Elvis was huge in the UK without playing outside of the US. He was the King! But yes, imagine what could have happened.

An interesting decision from Colonel Parker: When you consider that Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent, Little Richard (..among other stars contemporary to Elvis), if not elsewhere outside of the US, did get additional exposure by performing at least in the UK as well.

It was the old meeting the new wasn't it?

It is great.

I wish I had his memory!!! What a great guy he is, and nice I can call him a friend too.

And full of shite.

I could believe it.

He was there, hence the interview with him.

​​@@BrightmoonLiverpool Just because YOU'VE interviewed him doesn't necessarily make it proof. Bit arrogant there mate.😊 I concede that he may have been one of the many reporters outside that night ( according to Tony Barrow he was) but the only journalist actually physically in the room with The Beatles and Elvis was Chris Hutchins of the NME. And that is a fact.

Although Chris made that claim - and I first met him many years ago - he wasn't the only journalist in the room. Ivor Davis was there too, as arranged with Mal Evans, who had tipped him off. I think Tony Barrow may have suggested, like Chris Hutchins did, that he set up the meeting. However, as confirmed by Derek Taylor, the meeting was set up between Brian and Parker, with some selected journalists invited along, which included Chris Hutchins and Ivor Davis, who had accompanied the Beatles on their 64 US tour, and was based in San Francisco, which is why he was invited to join them. Hope that clears it up for you. As a Beatles historian, I spend hours, sometimes years, working my way through the various accounts of Beatles people to try and get to the truth - or as close as we can ever get!

No he wasn't. He was in the room as much as you or I were.And we both ( having read many many books about The Beatles )could come out with exactly the same stories as Mr Davis here. I also very much doubt his ludicrous claim that he was knocking about in their company when Bob Dylan popped over with the herbal cigarettes. Like they would really be stupid enough to smoke marijuana with a member of the press present. Or that he ghost wrote George Harrisons newspaper articles ( When it's been long confirmed it was Derek Taylor) What next Ivor? Did you sing backing on She Loves You? Maybe you introduced John to Yoko. Maybe it was you that split the group up ? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy your channel and but it seems that you've fallen for the obvious patter of a wiley old bullshit merchant with an extremely tenuous link to The Beatles bigging himself up and pretending he was mates with them ( and the only journalist present with them)when he clearly wasn't.The Beatles were a very close clique .The only British reporters they were friends with were Maureen Cleave .Ray Coleman. Ray Connolly and Chris Hutchins and of course Derek Taylor . I suppose you've interviewed them all too 😂Others like Ivor and Don Short and the Americans like Larry Kane and Fred Paul who followed them at home or on tour were kept at arms length.

Sorry to disagree, but Ivor was there. Where is your evidence to disprove what he is saying? Others, like Larry Kane, were very much there in the middle of it on the American tour. As well as Larry, I have also spoken to Art Schreiber who Ivor mentioned, and am catching up with Ray Connolly next week. Ivor has never claimed to be the only one who was there, but one of a select few that we have named. These guys travelled with the Beatles and got to know them well on tour, sharing planes and limos and Ivor, being British, had an advantage of being from the UK. Ivor also still has the handwritten note given to him by Derek Taylor with their instructions from that night of going to meet with Elvis. There were other reporters there who had to stay outside with their tape recorders. I am not being arrogant, but I have been doing this for over 20 years and have met many bullshitters who I can see through quite quickly. I wouldn't engage in conversation with someone like this who I doubted would be honest with me. I always check my sources, but am open to other evidence. If you let me know where yours is from, I will happily investigate and look for corroboration of your version.

The lads worked so hard for what they achieved, but it must have been frustrating for them too.

It was a PR exercise put together by Parker and Brian Epstein to bring publicity to them both. Not sure it worked for either of them.

Exactly right. He was crucial to inspiring the Quarrymen and Beatles but "lost it" when he joined the army.

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Excellent point. He lost momentum from his career path, being sidetracked...

@Merseyrock All true, except for the fact that they did set out to eclipse him. John said early on that they wanted to be bigger than Elvis. As it turned out, they did become bigger than Elvis, and according to John, at one point, even more popular than Jesus 😂 Beatles ❤️

@mtp4430 John wanted to be Elvis, but it was Brian eho first claimed they could be bigger than Elvis, which they achieved, though, as you say, he did get a little carried away!! 😉

@@mtp4430 matter of opinion

Ivor isn't well known, and isn't a celebrity, so the comparison doesn't work. Elvis was going through a very difficult period, which didn't help. Their personalities were very different too, and most, if not all, memories are of a very awkward meeting. Doesn't change the fact that Elvis was, as always will remain, the legend.

Elvis and Lennon were not perfect people! Two different backgrounds! Elvis only remains top in america the rest of the world (surprise) f*** yeah The rest of the world knows that the beatles will remain the best of all time! America there are more important people than you!

@@xlv1000-dlw Untrue, Elvis remains great worldwide!

