Why Elvis Presley’s 1968 Comeback Special is still relevant, 50 years later
- The rock’n’ roll star was losing relevance in the 1960s, and the comeback show put him back on the map
- Hosted by Blake Shelton, the NBC tribute to the 50-year-old show will air in February
The 1968 television show known as Elvis Presley’s comeback special is experiencing its own return and revitalisation.
Producer Steve Binder, who worked with Presley to create the show that helped return the singer to prominence, says he never expected the Singer Presents … Elvis special to endure. But endure it has, and NBC has planned a tribute to the special in February.
The network has said the Elvis All-Star Tribute will be hosted by Blake Shelton and will include well-known performers recreating songs and staging from the original programme.
The all-star tribute has also brought the release of a box set that includes a Blu-ray edition of the show and a book by Binder on its creation.
The show helped update Presley’s image and he began to play regularly to sold-out crowds in Las Vegas.
Presley went to meet Binder for the first time in Los Angeles in 1968. A music and television producer, Binder had been asked to put together an NBC television special featuring Presley, who had become more of a film actor than a rock ’n’ roll singer in the 1960s when the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were dominating the rock world.