ELVIS: ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDS NEVER SOLD THE STAY AWAY, JOE LP

CONTACTS:             Karin Kwiatkowski, Producer

Abby Kwiatkowski, Producer/Director

Production Phone: 928-593-9383

(Social media contacts listed below)

ELVIS:

ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDS NEVER SOLD

THE STAY AWAY, JOE LP

What if there was an Elvis record that was broadcast only once, then locked away never to be heard again anywhere in the world, and never made available to the public?

What if nearly everyone involved in the project has passed away, leaving more questions than answers?

What if this authentic RCA Victor LP seemingly vanished and wasn’t catalogued until 1999, and even then was inadequately catalogued?

The story begins in October 1967 when Elvis started filming Stay Away, Joe, a Hollywood film shot on location in Sedona and Cottonwood, Arizona. While not a stand-out in Elvis’ film career, it generated a unique footnote in his musical career — a footnote all but forgotten in the coming tsunami of achievements by the King of Rock and Roll. Those eclipsing achievements included:

·       After 12 years of filmmaking, Elvis’ electrifying appearance in black leather in the 1968 NBC-TV Special  reclaimed his place as the King, and revived him musically.

·       In July 1969, Elvis began performing in Las Vegas where he set attendance records and made the live album: On Stage February, 1970.

·       In 1970, Elvis starred in the documentary, Elvis, That's the Way It Is. This critically acclaimed film gave most of the world their first glimpse of Elvis performing in his signature jumpsuits.

·       In January 1973, Elvis gave a televised concert from Honolulu, with all proceeds going to charity. Known as Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite, it was seen in 40 countries and captured more viewers than the first moon landing in 1969. The concert album reached reach No. 1 on all the national LP charts.

·       Elvis was the first performer to sell more than one billion records worldwide! He also had 165 charted hits in the U.S. alone. He is the only performer inducted into five Halls of Fame: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, Hit Parade Hall of Fame, International Rock-a-Billy Hall of Fame, and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

 

But back to 1967 in northern Arizona and the reason for the Stay Away, Joe LP.

Its  purpose was two-fold: First, as a 30-minute thank you from Elvis and the Colonel (Tom Parker, his manager) to the people in Cottonwood and Sedona for their kindnesses during the filming of Stay Away, Joe, and, since it aired on a Sunday morning, to introduce listeners to Elvis' two Grammy Award winning albums of gospel music.

According to “Mr. Music,” Jerry Osborne, a renowned expert on all things pertaining to Elvis: “Unbelievable though it seems, this 12-inch album was made for a one-time broadcast by only one radio station—KVIO in Cottonwood, Arizona, a tiny community southwest of Sedona. Ensuring the show ran exclusively on this station is the mention by the host during the show itself of the call letters: K-V-I-O. This fact alone negates the need for more than one copy being distributed.”

Even though a later compilation of songs from the film was commercially released, there was never an actual Stay Away, Joe soundtrack album. The LP broadcast by KVIO did not contain any of the songs from the film, but has since become known as the Stay Away, Joe LP.

In this documentary film, join the cross-country search for the Stay Away, Joe LP and more of the story behind its creation.

#          #          #

Social media links:

Know a history buff, a rare record aficionado or die-hard Elvis fan? Do you--or someone you know--have photos, home movies or audio of Elvis during his time in Arizona while filming Stay Away, Joe?
Send them our way!
You can help us with this production by spreading the word to friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. We’ve created the social media links below to share your Elvis-in-Arizona stories:
We want to hear from you!

Share your stories on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elvis-in-Cottonwood/889029447789916

Email us at ElvisPresleyDocumentary@gmail.com.

Or go to Google+ at Elvis Documentary https://plus.google.com/117366919882150502677/posts.

On Twitter, you can find us at @ElvisPresleyDoc.

We're on Instagram at Elvisdocumentary.

IndieGoGo Crowd Funding Campaign (to help pay for clearances, rights and permission to use Elvis’ music, film clips and images): https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/elvis-one-of-the-greatest-albums-never-sold/x/75929#home

And here is the link to Karen Leff's historical account. Karen is owner of Cottonwood Hotel: http://www.cottonwoodhotel.com/elvispresley.html.