The Gospel Side of Elvis

June 15, 2007
Moscheo, who backed Elvis as a singer in the gospel group the Imperials and recently produced an Elvis tribute movie called "Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert", provides a glimpse of Elvis's enduring love of gospel music. Raised on Southern gospel music, Elvis attended gospel sings to hear groups like the Blackwood Brothers Quartet and J.D. Sumner and the Stamps. He even auditioned for a place in the Songfellows in 1954 at Sun Records but turned it down to pursue a solo career. Moscheo chronicles Elvis's friendships with gospel greats such as Mahalia Jackson and J.D. Sumner; Elvis even employed the all-women's gospel group the Sweet Inspirations, led by Cissy Houston, as his backup vocal group from his first live show in 1969 until his death in 1977. Elvis's love of gospel has never been too mysterious, and Moscheo's repetitious and pedestrian prose does little to enhance our knowledge of Elvis's roots in the genre. Libraries seeking complete collections on Elvis will want this book, but most can pass.Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Evanston, IL

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.