when I caught a bit of one when I was older, I quickly realized this was pretty lame stuff. So forget the cinematic Elvis. Yet The King's music endures, and I still listen to his albums now and then. And when I got into Cheap Trick, I learned of their love of Elvis via their cover of Don't Be Cruel and their album entitled All Shook Up. 

In more recent years, listening to Glenn Danzig's heavy metal tunes, I noticed his vocal style emulated that of Elvis... and a bit of Jim Morrison of The Doors, too. A rough and garbled style of singing, to be sure, but we, as listeners, can hear Danzig's influences from the past. 

As for Bowie, I didn't hear much beyond Rebel Rebel and Space Oddity on rock radio back in the 70's and then China Girl and Let's Dance in the 80's. Rebel Rebel remains a favourite Bowie song for me, and I've learned to enjoy Golden Years, Jean Genie, and Diamond Dogs, among other timeless tracks. I've never been much of a fan, but I recognize Bowie's creativity and talent. He certainly wrote some of rock music's most memorable songs. And his unique androgynous and freaky visual style sense placed him on the map for the most startling performer of all time.