Did Elvis have to work so hard ?

[GERRY]

ABC paid Tom Jones 22 million dollars!!! for the first 13 "This Is Tom Jones" shows..making him the highest paid entertainer in the world at the time!

"This Is Tom Jones" Ran from 1969 to 1971

One can understand that first 1969 stint but to get locked into performing endless concerts during 1970 and especially gruelling year of 1971

And Tom was cleaning up big ,taking it easy just doing 13 shows?

Makes it even stranger

Your thoughts?

[Little Darlin]

It was down to good management I think. Tom Jones hit it lucky when he met Gordon Mills, he marketed Tom well to the detriment of that Englebert fellow...and you will have people saying Tom was copying Elvis, so were the Audiences going to watch Tom because they couldn't see Elvis? Am I correct in saying that Elvis was wanting to get back to Live work after seeing Tom amongst other reasons of course.

I remember watching those shows with my Mum ..Happy Days! and they are available now



Is that $22 figure right? It would be an astronomical figure at todays rate.

[Hav-A-Tampa]

One can understand that first 1969 stint but to get locked into performing endless concerts during 1970 and especially gruelling year of 1971

And Tom was cleaning up big ,taking it easy just doing 13 shows?

Makes it even stranger

Your thoughts?

I agree that with a different manager Elvis very probably would have earned more money. But he didn't do that badly, either. That sum (22 million dollars) sounds way over the top for Tom Jones, or anyone, at that time.

But I would hardly call 1971 a "gruelling" year for Elvis. He only worked for about three months that year!!

[Joe Car]

I'm guessing that 22 miliion is equivalent to todays dollars, meaning he was probably paid about 3-400 grand an episode back then, which was still huge!

[Steve_M]

Did Elvis have to work so hard ?

Yes.

Should Elvis have ever been put in that position?

No.

[midnightx]

By the time the 70's rolled around, Elvis was grossly underpaid. Based on what has been revealed, his touring revenues were equivalent to other top earners for the most part, but his Vegas contracts were horribly lopsided deals. We can speculate all day long why Parker basically negotiated low paying deals with the Hilton or why he continued to keep Elvis contracted to RCA with a low royalty rate, but in the end, Parker had lost touch with how much he could command for Elvis during the 70's.

[ColinB]

Piss-poor management.

No more, no less.

[BigredG]

Piss-poor management.

No more, no less.

Indeed.

A short sightedness that beggars belief !!

[Joe Car]

By the time the 70's rolled around, Elvis was grossly underpaid. Based on what has been revealed, his touring revenues were equivalent to other top earners for the most part, but his Vegas contracts were horribly lopsided deals. We can speculate all day long why Parker basically negotiated low paying deals with the Hilton or why he continued to keep Elvis contracted to RCA with a low royalty rate, but in the end, Parker had lost touch with how much he could command for Elvis during the 70's.

Very good and true post midnightx! I have to belief the Colonel's marker at the Hilton, kept EP from being paid more. Add in all of those perks that he got for free, which, for a tightwad like the Colonel, was like stealing something. In the process, he became a huge sucker, ( like Vegas needed any help conning a degenerate gambler ), and they played him like a violin, at the expense of our boy!

[BigredG]

Very good and true post midnightx! I have to belief the Colonel's marker at the Hilton, kept EP from being paid more. Add in all of those perks that he got for free, which, for a tightwad like the Colonel, was like stealing something. In the process, he became a huge sucker, ( like Vegas needed any help conning a degenerate gambler ), and they played him like a violin, at the expense of our boy!

****' A !!!

Elvis could have named his price and they would have paid. Instead he got a Gold Belt and the same old sh*t contract.

What a BS deal.

[ekenee]

Besides the bad deals that were made and perhaps the money that he could have commanded, given that, Elvis made a ton of money but he never allowed his money to work for him. He needed someone to properly invest his money and take the proper law-allowed deductions on his taxes. He could have and should have been much more wealthier than he was when he died. As much as he blew money like there was no tomorrow, he should have been able to make astronomical amounts of money on investments.

[PiersEIN]

Piss-poor "financial manager" - Vernon.
- A short sightedness that beggars belief !!

Poor Elvis, it would have been nice if he could have taken it easier towards the end.

With proper investment Elvis should never have had to really work after going into the army.
But in that case, it's actually good that he had to work hard at points - as it was when he was under pressure that he produced his greatest work.
Comeback Special, Elvis Is back, Memphis sessions, Aloha.

