In a wide ranging interview, Bill recently talked with EIN’s Nigel Patterson about his life, Elvis, martial arts and some of his friends including Red West, Ed Parker, Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan. Like I said, we used to go to Biloxi, go fishing, we had these wild fireworks fights at night, on the golf course, the crazy things we did on the road, we had a certain little game we would play to break the boredom. I’m sorry you feel that way but I loved the man very much. He took his shirt off, they had a big fan there for circulation, a big floor fan. The Colonel was very hospitable to everybody, we got good seats at the showroom. Todd: In the early days, did Elvis Presley mix with lots of other stars, or did he tend to keep apart? Delbert Bryant West Jr. (July 5, 1938 – May 24, 2017), known as 'Sonny' West, was a friend and bodyguard of the singer Elvis Presley along with his cousin Red West for sixteen years, as part of the Elvis entourage at the Elvis Memphis home Graceland, which became known as 'The Memphis Mafia'. I had nothing to do with that. I’d been with him since junior high school, but the drugs took over in the end and I can understand it in a way because he had no privacy, he was bored with his life. Elvis Australia was founded in 1996 ... www.elvis.com.au was literally born from the concept of wanting to represent 'Elvis in Australia', so www.elvis.com.au ... Read more. We were in the audience one night and he did Splish Splash, stopped in the middle of it, and said that was another time, then he started on one of his later hits that sounded like Frank Sinatra. That had to be in 56/57 when he was doing his first movie. But while he was gone we just poured more water on it! Red West: Yes. In fact, one night in Las Vegas, we got one before he went on stage and even the management said you don’t have to go on stage tonight because this looks real, and Elvis said, "Well, I’m not going to stop a show because of some so-and-so making threats". Later on it got to be a real problem because the threat became bigger. (Right: Elvis leaving Studio B with Red West after the May 1971 sessions. The only time we went fishing was early in his career. That's how that came about. Red (also stylized R3D or RED) is an American Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed in 2002 by brothers guitarist Anthony Armstrong and bassist Randy Armstrong, with lead vocalist Michael Barnes.The band's first lineup also consisted of drummer Andrew Hendrix and guitarist Jasen Rauch.Currently, the line-up has consisted of the core trio of the Armstrong brothers and Barnes. Maybe you’ve heard he did, but don’t believe it. The spotlight went over to these black faces and the Sweet Inspirations were falling about! EIN: Cousin Billy Mann. The story is Elvis was always different. That was the last time I spoke to him. Todd: You are obviously a very powerful man, I can tell that because about 10 minutes ago when you tapped me on the head I think you broke my skull! Lunch came, we’re getting close, we’re going to break for lunch now. Elvis may have been the most beautiful man in the world. Todd: Was that detrimental do you think to Elvis’ psyche at the time? No you don’t just go out and start acting. So he sat there all morning, we gave him some line, made sure he had this line memorised, so he sat there doing this line with this tissue on his shirt. I went running up these three steps, fired a couple of shots, Sonny fired a shot. I'll try and answer your questions. Red West: Elvis! We had a certain little game we would play to break the boredom. Gene died a few years ago. “Red West”: Interview with Jennifer Osborne. I don't really know how to answer that. But these sort of things must have happened to you countless times. Red West: There was hundreds of girls, in fact my wife one time was there and I took her up to see him. Elvis Bodyguard Red West in Interview about Elvis - YouTube But they left it alone, it was there for a long time before they changed it. We had some good times on the road in those early days and they far overshadow the bad times, although the bad times were bad, but we had too many good times to dwell on that. Was there a time when you thought that Elvis made a conscious decision that he couldn't go out any more, he could no longer go to the local hamburger place, to shop, to do anything that normal ordinary people have the opportunity to do. Elvis just kinda' breezed through the others to get them out of the way because there was nothing to them as far as he was concerned. He gave me the title 'That's Someone You Never Forget'. Then we’d stay for the week after to unwind, and he went to more shows. I worked with John Wayne in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", Lee Marvin, James Stewart, I’ve worked with a lot of people. By Ksenia in Interviews on 18. Blue Hawaii, GI Blues, Flaming Star especially, I could count on one hand the ones that were good and the rest of them were things that were thrown at him with no thought of anything other than making a buck. When did you first talk to Elvis about him being signed up by Col Parker? So he went to make-up, they made him up, they put the make-up on, they put this little tissue on his shirt so he wouldn’t get make-up on his shirt. Todd: Were you frightened? Hopefully we’d have made some changes, but he’d still be doing it. Elvis had had 3 hit records. We just sat around. Rex Martin (Worldwide Elvis News Service Weekly), When Elvis was in the Army, West traveled to Germany to be nearer the singer, at Presley's request. Red West: He would give me titles. Dave Hebler: Hello Joe. He said I'm not going to be bullied by some idiot like that, you know, and we're watching every move, everything that moved in the audience, and sometimes we over-reacted on other occasions maybe, but I'd rather I over-reacted than not be there on time. How did you escape from it all basically? I think I remember this! Anybody who wants to be an actor, you study acting first. In fact, one night in Las Vegas, we got one before he went on