Elvis Returns To Old Label
Scott Reeves, 10.15.06, 6:00 AM ET
Elvis Presley
Elvis and Sun, together again.
Sun Records, the small label in Nashville, Tenn., that helped launch The King to stardom, has signed a licensing agreement with Elvis Presley Enterprises for the use of Presley's image on several commemorative retail products. Terms weren't disclosed.
Presley made his first recordings with Sun Records, which sold its song catalog to RCA Victor in 1955 just before Elvis became a star.
Sam Phillips, the original owner of Sun Records, also helped launch the careers of Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Ike Turner, Rufus Thomas and Roy Orbison.
The 1950s teenagers who drove their parents nuts by adopting Presley's slicked back hair and brash demeanor are now signing up for Social Security. The King died in 1977, but interest in Presley apparently never dies.
The deal looks like a good (and profitable) way to introduce Elvis to a new generation of fans, probably to the relief of parents trying to fend off the drug- and sex-drenched lyrics of today's popular music. (See: "
Wearing Elvis")
Carol Butler, vice president of international licensing for Elvis Presley Enterprises, said the deal was "something we have long wanted to do, and now the time has finally come." (See: "
Elvis Lives--In Merchandising, At Least")