Cheers
Piers

[ekenee]

Piers the examples you site are really not of a financial need as more of an artistic need.

The Elvis is back sessions--A comeback of sorts from the army to prove he still had it.

The 68 special--A comeback that proved he still had it after years of movie making.

The 69 memphis sessions-- a comeback to the studio to prove that he could still make hit records.

[rickeap]

Piss-poor management.

No more, no less.


Colinb - you've got it right
rick

[Me]

But Elvis didn't care about the financial part. he was happy as long as he had enough money to spend on things he wanted. The fans get more pissed at how much he made then Elvis himself did. Elvis made plenty. Could he have made more. Yes. But he was not complaining about how much he made.

[ekenee]

Y'all are blaming management when its really not the managers job to develop a porfolio for Elvis.

Believe me I am no fan of colonel parker, but his job was mainly to set up the tours, movie contracts, and make the deals, and do the promotion. He did what he could to bring in the most money he possibly could for ELvis.
Once Elvis earned the money, and recieved it, it wasn't up to the colonel to advise him on how to invest it or spend it.
Elvis needed a different person for that.
He needed a real financial planner and a good tax person.
Parker wasn't the guy to do this and certainly not his dad.

[Luuk]

Elvis did not really work that hard. If he worked 6 months a year, that's it. He got paid far more than what most people get paid for working all year long. Lots of artists would have been very happy with such a piss-poor manager.

[ColinB]

But Elvis didn't care about the financial part. he was happy as long as he had enough money to spend on things he wanted.
The fans get more pissed at how much he made then Elvis himself did.
Elvis made plenty.
Could he have made more.
Yes. But he was not complaining about how much he made.

He didn't know any better, did he ?

And all the key positions in his team, where professionals could have guided him, were filled by family and old 'buddies'.

Accountant/Financial Adviser/Investment Strategist - Vernon

Liquid Asset Management - Charlie Hodge

Road Manager - Diamond Joyce Peseta

Personal trainer - Lamar Fike

[frus75]

Tom Jones feee for "this is tom jones" was 9 million pounds for 56 shows in a 3 year period.

If you want to look at a good deal, check dean martin fee for his TV show. In 1967, he didn't want to keep doing the show. His salary was $40000 a week (with the condition that he aorked just one day a week). So Dino demanded a weird figure just to put NBC down. But NBC accepted. 34 million dollars for 3 years. Dean's yearly income raise to 15 million dollars a year. And he got 256000 shares on RCA!!!

[GERRY]

Thanks i will read up about Dean Martin

Tom Jones tried to have Elvis appear on his "This is Tom Jones" show

i also read in one of the Tom jones Biographies that Elvis did infact appear on the show!!! ,complete error of course

[Suspicious Minds]

I wished Elvis did more TV shows like Tom Jones and Cliff Richard. They had all the air time and a lot of money for not travelling. The Colonel spoiled that chance because he thought films was a better way for the fans to see Elvis and have an album on a regular basis.

[BigredG]

Elvis was a phenomenon like no other - he could have made stacks of money doing just about anything !!

Gruelling tours were so unnecessary - he could have played 10 nights at one venue just about anywhere and they would have sold out.

Easier money would have been endorsements and 10 minute "public appearances".

[frus75]

I wished Elvis did more TV shows like Tom Jones and Cliff Richard. They had all the air time and a lot of money for not travelling. The Colonel spoiled that chance because he thought films was a better way for the fans to see Elvis and have an album on a regular basis.

But remember TV kinda burnt Tom Jones. After his show closed in 1971 he will only have 2 top 40 records in usa up until now, and never again would his albums reach the top 60 (if charted at all!). Of course elvis was another thing, but......

And all that aside, the odd appearance here and there could have been made, for example introducing suspicious minds on Ed Sullivan show in 69

[GERRY]

frus75

Great point

Aloha stats are even more unique (LOL this wasnt the Moon landing or the 70 World cup event-this was a single entertainer!!!!!!)and this was 1973 after "On Tour" etc, and this wasnt a 1969/1970 Elvis either,is this what the world wanted?

And after Aloha?

[Little Darlin]

Personally I would have preferred Elvis to do a Series of T.V. Shows after Aloha rather than 69/70. He would have been in his mid 30's .. maybe opening up a whole new Audience again and then maybe do a few Vegas shows .. instead of the big tours he did do...to prevent the burn out that imo did follow. However if that had happened we wouldn't have the shows we do now so.....