With a brand new year on the horizon, I want to take a moment to thank some of the people who helped keep The Mystery Train rolling in 2011.
First of all, thank you to all of those who contributed guest blogs:
- Bryan Gruszka: “Fashion For A King doesn’t fit diehard fan”
- Thomas Melin: “Clambake!” and “That Wild Presley Beat”
- Wellsy: “Elvis epitomizes everything we love about rock ‘n’ roll”
I hope to feature more guest posts in 2012.
I’d also like to thank Elvis Today Blog‘s Thomas Melin again, this time for his part in our joint review of Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis: Recorded Live On Stage In Richmond, Virginia – March 18, 1974. Six hours ahead of me in time zones, he stayed up until the wee hours of the morning for two nights in a row to complete our review.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on a post, especially the most frequent commenters – including:
- Fred Wolfe
- George Millar
- Howard Jackson
- Ian Fraser
- Joe R.
- Joe S.
- Mike Hermenet
- Random Ntrygg
- Ray Faithfull
- Thomas Melin
- Welsy
I love reading everyone’s thoughts, and sometimes the comments even give me ideas for future posts.
Thank you to all of those who participated in Elvis Trivialities. I had a lot of fun with it, so look for that feature to continue in 2012 as well. You’re a tough bunch to stump.
A big thanks to David Troedson at the fantastic Elvis Australia for his constant efforts in the Elvis world, as well as for continuing to post some of my articles on his site.
Thanks to everyone who has linked to The Mystery Train Blog from their sites, blogs, emails, message board comments, etc.
Thank you to Greg McQuade at CBS 6 News, for his excellent Elvis in Richmond coverage, including Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis, and for giving a mention to this blog.
Thank you to Ernst Jorgensen, Roger Semon, and the rest of the Elvis gang at Sony Music and Follow That Dream Records for continuing to release high-quality Elvis material. This is a wonderful time to be an Elvis fan due to their efforts. On a personal note, thanks in particular for releasing Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis. I’ve been waiting just about my entire life to hear an Elvis concert in Richmond, so that CD was a literal dream come true.
Most of all, a heartfelt thank you to Darlene, my wife, for being who she is and for everything she does – not to mention putting up with and even encouraging this often time-consuming little hobby of mine.
Finally, last, but not least, thank you to all of the readers of The Mystery Train Blog. I hope to see you around the tracks next year. Without you, I’m just talking to myself.
Have a happy and prosperous 2012!
The “2011: Year In Review” image at the beginning of this post was inspired by the cover of the 1987 album The Memphis Record (left), a release that shaped my Elvis fandom. The Memphis Record was art directed by Ria Lewerke and designed by Pietro Alfieri. It remains today one of the most creative Elvis album covers ever.
According to iTunes, out of 2,564 Elvis tracks, the one I played most often this year was: “Burning Love,” his 1972 single.
