The King

The King


  • Koreaโ€™s Audio “Cafรฉs”โ€”Where the Customer ISNโ€™T Always Right

    Jonson Lee visits three music-listening spaces in Korea where silence is enforced, and the sound systemโ€”not the customerโ€”rules. These venues offer a rare escape from choice overload, immersing visitors in pure, communal music appreciation.

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  • $1.50 Tickets to Elvis History

    On August 3rd, 1956โ€”A cultural hurricane primed to shake the Olympia Theater to its foundation. The tickets were a mere $1.50, but what unfolded inside those walls was priceless: three explosive performances at 3:30, 7:00, and 9:00 p.m., each more electrifying than the last. This was no ordinary concert; it was a seismic moment in…

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  • From Memphis to Mainstream: The Day Elvis Signed With RCA Records

    November 21, 1955, wasnโ€™t just another Monday. For Elvis Presley, it was the day a $35,000 contract (equivalent to $400,000 in 2024) pulled him out of a regional spotlight and thrust him onto the global stage. RCA Records, sensing that the young singer from Tupelo, Mississippi, was more than just a passing trend, purchased his…

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  • How To Play in a Rock Band, Part 1: Introduction

    “Iโ€™ve decided to start a new series. Even if youโ€™re not a musician, perhaps itโ€™ll give some insight into the nitty-gritty of the art of music-making, or inform your listening the next time you sit in front of your stereo, or just provide some entertainment and perhaps a life lesson or two.

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  • Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson’s Unreleased 1983 Recording Sessions

    In the pantheon of rock and pop gods, few names resonate as powerfully as Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. Now imagine, if you will, the sheer cosmic magnitude of these two titans crossing paths, not on a stage, but in the intimate confines of a recording studio. Yes, it happened. Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant frontman…

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  • When the King of Pop Defied the Stasi: Michael Jackson’s 1988 Berlin Performance

    Michael Jacksonโ€™s Berlin Wall Concert: When Pop Met Politics In the annals of pop culture, Michael Jacksonโ€™s legacy is studded with iconic performances and groundbreaking achievements. Yet, one performance stands out not just for its musical brilliance but also for its geopolitical significance. On June 19, 1988, the King of Pop performed in West Berlin,…

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  • The King at the Garden: Elvis Presley’s 1972 Triumph

    June 10, 1972, was no ordinary day at Madison Square Garden. The hallowed halls, famous for hosting legendary sports battles and unforgettable music performances, were about to witness another momentous event. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll, was back in New York City for the first time since the โ€™50s. This wasnโ€™t just…

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  • Hound Dog and the Hip Thrust Heard ‘Round the World: Elvis’s Iconic 1956 Performance

    On June 5, 1956, Elvis Presley stepped onto the stage of The Milton Berle Show, ready to perform his latest single, โ€œHound Dog.โ€ Little did anyone know, this performance would become one of the most talked-about moments in television history and a defining point in the evolution of rock and roll. Presley, already a rising…

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  • Elvis at Sea: The Day the King Rocked the USS Hancock

    On the third day of April in 1956, a spectacle unfolded that was nothing short of a cultural earthquake, with Elvis Presley at its epicenter. This wasnโ€™t your garden-variety television appearance; it was an event that would ricochet through the annals of music and television history, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of American…

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  • An Evening With DALI’s Epikore 11 Loudspeaker, Featuring Accuphase, Esoteric, Stable 33.33, Andrรฉ Thรฉriault, Luna Cables

    “Some studio effects seemed to pop out of nowhere, in a way that sounded completely liberated from the speakers.”

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  • Icons at Twilight: The Sinatra Soirรฉe

    In the neon-lit heart of Las Vegas, where the desert meets decadence and the nights are longer than the odds, a photograph was snapped in 1969 that would freeze time in a frame, capturing a confluence of kings, a chairman, and a hoofer. This wasnโ€™t just any night; this was the opening night shindig for…

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  • The King’s Homecoming in Tupelo

    In the sultry heat of a Southern afternoon, amidst the intoxicating scents of cotton candy and the rural festivities of the Mississippi-Alabama Fair & Dairy Show, a rebellious rhythm began to play. It marked the homecoming of Tupeloโ€™s most illustrious son, the King of Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll, Elvis Presley. The year was 1956, a transformative…

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  • Elvis Presley’s 1954 Opry Debut: A Pivotal Moment in Rock ‘n’ Roll History

    Elvis Presleyโ€™s 1954 Opry Debut remains an iconic moment in music history. While today we easily associate Elvis with his swiveling hips and captivating dulcet tones, the music world of 1954 did not immediately recognize the impending legend from Tupelo, Mississippi. Yet, on October 2nd of that year, he stepped onto the revered Grand Ole…

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  • Sammy Davis Jr. at Elvis’ Stage Comeback

    In the kaleidoscopic universe of Las Vegas, where neon lights pierce the desert night and every high note echoes the clink of a jackpot, legends Sammy Davis Jr. and Elvis Presley found a friendship as enduring as their tunes. It all came into focus on July 31, 1969โ€”Elvisโ€™s comeback night at the International Hotel. There,…

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  • The King’s First Chords: Elvis Presley’s Debut Recording

    In the annals of music history, July 18, 1953, marks a momentous occasion. It was on this day that Elvis Presley, the undisputed King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, ventured into Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, and made his first-ever recording. It was a modest start, a heartfelt gift for his beloved mother, that would inadvertently…

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