@@chrism.c9965 yes Elvis was great but he is not the best! He had a great voice and only mediocre guitar skills. Also he was not very good at writing music! Elvis did have a charisma about him, but far from a great musician! I am not just a beatle fan but a fan of many genres of music. Elvis was an average musician!

@@xlv1000-dlwThat’s why he has sold more records than any other artist in the world. And lm not an Elvis fanatic.

I think it proved to be the interval, between rock n roll king and then movie star mediocre.

The modern Liverpool or Scouse accent is different to that of 60-70 years ago. John lived in Woolton so didn't have a strong Liverpool accent - more Lancashire than anything. George's and Ringo's were typical of the time, and Paul had elocution lessons to lose his! The stronger Scouse accent that we have today has been influenced by north Liverpool where it was a stronger accent back then, and very different to south Liverpool where the Beatles are from. Those have now merged, though there are still some differences between north and south, they aren't as different and distinct as they used to be. Mine isn't a strong Scouse accent either, compared to a lot of Liverpudlians! Hope that answers your question?

​@@BrightmoonLiverpool I think Lennon's Liverpool accent was stronger than the others actually.

@@Revolver1981 Ironic, as he put his on. He had the least Scouse/ Liverpool accent of all of them and would often exaggerate it for the media.

@@BrightmoonLiverpool I think Paul had the least Scouse accent. Listening to Lennon speaking in early interviews his Scouse accent sounds stronger. I think when he moved to New York he started pronouncing words more American.

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Sounded quite strong in the Get Back documentary as well.

That would be cool!

It was definitely an anti-climax, though Mal Evans in his diary does say that when some instruments were brought out and they jammed a little it broke the ice. But it was definitely awkward.

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Maybe it was more a case of fooling around on some guitars than real jamming? Who knows what really happened? After all these years the memories are probably not that clear.

@@BrightmoonLiverpool It would be interesting if someone within their circle opted to tape some of that 'jamming session'.

@@Merseyrock If only! That would have been unique!

Have you watched the video? It is with Ivor Davis who was there in the room with them all, that's what the film is about. You should watch it, as he is fascinating.

The Beatles have changed their stories over the years, too.

@@BrightmoonLiverpoolPaul, George, and Ringo never changed their stories regarding Elvis. They all recollected that Elvis had the TV on and was playing a Fender bass. But they never jammed with him. At least according to Paul, George, Ringo, Neil Aspinall, and Mal Evans. John is the only one that had a different recollection.

Though I've read Paul talking about jamming with Elvis and being impressed that Elvis picked up a bass, so they talked bass guitars and jammed to a Cilla Black song too.

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Where did you read that? I’ve been following the Beatles since 1964 and all I ever heard or read from Paul is that Elvis was playing a Fender Bass when they arrived and that helped break the ice. So Paul began talking about bass. But in Paul’s books and in The Beatles Anthology (which is their definitive official account) as well as the Beatles Bible makes no mention of jamming with Elvis. I don’t doubt that you’ve read an account of what you’re saying, however it’s erroneous writing. Tony Barrow (the only to make this claim) said Elvis began to strum some chords on the bass (LOL) and everybody joined in. He was strumming the chords to “I feel fine.” I guess he isn’t aware that you don’t strum bass chords to a I V bass pattern. If George, Ringo, and Paul say officially on the record, that they didn’t jam with Elvis. Then they didn’t jam with Elvis. Why on Earth would they deny themselves a “feather in their caps” type moment?

There are so many versions, which makes it difficult with events like this, especially if they were stoned (most likely). Chris Hutchins who was also there suggests they jammed elvisbiography.net/2019/08/27/when-the-beatles-met-elvis-presley/

They were certainly of the opinion that Elvis was finished when he was in the army and lost that cool King of rock n roll image and edge to his music.

Elvis had a number 1 in 1965, hardly finished

@@BrightmoonLiverpool That's their opinion, however, Elvis was never just about Rock n Roll. He also liked other genres of music and acting

@chrism.c9965 Gospel and R and B for example. But those early records, which were a mixture, are what inspired the Beatles. It was his films and mostly bland songs they didn't like.

Yeah, but he meant it was 1965.

@@M5guitar1 I realised that 😂what a charming gentleman with so many amazing memories.

No, in 65 ie 1965

John, like the others, had loved with the fear of conscription until it was abolished in 1960. Their drummer Norman Chapman was called up, so the threat was real. They just escaped it, so this was the conversation that John had. It had been a big threat.

He was a man of many contradictions, a violent man who believed in peace, and changed his mind more often than he changed his socks!!

All the time or just this meeting?

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Elvis tried to convince nixon to deport Lennon as subversive influence on America's youth! In truth Elvis was jealous of the beatles and their success and fame pushing him aside! We all can never know the words exchanged between Lennon and Elvis but there is enough documented to have an understanding. Besides all that the very best American artist was BUDDY HOLLEY. HE COULD WRITE AND PERFORM MUSIC JUST AS THE BEATLES DID! Elvis relied on others to write music for him. So although Elvis was a phenomenon he was no match for Holley or the Beatles!

No, you are a SCHMUCK!