Thursday, August 16th marked the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The iconic singer spent a great deal of time in the Centennial State and had many adventures. In honor of the King, Backbeat is sharing some of these stories.

Dave Herrera

A ticket stub from Elvis's last Denver concert on April 23, 1976 at McNichols Arena

See also:
- Nick Andurlakis on Elvis's beloved Fool's Gold Loaf sandwich
- Retired Denver Police Captain Jerry Kennedy on the time Elvis bought him a Lincoln
- John Bucci on being the proud owner of the church pew Elvis once sat in at Holy Family
- Retired Denver police officer Bob Cantwell on The King's "nurse" making a house call
- Bob Kortz on tracking down a black diamond for The King in the middle of the night
- Jonny Barber recording Elvis singles at Sun Studio tonight

Elvis's last Denver gig took place at McNichols Sports Arena on April 23, 1976. According to former Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy Bob Pietrafeso, who vividly remembers doing security at the singer's final concert in the Mile High City, the King was nervous -- scared, even -- in the final moments leading up to the performance. This was far from Elvis's first visit to Denver. By the time he showed up in the spring of '76, he had become close friends with a number of locals, most notably law enforcement types, Pietrafeso among them.

More »

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The iconic singer spent a great deal of time in the Centennial State and had many adventures. In honor of the King, Backbeat is sharing some of these stories.

Dave Herrera

You can still order a Fool's Gold Loaf sandwich from Nick Andurlakis, the man who helped conceive and once served up the gooey contraption to the King.

See also:
- Retired Denver Police Captain Jerry Kennedy on the time Elvis bought him a Lincoln
- John Bucci on being the proud owner of the church pew Elvis once sat in at Holy Family
- Retired Denver police officer Bob Cantwell on The King's "nurse" making a house call
- Bob Kortz on tracking down a black diamond for The King in the middle of the night
- Jonny Barber recording Elvis singles at Sun Studio tonight

Elvis's love for peanut butter is a well-documented footnote of pop-music history. He was especially fond of the Fool's Gold Loaf, a peanut butter, jelly and bacon (!) sandwich conceived by Denver restaurateur Nick Andurlakis and his co-workers at the Colorado Mine Company. Apparently it was so tasty, Presley once flew his private jet here from Memphis in the middle of the night just to partake and stock up on the sandwiches.

More »

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The iconic singer spent a great deal of time in the Centennial State and had many adventures. In honor of the King, Backbeat is sharing some of these stories.

Jonny Barber

The license plate on the Lincoln Mark IV that Elvis bought Jerry Kennedy, which now sits in a museum in Tupelo.

See also:
- John Bucci on being the proud owner of the church pew Elvis once sat in at Holy Family
- Retired Denver police officer Bob Cantwell on The King's "nurse" making a house call
- Bob Kortz on tracking down a black diamond for The King in the middle of the night
- Velvet Elvis's Top 10 favorite Elvis songs in honor of the King's passing
- Gym Elvis helped Denver Police Department build to be torn down
- Jonny Barber recording Elvis singles at Sun Studio tonight

Elvis Presley's generosity is almost as legendary as his sideburns and white jumpsuits. Case in point: Denver Police Captain Jerry Kennedy, who received a brand new Lincoln Mark IV courtesy of The King. Kennedy first met Presley through the DPD, when the former was in charge of running the department's off-duty operations and The King needed security when he came to town. Presley himself had wanted to be a policeman from the time he was a kid.

More »

King for a day: Jonny Barber is recording at Sun Studio tonight and tomorrow.

See also:
- Jonny Barber brings Elvis back to life in honor of Elvis week
- Velvet Elvis's Top 10 favorite Elvis songs in honor of the King's passing
- Jonny Barber putting Velvet Elvis to rest with one last gig

Jonny Barber knows what it's like to walk in Elvis's footsteps. Literally. The former Velvet Elvis has been in Memphis and Tupelo for Elvis week, retracing The King's steps and hobnobbing with the iconic singer's cronies (this week, he's already met and shaken hands with Diamond Joe Esposito, Mike Stoller of Leiber & Stoller, who wrote songs like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock," and Mark James, who wrote "Suspicious Minds").

