The King of Rock n Roll and the King of Kings

Today is the 38th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the singer, I can remember where I was when hearing the news about him passing away. My family and I were at a Neil Sedaka concert in Fargo, North Dakota. Neil announced from the stage Elvis died that afternoon and then sang his composition “Solitaire” (a hit by the Carpenters but also sung by Elvis) as a dedication to the late singer.

Elvis was often referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll” or simply “The King,” a title he repeatedly resisted. Having been raised in an Assembly of God church, Elvis often declared there’s only one King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Early in his career, Elvis confessed to his pastor, the Reverend James Hamill:

“Pastor, I am the most miserable young man you have ever seen. I have got more money than I can ever spend. I have thousands of fans out there, and I have a lot of people who call themselves my friends, but I am miserable. I am not doing a lot of things you taught me, and I am doing some things that you taught me not to do. But no matter what I do, I don’t forget about God. I feel He’s watching every move I make. And in a way it’s good for me. I’ll never feel easy smoking a cigarette. I just don’t think those things are right for me…I just want to let a few people know that the way I live is by doing what I think God wants me to. I want someone to understand.” (From, Last Train to Memphis, Peter Guralnick, Back Bay books)

Although Elvis strayed from the faith somewhat by dabbling in other spiritual practices, he never forgot his Christian roots as he recorded many gospel albums. It’s noteworthy that apart from a Lifetime Achievement award, the only Grammys won by Elvis were for his gospel recordings.

It’s sad Elvis is still idolized so much in American culture. However, I know one man who is using that for good. Bruno Bigsley performs as an Elvis impersonator but uses it as a way to share his faith in Jesus. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

It will be interesting to see Elvis praising the Lord on the streets of gold. I’m sure he isn’t singing “Heartbreak Hotel” from his heavenly mansion.

“Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!  Sing to the LORD, all the earth.” - Psalm 96:1

My Prayer for Casey

At the time of this writing, a well-known radio personality who had a big influence on my life is in poor health and may pass away soon. 82-year-old Casey Kasem is best known for hosting “American Top 40” plus voicing various cartoon characters. In recent years, Kasem has suffered from a form of dementia similar to Parkinson's Disease that has left him barely able to talk.

Casey’s radio show was one of the things that inspired me to become a DJ. It also got me through difficult times during my childhood. Growing up in Moorhead, Minnesota, I first listened to “American Top 40” with my family on our way home from spending weekends at the lake. In 1978 I started writing down the Top 40 every Sunday plus recording snippets of Casey’s show with my Panasonic tape recorder. My mother got annoyed because I listened to Casey’s commentaries more than the actual songs. Eventually, I made weekly trips to music stores that subscribed to Billboard magazine whose record charts AT40 were based upon. I jotted down the Top 40 in advance but still followed along with Casey’s countdown.

In October 1979, I was furious when local radio station KVOX-AM dropped “American Top 40” from their programming (ironically I briefly worked as an announcer at that station five years later). For the next few months, I heard AT40 on a station from Wahpeton, North Dakota despite the poor reception. Next, I occasionally watched Casey’s similarly-styled TV program “America’s Top 10.” In 1985, I resumed regular listening of “American Top 40” during my active duty time in the Army National Guard and then when I moved to Minneapolis. 

Casey Kasem was born to Lebanese immigrants and has identified himself as a Druze, a political and religious sect of Islamic origin. Nevertheless, it was through Casey when I first learned of a Biblical truth during an “AT40 Sunday school lesson.” Before playing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band, Casey pointed out Lucifer was an archangel cast out of heaven “long before Adam and Eve saw the Garden of Eden.” I was never taught that at the Lutheran church I attended as a boy. 

Casey concluded his broadcasts with the tagline, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” My prayer is that Casey reaches for the Morning Star before he dies (if he hasn't already).

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” - Revelation 22:16

Death and Life at 27

Just before I logged off the Internet yesterday morning, I decided to check the headlines one last time. The news was already full of reports about the mass shooting and bombing in Oslo, Norway the day before. Still I had a hunch another tragedy had just occurred.

On the home pages of Yahoo and CNN, I read “Breaking News” that British singer Amy Winehouse died in her London home. What stood out to me in those headlines was that Amy was only 27 years old. Immediately I thought of other rock stars who died at that very same age: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. Like Amy, all of them had a history of drug abuse.

I first became familiar with Amy Winehouse while watching the 2008 Grammy Awards on TV. The singer was nominated for six awards and won five of them, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her hit “Rehab.” Amy made more headlines with her erratic behavior and run-ins with the law. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the singer, I occasionally prayed for her. God only knows for sure if Amy (who was Jewish) got right with Him before her passing.

Fortunately, a more positive lifechanging event happened to me when I was 27. After years of pursuing a music career myself, my “old man” died and I became a new creature in Christ Jesus.

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” – Romans 6:6