Elvis in his "Amen airplane" horse stance as JD Sumner hits the profoundly low note at the Houston Astrodome on the afternoon of March 3, 1974. This was Elvis' second trip to the 'dome and again coincided with the big rodeo held there every year. Because of the set-up, the stage being more isolated from the stands where the audience sat (as in 1970, Elvis was driven around the stage several times in a jeep before being taken to the stage to start the show), Elvis' full orchestra was not included and the concert was performed with only Elvis' basic rythm group and his vocalists. The sonic effect was reminiscent of his rehearsals (always a highlight, if you have an opportunity to listen to tapes that has surfaced in recent years) because the big band sound was missing.

More horseplay from Auburn, AL, on March 5, 1974. After a two-week Las Vegas engagement (the first of his abbreviated tours of duty there -- he was already quite disenchanted with Vegas and was probably happy to be done with the exhausting month-long stints) this was his first tour for the year.

Elvis drops to a split during his March 5, 1974 concert in Auburn, AL. Photo by George Hill.

Elvis gets a good stretch going in front of a packed stadium's screaming crowd in Roanoke, VA, on March 10, 1974.

Elvis down in his horse stance during the ending of the "I Got a Woman/Amen" medley that was the second song of the evening in Memphis, TN. This show, on March 20, 1974, ended a tour that began March 1 and included four performances in Memphis on March 16 and 17. These shows were the first Elvis gave in his hometown since 1961 and the last show was released in 1974 in a highly-edited form (many songs removed to avoid excess duplication with previous releases, though they excised some very strong performances) as Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis. Elvis' powerhouse version of "How Great Thou Art," a gospel song he had originally recorded with more delicate power in 1966, earned Elvis a Grammy Award. Strangely, the only Grammy awards Elvis won during his lifetime came for gospel music -- the Memphis version and original version of "How Great Thou Art" and the 1972 album, He Touched Me. The obvious lack of any acknowledgment of Elvis' ability in other musical styles adds fuel to the fire of those who realize the painfully obvious -- that the Grammys are a bit of a joke, and always have been.

Elvis finishes a song with a flourish, preparing to strike with his guitar near the beginning of the screamfest that was the evening show at the Los Angeles Forum on May 11, 1974. I believe that this photo was taken by Ed Bonja.

Elvis, in his embroidered peacock jumpsuit, outside his hotel on the way to the Philadelphia Spectrum for the first of two performances that he did there on June 23, 1974. Chief of Security Dick Grob, formerly a Palm Springs police officer, is at left and Jerry Schilling, friend and employee, is directly behind Elvis. Elvis attracted numerous death threats, particularly during the '70s, and even brief passages in public view were nerve-wracking for his security detail.

Elvis drops to stretch his leg during a show, probably on the June, 1974 tour.

On July 4, 1974 (two days after finishing a tour), Elvis sparred with Ed Parker at the Tennessee Karate Institute in Memphis, TN.

Elvis and Ed Parker -- I colorized this photo during one of those rare moments when I found myself at a loss for things to do.

Another photo with Ed Parker, taken on the same day.

Possibly from the same day, or somewhere around then, Elvis poses with one of the Pasa Ryu students. I think that this may be Wayne Carmen, who recently wrote a book about Elvis and the martial arts (that I haven't seen and do not own yet) and who -- although Elvis' Estate seem to differ on exactly who has legitimate ownership of this -- bought the famous film of Elvis performing martial arts later that year.

Elvis, some time during 1974, dressed in his Pasa Ryu gi and tooling around Memphis in one of his cars (the woman is probably Linda Thompson).

Elvis in Kang Rhee's Pasaryu school, apparently at some time during the Summer of 1974. He is wearing his seventh-degree black belt -- if this is a picture from the summer of 1974, Elvis' face is unusually puffy (like many others, he sometimes suffered swelling reactions to various foods and medications, so maybe that's it).