stage and even the management said you don't have to go on stage tonight because this looks real, and he said, 'Well, I'm not going to stop a show because of some so-and-so making threats'. They were nervous wrecks all along the way to the elevator, we went upstairs, we went into the suite and there was a way around to the front of the suite and there was a way around to the back through the dining-room, down into the living-room. I think he sat down once. After lunch I think that might be the first shot. Initially it was a relatively easy place I think to protect, but once on tour, it must have been a nightmare. He wanted to go to Australia, he wanted to go to Germany, he wanted to go anywhere but Roanoke, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia, but no, - and why the Colonel do that? So he sat there all morning, we gave him some line, made sure he had this line memorised, so he sat there doing this line with this tissue on his shirt. JD Sumner knocked Elvis down and laid on top of him, Donnie Sumner jumped over the bar, hit his knee on the top of the bar and almost broke his legs. One of the most exciting experiences for any Elvis fan, is meeting someone from his inner circle – someone who was there right by his side for the highs and lows and the joys and pain that was part of Elvis’ incredible life. We fished, I remember I caught a shark, he caught a bunch of these benita, whatever. We said 'You sit here, and don't take that tissue out or you'll mess your shirt up'. He was singing one of Frank Sinatra’s songs and Frank Sinatra was singing one of his. This was at Universal. Did you enjoy the films, the films that Elvis did? In the last couple of years I can’t think of anybody but just whoever he was going with at the time, Linda, Sheila, and the rest of them were just somebody to talk to. I asked the Colonel why can’t we tour Europe. Included in the episode is a new promo from Joyce. Was Elvis frightened? So, they retouched his make-up, said keep the kleenex in, he sat there all afternoon doing his line, waiting on his little line. When he started making the movies it became even more evident, became more of a visual thing that people would come around to see him, and that's when it really started that he couldn't even go out the gate and we'd go the back way out, jump over the fence, whatever, but when the movies started after Love Me Tender it became pretty hard to go out in public. They didn’t know I got fired because I tried. EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network. I asked the Colonel why can't we tour Europe. Everybody was on edge. Not at the time, but later on we laughed about it. He wanted him to come out and do a bunch of Christmas songs! Todd: Did you and Elvis sneak into many shows in Vegas? He did. Forget the songs were bad, the scripts were bad, but for those of you who saw Wild in the Country and those movies I just mentioned, he had the ability if he had some training, and also he could have done better in the others. Red West: He was wondering, after all the movies, he was a little unsure of himself and that's exactly what that was for, to see if he still had it. Todd: Going on to Las Vegas and Elvis in the 70s which of course was a combination of very happy times, with Elvis Presley’s success at getting back into live entertainment, and very sad times. Todd: Is it true Elvis carried a gun everywhere and have you any stories to tell about that? Southern-bred Mary-Louise Parker was born on August 2, 1964 in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the youngest of four children of Judge John Morgan Parker, and the former Caroline Louise Morell. Never. In a wide ranging interview, Bill recently talked with EIN’s Nigel Pattersonabout his life, Elvis, martial arts and some of his friends including Red West, Ed Parker, Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan. Red West: That's what I always wanted to do, but no, I would never have made it without knowing him because the people I met with him were the ones who helped me get into it when I came back early from Germany and went directly to Hollywood. That’s how that came about. Red West: Elvis was wondering, after all the movies, he was a little unsure of himself and that’s exactly what that was for, to see if he still had it. We saw what happened to people when they weren't prepared or not thinking things could happen, so we were always ready as we could be. He hung out with them then. So, they retouched his make-up, said keep the kleenex in, he sat there all afternoon doing his line, waiting on his little line. By that time, Sonny stuck his arm around Elvis (who was still on the floor with JD Sumner on top of him) and all Donnie Sumner could see from behind this bar was this hand with a gun. Don's 1994 interview with Joyce Bova about her relationship with Elvis Presley. Red West: Last time I spoke to Elvis was when he called me, when he knew the book was being written. EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network. It's the only time I know of a show shutting down. I would have to say Elvis was the most fun because anything went with him. Dave Hebler: Yes I do. One thing about these other books, they're a bunch of bullshit! My wife and my two sons came over crying, and we weren't worth a damn the rest of that day or the rest of that episode, but I remember it well. In 1999 Red West was the main guest at the Elvis English Fan Club Convention where he opened up to fans like never before, revealing his true love for Elvis. The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The thing the Colonel had for him would have destroyed him. Another thing on that same set, Charlie Hodge - somebody had thrown water on him. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. I miss that, I miss those days because his first time in Hollywood had to be an experience- his cousin Gene was with him. I knew it was coming and that was one of the main reasons I wrote the book because, like I said earlier, I tried to stop what was going on while I was with him and that didn’t work. I was up in the cat-walk with a water balloon. Todd: Tony Curtis once said that kissing Marilyn Monroe was like kissing Hitler. D.J Fontana Interview: Red West Interview Special: SONY/RCA 2010 Future ELVIS CD Release Details: Linda Thompson - Interview Special: Remember 'The King' with Music: Elvis in 1969 - Ann Moses & Ray Connolly Interviews: 'Elvis On Tour' cinema FAN REVIEWS: SHOWTIME! But anyway, down in the dressing room after the show we got the Stamps and said, "Hey fellas, now this is serious, we got another threat tonight so I want you to take the elevator, go up to the 30th floor, get out of the elevator, walk through a hall into the suite". Todd: Let’s go back to the early days. He never thought that he wanted to become more of a gospel act? He was a prisoner of his own career. If that is the case, if you just did it to help him, would it be fair to say that any money made from the book you donated to charity? You’re gonna dwell on this goddam thing? I want to dwell on the happier times at this get-together because they out-weigh the bad times. I mean that’s what life is about, I imagine everybody here would like to reach that plateau, to have what he had - and so for me to say "No I wouldn’t trade places with him" - that’s a hard statement to make. We’d go out to dinner after the show - but later on Elvis kinda' stayed by himself. Everything is white. “We loved him.” Still, nobody – not even the mighty Sonny West and his cousin Red West – could stop Elvis “from his … Did Elvis have anyone to confide in other than those who were on the payroll or depended on him financially? Don Wilson's Hollywood Beat • By Don Wilson • Nov 25, 2019 I grabbed my stomach and said, "Oh, I’m hit" and I fell down these steps. Red West: I agree with you myself but I was broke. And the other one, the wild man of the group says "Give me a gun, give me a gun". King Creole was written for James Dean and they changed the name, of course James Dean was killed and Elvis got the part. Elvis Presley Red West's Wedding to Elvis' Secretary Pat Boyd - July 1, 1961. Am 18.07.2015 war Red West in Graceland - Randers, Dänemark zu Gast und gab dort einer seiner wenigen Interviews. Ringo, myself and my cousin played pool. They were nervous wrecks all along the way to the elevator, we went upstairs, we went into the suite and there was a way around to the front of the suite and there was a way around to the back through the dining-room, down into the living-room. In 1960 following Elvis’ army discharge Red West went to work for Elvis full-time primarily as a bodyguard. He always sent other people there. Most of … An interview with Red West and others involved in the making of Goodbye Solo, which opens Friday, May 15, at Malcos Ridgeway Four. We were in the audience one night and he did 'Splish Splash', stopped in the middle of it, and said that was another time, then he started on one of his later hits that sounded like Frank Sinatra. Red West: No, when he was doing the early tours with the Browns, Hank Snow and when he did the Louisiana Hayride, Johnny Horton and so on he socialised with them. He went over and actually grabbed one of these dead guard’s guns. Upon his firing, West wrote the controversial Elvis: What Happened?, in which he exposed the singer's dangerous drug dependence in an attempt to save him. Even in Las Vegas where people like Frank Sinatra, many of the stars, Sammy Davis - they could go out and pretty well mingle. Red West: Oh yeah. So he was just kinda out there, helpless. I was the first guy, then came Lamar, Sonny, Marty and Billy. Red West: Yes, but Elvis still did the show. We were always trying to find different ways to go places but he didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but he did wish he had a little more privacy. Linda and Sam Thompson in Australia: EIN Vice-President Sanja Meegin shared some cocktails and quality time with Linda Thompson and her brother Sam Thompson at the 'Elvis Leaves His Mark: Now and Then' tour with Mark Andrew. I can't think of anything else laying around that they can come out with. Blues, Flaming Star especially. My wife and my two sons came over crying, and we weren’t worth a damn the rest of that day or the rest of that episode, but I remember it well. Red West: That’s what I always wanted to do, but no, I would never have made it without knowing him because the people I met with him were the ones who helped me get into it when I came back early from Germany and went directly to Hollywood. Since Elvis’ death Red West has continued his work as an actor and stuntman and was recently in the very well received and award winning art-house film ‘Goodbye Solo.’ (EIN recommends that you track down a copy - look here - as it nicely showcases Red West's fine acting talents). What's the real story, and was that what happened? OK, I've told you my side of it and you can't accept that, then I'm sorry, but yeah I wrote the book to try to save him and I wrote it to make money. He was my good friend and I'll always remember him as that. The Colonel started booking him into the same towns. Todd: It must be very difficult to walk in the shadow of someone that is so loved, so adored, so worshipped. Fontana when they toured the U.S. South performing live concerts as the 'Blue Moon Boys'. So I took my shoes off and I climbed over, and this thing had to be 20 feet tall! I did as much as I could at the end, but you know there’s a lot of things I can’t put my finger on, but I’m sure there’s a lot of things I would say if only this ., things could’ve been different, I don’t know anything else we could have done at the end. We have a picture at home. Todd: Could you have done it differently? And Robert Blake I think studied with him, Jack Nicholson studied with him. Waylon Jennings. That was not one of his things that he could do well. Nothing shuts down a movie or TV show, the show must go on, well that show shut down that day. Red West: I was in the middle of an episode of "Black Sheep Squadron" called the 200 Pound Gorilla. 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