More »

This Thursday, August 16, marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The iconic singer spent a great deal of time in the Centennial State and had many adventures. In honor of the King, Backbeat is sharing some of these stories.

Courtesy of Jonny Barber

See also:
- Retired Denver police officer Bob Cantwell on The King's "nurse" makes a house call
- Bob Kortz on tracking down a black diamond for The King in the middle of the night
- Velvet Elvis's Top 10 favorite Elvis songs in honor of the King's passing
- Gym Elvis helped Denver Police Department build to be torn down

In early 1976, Elvis Presley snuck in the back door of Holy Family Catholic Church on 43rd and Utica dressed in a specially tailored replica police uniform. The occasion was the funeral of police captain Jerry Kennedy's brother. A year later, when the building was slated for remodeling, someone had the bright idea to auction off the thirteen-foot pew where the King had sat for the service. John Bucci was the lucky bidder at the church bazaar, which also featured one of Elvis's trademark jumpsuits.

More »

This Thursday, August 16, marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The iconic singer spent a great deal of time in the Centennial State and had many adventures. In honor of the King, Backbeat is sharing some of these stories all week.

Ollie Atkins

See also:
- Bob Kortz on tracking down a black diamond for The King in the middle of the night
- Jonny Barber brings Elvis back to life in honor of Elvis week
- Velvet Elvis's Top 10 favorite Elvis songs in honor of the King's passing
- Gym Elvis helped Denver Police Department build to be torn down

During Elvis Presley's second visit to Denver in 1970, security was understandably tight. Entire hotel floors were put on lockdown, and the King's own hired force of Denver Police Department officers had their hands full trying to keep unwanted guests away from the entertainer. One night, Officer Bob Cantwell turned away a female visitor he shouldn't have, which caused Elvis to nearly lose his mind. According to Cantwell, who served on the force for 27 years before retiring, it was all a case of miscues and innocent mistakes.

More »

This Thursday, August 16 marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The iconic singer spent a great deal of time in the Centennial State and had many adventures. In honor of The King, Backbeat is sharing some of these stories all week.

See Also:
- Jonny Barber brings Elvis back to life in honor of Elvis week
- Velvet Elvis's Top 10 favorite Elvis songs in honor of the King's passing
- Jonny Barber putting Velvet Elvis to rest with one last gig
- Elvis Presley once flew to Denver in pursuit of Fool's Gold
- Gym Elvis helped Denver Police Department build to be torn down

In the winter of 1975-'76, while on vacation in Vail, Elvis Presley's newfound interest in numerology led him to believe he needed a black diamond ring, immediately. He had a police friend call local jeweler Bob Kortz late in the evening with the odd request -- a request that Kortz heeded, despite having never even seen a black diamond.

More »

Jonny Barber at the former site of the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Elvis performed his last show.

See Also:
- Velvet Elvis's Top 10 favorite Elvis songs in honor of the King's passing
- Jonny Barber putting Velvet Elvis to rest with one last gig
- Elvis Presley once flew to Denver in pursuit of Fool's Gold
- Gym Elvis helped Denver Police Department build to be torn down

Next Thursday will mark the 35th year since Elvis left the building. In honor of the occasion, Jonny Barber is pulling the jumpsuit out of the mothballs. Even though it's now been a year since the Velvet Elvis himself met his untimely end, the spirit of EP lives on -- or at least it will for one more night this Thursday, August 9, from 6 to 9 p.m., when Barber once again channels the King to commemorate his upcoming sojourn next week to the Holy Land (aka Memphis) for Elvis week.

More »

Update 3/30/12: Photo of Nading-Presley Memorial Gym plaque added.

courtesy of Jonny Barber

Jonny Barber is troubled. Last week, the former Velvet Elvis, the Mile High City's expert Elvis channeler and resident Elvistorian received news that the building that used to house the Nading-Presley Memorial Gym, which The King generously helped build for the Denver Police Department, is purportedly about to become a Walgreens.

More »

Today's a historic day, in case you were wondering. Not only is it the 34th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, but today will mark the day that the Velvet Elvis, one of the country's top Elvis "emulators," comes to rest as well. In honor of the occasion, we asked the Velvet Elvis himself, Jonny Barber, to list his favorite songs by the King. Turned out to be an arduous task.

More »