Friday is Rock'n'Roll London Day on The Daily Constitutional!The Rock'n'Roll London Walk meets at Tottenham Court Road Station every Friday at 2pm.
DC Editor Adam writes… Fifty eight years ago this weekend – 3rd March 1960 – Elvis Presley set foot on British soil for the first and only time. Returning from his national service in Germany, Elvis landed at Prestwick in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Here's a terrific eye-witness account as published in The Scotman newspaper…
“Muriel and I were right at the barrier. We were so excited and suddenly the plane was in front of us. The door opened and there was Elvis. He was so handsome in his uniform. He waved and we started screaming. He shouted: ‘Where am I?’ and people shouted back: ‘Prestwick’ - but I was shouting: ‘I love you’."
Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/in-pictures-when-elvis-presley-landed-at-prestwick-airport-1-4042750 Famously Elvis didn't ever play live in this country. Does absence make the heart grow fonder? In this case, most certainly yes. The knock-on effect paved the way for the Beatles' explosion in '62/'63, via our very own homemade Elvises.
To my mind, this aspect of our Rock'n'Roll story is absolutely perfect. In the deep austerity of the post-war period, in the era of rationing and make-do-and-mend, we applied all our resourcefulness to making our own Elvises.
The standard line is that they were all pale imitations. That's as may be. But in the spirit of the age, we made do and we mended. In limited conditions, with managers who saw nothing but a quick buck from a passing fad, I think we did pretty well.
Here are 10 of my very favorite British Elvises…
The Rock'n'Roll London Walk meets at 2pm Tottenham Court Road station (exit 1) every Friday all year round. You can follow the Rock'n'Roll London Walk on Facebook – www.facebook.com/rocknrolllondonwalk.
Here's the trailer…
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