Elvis with the group at Kang Rhee's Pasaryu studio in Memphis, most likely on the same date. Karate champ extraordinaire Bill "Superfoot" Wallace (who credits Elvis with basically saving his career by having him rushed to an acupuncturist when he injured his kicking leg) is second from right in the back row. Kang Rhee is to Elvis' left. Wayne Carmen, second from the left in the back row, recently wrote a book about Elvis and the martial arts (I haven't read it yet, but I'd look forward to doing so).

Elvis and Kang Rhee (maybe the summer of 1974 -- probably somewhere between July, 1973 and then, anyway). Elvis had just given this Cadillac Eldorado car to Master Rhee.

Elvis in what looks like a sports store some time during 1974. He's wearing a jacket with the IKKA kenpo patch affixed and has bodyguard Sonny West behind him (West and his cousin Red were later two of the contributors to the backstabbing sensationalist tell-all book Elvis -- What Happened, also known as the 'Bodyguard Book'). My guess is that this was a Palm Springs, CA, store only because I've known people who used to see him out and about there during daylight hours (apparently it was one of the few places where he wasn't continually bothered by people and could get as close as he ever did to some of the freedoms most of us take for granted) -- then again, maybe it's just one of the times he went into a store after-hours to shop. Either way, I can't say I've seen any other pictures from the '60s or '70s that showed Elvis in a store. He had people to do that for him...

From some show during August, 1974 -- Elvis wore at least three or four different two-piece leather suits at these shows in addition to a few new or recently-designed jumpsuits -- Elvis gets martial during his "Amen" airplane routine.

Late August, 1974, on stage in Las Vegas. Elvis in mid-kenpo, complete with shades (growing legions of Elvis 'tribute artists' give a false image of Elvis, who wore his prescription glasses on stage at only a handful of 1974 concerts, and then only for a song or so). He's wearing one of the two-piece tan leather suits under the gi top, beltless suits he wore on stage only during this Vegas season -- they complained that they restricted his movements, but he seemed to be doing all right. This might be from the same show as the pictures below. Elvis had received his eighth degree black belt a few days before, on August 26 (a day he was forced to cancel his two shows because of the 'flu).

Doing a lengthy kenpo demonstration during the extended introduction to his recent record, "If You Talk In Your Sleep," at the August 29, 1974 dinner show in Las Vegas. Elvis prefaced and followed his kata with a long monologue on martial arts history, philosophy, and the benefits of studying them.

From the same show, Elvis stretches out his famously "shaky" left leg.

Elvis sings "If You Talk In Your Sleep" during the August 29, 1974 dinner show. Photo by Sue McCasland (I suspect that she took all of these color photos of Elvis on stage on August 29).

Elvis explains what the Chinese writing on his belt means (probably also from the August 29 dinner show)

Although Elvis was always a compelling and charismatic live performer, a good portion of the drama surrounding his '70s concerts derived directly from his study of the martial arts. Here Elvis makes a point during his Las Vegas dinner show of August 29, 1974. Photo by Sue McCasland.

Singing "If You Talk In Your Sleep" during the midnight show of August 29, 1974.

Talking about martial arts during the same show.

An impromptu martial arts demo backstage before his midnight show of August 30, 1974, in Las Vegas. Elvis was particularly evangelistic about karate during this engagement and, as above, donned his gi top and belt and did an on-stage demonstration followed by a long monologue on the meaning of martial arts. Many visitors to his various homes and backstage came away with stories of Elvis putting on spontaneous karate exhibitions -- often, rather than taking with a fellow celebrity about music or something else they had in common, Elvis would run some moves by them. In May, 1971, Elvis took advantage of a break in a studio recording session to demonstrate how to disarm a gun-wielding opponent -- he had Red West hold a gun on him, which Elvis managed to send flying across the studio and into guitarist Chip Young's custom guitar, destroying the instrument.

Elvis and Ed Parker pose with a fan backstage on August 30, 1974.

Elvis backstage in September, 1974, posing with a woman and wearing his black belt.

