This new book by Apex Publishing Limited
in England and written by Sandi Haynes Pichon is as mentioned on the front
cover ‘’ a look back at the good times….’’. This 196 pages book (
21,0 cm x 14,8 cm ) is printed on high quality glossy paper, which is a big
plus considering there are a lot of colour photographs ( about 105 pictures )
throughout the book.
I
was really looking forward to this book since I knew that Sandi had GREAT
pictures and good stories to tell from her touring days from a fan point of view. ‘’ Raised On Elvis ‘’
starts with the foreword by Kathy Westmoreland and then followed with
sixteen (16) chapters, each being titled with an Elvis’ song or album from
her first meeting with Elvis in Memphis in 1956 until he passed away in 1977.
Almost
every stories and anecdotes are accompanied with photographs for backing up
the text. It gives a lot of credibility to the author and makes it even more
enjoyable to the readers. This book contains several rare and exclusive
photographs taken by Sandi. My favourites are the ones taken in Las Vegas, NV
in August 1974 and March 1975, and especially the photographs from the August
18, 1975 opening show and midnight show of the following night.
I
especially enjoyed the stories related to the Memphis shows in March 1974
along with the one from December 1973 at Stax Recording Studio in the same
town. Having said that, the book is interesting from beginning to end. I never
had the chance to meet Elvis but was fortunate enough for having seen him in
concert several times. Sandi’s book brought back great memories while
reading her personal experiences and made me feel good, actually even better
in making me realized how lucky I am. For those who weren’t that fortunate
and never had the chance to attend an Elvis Presley show, and moreover live
all the excitements surrounding the event. They can at least go back in time
and have a glimpse at the good times we had during our touring days.
The
book contains a few mistakes such as a photograph dated as May 26 th, 1975
dinner show instead of March 26th but despite a few errors here and
there, ‘’ Raised On Elvis ‘’ is still an excellent book.
We can be grateful that Sandi decided to share her memories and photographs with us. If you want to take a look back at the good old times, then buy the book ‘’ Raised On Elvis! Elvis! Elvis ! ‘’
You can obtain a personally signed copy directly from Sandi at spichon@charter.net
Visit her site TCB Elvis Style Fan Club