I am covered in goosebumps. They didn’t call him ‘the King’ for nothing— RIP to a truly talented man.
When Elvis Presley headed out for his last concert tour in June 1977, his health was in terrible condition. Years of poor diet, lack of exercise, and drug abuse left Elvis in terrible shape for a man of 42.
Yet despite his poor mental and physical health, “The King of Rock and Roll” wasn’t going to give up what he loved most in life and head out for what we now know was his last stretch of shows. Recently, this never-before-seen footage surfaced on the internet of one of Elvis’ last public performances.
In one of his final performances before his tragic death, Elvis delivered an incredible rendition of ‘Unchained Melody’ during a concert in Rapid City, South Dakota on June 21, 1977.
The performance, described as “the last great moment of his career”, was recorded for his last television special two months before his death in August 1977.
Watch the RARE and chilling performance of Elvis Presley’s “Unchained Melody” below:
An article in Rolling Stone adds:
He had an enlarged heart, an enlarged intestine, hypertension and incredibly painful bowel problems. He was barely sleeping and should have probably been in the hospital, but he was still a huge draw on the concert circuit and the money was too good to turn down.
As guitarist Charlie Hodge held a microphone, Elvis dug deep and poured his heart into the song. His body was falling apart, but his voice remained almost as powerful as ever. Without any doubt, it’s the last great moment of his career.
According to Jack London who shared the footage of Elvis singing “Unchained Melody” on YouTube, breaking down the barrier between this rare footage and the public. He also added the following description as a note:
“Elvis loved you, his heart was filled with love of his fans and people! He had to take painkillers to make it through a live show, and even his doctors wanted to cancel this show, he said: ‘No, no way I will cancel this show and let those people down!’ He instructed his doctors to give him anything that will make him through this show and to be able to make the best of his performance in that time. So, they agreed and gave him a cocktail of painkillers and steroids to be able to do the best possible performance! And God knows he did it, his talent came through the clouds of painkillers and sang his love above any drugs! No pills could put his love and talent down and will for singing to his fans that he admired so much! More than his own life! Elvis was a beautiful human being, and there will be no other but him always!”
Listening to this amazing performance by The King sent shivers down my spine. It’s such a tragedy that such great talent was taken from our world too soon.
Sources: AWM, Rolling Stone