Thirty Years Later, Elvis Has Never Really Left the Building

Newswise — Even the most devoted Elvis Presley fan would have a hard time matching Bill Schurk's collection of the King in words and music.

Schurk, Bowling Green State University's sound recordings archivist, figures he has more than 200 books about Elvis, as well as 283 recordings-LPs and compact discs alone-featuring Presley or others singing his songs. It's all in BGSU's 40-year-old Sound Recordings Archives, where the 100,000th item to be cataloged, in January 2004, was the 2003 LP Elvis 2nd to None-a title that remains appropriate, says Schurk, who chose the recording for the milestone.

"He's as popular as ever," the archivist adds about Elvis, who died 30 years ago Aug. 16. As evidence, he cites the recent announcement of a planned overhaul of Graceland, Presley's Memphis mansion and, since his death, tourist attraction.

"His fan base started early," according to Schurk, who says the people who became Elvis fans as teenagers or younger more than 50 years ago "are passing the baton" now to their grandchildren. Elvis, he continues, crossed the boundaries of one type of music and is among the select performers whose interpretation of songs inspires ongoing interest and curiosity in listeners. "There's always a new wonderment," he says.