'The Ed Sullivan Show' YouTube Channel Celebrates Elvis Presley

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 16, The Ed Sullivan Show's official YouTube channel begins a tribute to one of rock 'n' roll music's most iconic talents with a special rollout of performances that spanned three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. That Elvis Presley became the King of Rock 'N' Roll is pop culture legend, and, at the dawn of the modern television boom, America's most popular variety program catapulted him to the throne when 60 million viewers -- more than two-thirds of all TV viewers at the time -- tuned in to watch his debut on the program. Subscribe to the channel and set a reminder for the premiere here: https://EdSullivanShow.lnk.to/ELVIS.

"Appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show meant everything to Elvis," said his lifelong friend, associate, and colleague Jerry Schilling during an exclusive interview recently with Andrew Solt on August 6, 2020. "At the end of his third appearance when Ed Sullivan goes over to Elvis and says, 'I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy. We have never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we had with you; you're thoroughly alright. Let's have a tremendous hand for a very nice person.' When you look into Elvis's eyes at that moment, you knew he felt accepted and sincerely proud. Ed had given him that endorsement."

Nearly 50 years after The Ed Sullivan Show wrapped its final episode and charmed TV viewers for the final time on Sunday night June 6, 1971, it officially joined the streaming universe to live on forever on June 12 thanks to the deal between UMe and SOFA Entertainment Inc. to globally curate The Ed Sullivan Show, encompassing the influential television program's historic 23-year primetime run on CBS and marking the first time performances and guest segments from the program are officially available in their entirety across streaming services worldwide. Elvis Presley is among the thousands of clips that are regularly being made available to fans.

Bruce Resnikoff, UMe President & CEO, said, "The Ed Sullivan Show brought a phenomenal talent into millions of living rooms and helped catapult Elvis Presley into the hearts and minds of music fans all around the world.  We are proud to make these amazing performances officially available on streaming services."

"Elvis on Ed Sullivan was the original Big Bang of rock 'n roll," said Andrew Solt, CEO of SOFA Entertainment. "The first night 60 million tuned in to witness the young man from Memphis sing his heart out. Overnight popular culture was upended. Elvis was James Dean and Marlon Brando multiplied. His boundless talent and charisma captivated America. In a few short years, Elvis and rock 'n roll had conquered the planet."

Josh Solt, President of SOFA Entertainment, said, "It is truly exciting to work with UMe to make these Elvis Presley clips available to existing fans and future generations."

While the August 16 kick-off pays tribute to the anniversary of Presley's passing in 1977 with clips from throughout his three appearances, September celebrates his first-ever performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which took place on September 9, 1956. Additional clips will rollout in October, which was a special month in the life of Elvis Presley. His first public performance – at the age of 10 in 1945 – was in October; he arrived in Germany in October 1958 to begin his Army deployment. And, of course, his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was October 28, 1956, when audiences swooned as he sang the heartfelt "Love Me Tender."

Throughout its Sunday evening run, The Ed Sullivan Show brought the hottest performances from around the world and introduced emerging talent to America's living room every Sunday night. In addition to Elvis Presley, the show featured some of the earliest or first televised performances of music superstars including Stevie Wonder, The Band, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Jackson 5, The Mamas and the Papas, The Supremes, and The Rolling Stones.

Among the voluminous gems in this vast catalog are iconic clips that have primarily only been available in excerpted versions on EdSullivan.com or as low-resolution digital "bootlegs." UMe uploads new videos daily, including scores of rarities available digitally for the first time, to The Ed Sullivan Show's official YouTube channel and EdSullivan.com, both newly updated. 

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Live On The Ed Sullivan Show YOUTUBE channel celebrates Elvis Presley*:

*Schedule may be subject to change without notice

About Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley is one of the most influential pop culture figures of the 20th century. Often referred to as the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," Elvis' commanding voice and charismatic stage presence unleashed a musical and cultural revolution that changed the world. Over the course of his extraordinary career, Elvis was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards (3 wins), sold over 1 billion records worldwide, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was named "One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation" by the United States Jaycees, as well as the 2018 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition to his musical accolades, Elvis starred in 33 films and made numerous television appearances.

More than 60 years after his global debut, Elvis' legacy is stronger than ever. His life and music have inspired countless hit musicals, movies and TV series', fiction and non-fiction books, musical covers, and commercial endorsements, as well as a robust merchandise program spanning collectibles and fashion collaborations. An enduring symbol of "The King of Rock 'n' Roll's" stardom, Graceland, Elvis' Memphis home, is the second most-visited home in the United States after the White House, drawing over 600,000 visitors annually and tens of thousands of fans for its Elvis Week celebration. With more than 15 million fans across social media and a growing multimedia presence, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" continues to inspire today's most influential musicians, designers, entertainers, and social influencers and captivate audiences around the world.

For more information, visit elvisthemusic.com. Shop Elvis products at shopelvis.com.
Follow Elvis on Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter.

About The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is the most popular primetime variety show in American history. For nearly a quarter century, Ed Sullivan hosted the greatest array of talent on television, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and Motown artists such as The Supremes, The Temptations and The Jackson 5. Every Sunday night at 8pm on CBS from 1948-1971, The Ed Sullivan Show showcased a wide variety of pop culture from the worlds of music, comedy, novelty and much more. The library of 1,000 hours includes over 10,000 performances.

About SOFA Entertainment
In 1990, Andrew Solt formed SOFA Entertainment Inc. and acquired The Ed Sullivan Show from the Sullivan family. The Ed Sullivan Show is the most respected and revered variety show in television history. SOFA Entertainment is the copyright holder of the original Ed Sullivan programs and over 150 hours of newly created programming.

About UMe
Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) is the centralized U.S. catalog and special markets entity for UMG. Working in tandem with all of the company's record labels, UMe provides a frontline approach to catalog management, a concentration of resources, opportunities in new technologies and an emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives to engage all types of consumers across multiple entry points and platforms.

SOURCE UMe