At the September 1, 1974 midnight show Elvis shows off and reads from a certificate he'd recently received -- I'm not sure if it's for his eighth-degree black belt promotion or (more likely) the same citation of recognition from drug-enforcement authorities that he read from during the next night's rollercoaster of a closing show. Just from listening to the shows it's obvious that Elvis was having a hard time during the latter half of this Vegas engagement, though the shows themselves were fantastic and almost manic in Elvis' intensity and commitment. It all came to a head the next night... Photo by Judy Palmer.

Long-time friend and stage assistant, Charlie Hodge, ties Elvis brand new 8th degree black belt, awarded less than a week earlier, at the closing show of September 2, 1974, in Las Vegas. Beneath the gi top, Elvis has on his spectacular Tiger suit, which debuted -- along with his equally-impressive Dragon suit -- the previous day. Both suits paid tribute to martial arts, and Elvis told the audience at this engagement that the name given to him in his karate school was "Tiger." The closing show happened to be an emotional rollercoaster, with Elvis tearing into his songs, talking to Priscilla (who was in the audience, seated beside Elvis' current girlfriend) -- even taking a stab at karate champ Mike Stone (the 'other man' behind her divorce from Elvis) -- talking to the audience about his divorce, and angrily discounting rumors of his heroin use (which Elvis never used -- he was very much against illegal 'street' drug use -- he was, though, unfortunately dependent on a variety of prescription drugs). It was quite a show, and seemed to represent Elvis at a volatile crisis point (maybe it was the Tiger suit that did it!) that carried over to his subsequent tour but was finally in the past by the time, after a lengthy hospital stay, Elvis returned to Las Vegas the following March for some very focused concerts. Photo by Judy Palmer.

Elvis blocks his imaginary opponent during an on-stage kata at the September 2 closing show. He was probably wishing that Mike Stone had shown up with Priscilla... Photo by Judy Palmer.

Elvis with girlfriend-of-the-moment Sheila Ryan (who later married James Caan) in September, 1974. This was most likely have been taken while they were out on the town following his closing show in Las Vegas (probably on the next night, when the photos below were taken at Tom Jones' show).

Elvis in the audience at Tom Jones' show in Las Vegas, September 3, 1974, wearing some kind of black jacket (doesn't look like a gi) over one of his leather stage suits and his black belt.

Someone was on hand to take the above picture (and others) of him in the audience and a series of shots of Elvis when he got up on stage to do a 20-minute karate demo. Not the average Tom Jones show, that's for sure.

Elvis' leather suit and jacket indicated that he was not only apparently immune to the desert's heat but was ready to roll with his kata.

Elvis and Tom Jones had been friends since the 60s and each admired the others' style and voice. Here Mr Jones admires Elvis' martial prowess.

Elvis' passionate involvement with martial arts seemed to reach a peak in the Fall of 1974, at least as far as his proselytizing about karate was concerned. One of the elements of this gung-ho interest was his plan to shoot a documentary on martial arts that would include Elvis as the tour guide and focus on some of the great martial artists of the time and their arts. The project, unfortunately, was eventually abandoned, but footage of Elvis in Kang Rhee's Memphis Pasaryu studio was shot on September 16 and has survived to today (though few have seen the entire film, which I believe lasts around 40 minutes). The camera operator was apparently so overwhelmed by Elvis' presence that he neglected to record a soundtrack, so the footage is silent (others claim that footage with original sound exists). Photographs from the session appeared both in newspapers and in a January, 1975 issue of People magazine that had Elvis on the cover and that celebrated his 40th birthday (Elvis turned 40 on January 8, 1975). This exposure further spread the word of Elvis' long-time involvement in the martial arts.

A classic shot of Elvis posing in his custom gi during the same photo and film shoot. This photo graced the cover of at least one martial arts magazine, that I'm aware of, soon after Elvis' death and several since. In the uncropped photo, Kang Rhee is standing in Elvis' opponent's position. Elvis' gi and extra-long wide belt were custom made, at great expense. The circular patch on his left chest was one Elvis designed for his 'TCB' system, complete with the keywords "Faith, Spirit, Discipline."

Elvis poses with Kang Rhee.

Kang Rhee demonstrates some aspect of a fighting move, using Elvis as his model.

Elvis posing with Kang Rhee and a Pasaryu student on September 16, 1974.

Elvis receives a certificate from Kang Rhee.

Elvis demonstrates his brand of chi-kung (qigong), pushing his partners -- bodyguards Red West and Dave Hebler -- across the studio floor.

Getting into a bit of grappling with Dave Hebler. A fan-induced injury to Elvis' right hand is plainly visible.

Elvis the student.

Elvis the teacher.

Watching the others do their thing.

Elvis and tournament karate legend Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace at the Pasa Ryu school in Memphis on September 16, 1974. Bill Wallace was then teaching physical education at Memphis State University while earning his masters degree in kinesiology and was also teaching at Elvis' Tennessee Karate Institute.

A golden photo-op, with the King handing Superfoot a trophy. Bill Wallace, who retired from the professional circuit undefeated, had no shortage of trophies.

Elvis poses with the karate class on September 16. Dave Hebler, a Kenpo practitioner who had fairly recently joined the Memphis Mafia as a bodyguard, is in the IKKA kenpo gi at the picture's far right (Hebler and Red and Sonny West later collaborated with a low-life tabloid 'reporter' to produce the sensationalized tell-all "Elvis -- What Happened?" just before Elvis died).

During this September 28, 1974 show -- the second of two consecutive concerts at College Park, MD -- Elvis told the audience about his 16-year commitment to karate, his black belt, and his status as a Federal narcotics agent (when an audience member booed that last one, Elvis got mad and threatened him). He also told the audience that they could believe him or believe the "goddamned movie magazines." In that respect, it was almost a rerun of the closing show in Vegas, and the mood he'd had then clearly hadn't yet lifted. The September-October tour was the first in which Elvis' mood and approach to performance were really inconsistent -- the tour included stellar shows and others that, at least by Elvis' standards, were relatively lackluster (mostly in that he put little effort into the songs and didn't seem particularly interested in being there, or perhaps even knowing where he was). His musicians have claimed that they did not recognize him when they met on the tour's first date and that he fell out of the limo and wouldn't let anyone help him up -- his orchestra conductor and one of his core rhythm-section members admit to having cried when they saw him on stage that first night, semi-comatose and hanging on the microphone. Surprisingly, the Washington Post review was generally positive (many reviewers and Obnoxious Rock Critics had an anti-Elvis agenda before they even attended his shows in the 70s), though the reviewer did refer to a 'mild paunch,' that got a reaction from Elvis the next night that was pretty funny (though the reviewer was female and therefore not the 'son of' anything, contrary to Elvis' statement). Elvis's shows for the rest of the tour were supposedly a tad uneven from night to night but things seemed to generally improve and Elvis seemed apologetic and regretful about the earlier shows, knowing he'd not given his best. It's perhaps a telling factoid that, after he fulfilled (in October) a few days' worth of shows he owed the lake Tahoe Sahara from his May cancellations, Elvis didn't set foot on a stage again until March, 1975.

The Tiger Man in his Tiger suit, looking tigerish. This photo is from the September-October tour of 1974. The bandage on Elvis' right hand, seen in many photos from that tour, was put there to cover a fan-inflicted wound (either a bite or a scratch) that became infected after his Vegas gig. In fact, if you look at some of the pictures from the September 16 Pasaryu shoot, the wound is visibile as a dark red blotch.

Pulling a split during the afternoon show of October 5, 1974 (Indianapolis, IN). Elvis is wearing his Tiger suit. This tour was very erratic in terms of Elvis' condition and attitude. Photo by Keith Alverson.

Elvis on stage at the evening show of October 6, 1974, in Dayton, OH. True to the dragon motif on his jumpsuit, Elvis -- really wrapped up in martial arts at this point in his life -- turns even a guitar-constrained song like "See See Rider" or "I Got A Woman" into a sort of kata. Both photos probably by Bob Heis.

Elvis somewhere on the September-October, 1974 tour, dropping to his trademark split. Elvis was wearing the Peacock suit, which was supposedly one of his favorite (and, because it was embroidered, one of his most expensive) jumpsuits.

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