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“Suspicious Minds” is a song written in 1968 by Mark James (aka Francis Zambon). Performed by Elvis Presley in 1969, it became one of his most notable hits. Suspicious Minds was widely regarded as the single that jump-started Presley’s career after his successful 1968 Comeback Special. It was Presley’s last number-one single in the United States.  On their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Rolling Stone has Suspicious Minds ranked at #91.

Elvis first performed  Suspicious Minds at the Las Vegas Hilton in July of 1969.  The single was released in the fall. It reached number one in the United States in the week of November 1^st.  This song was Presley’s final number-one single in the U.S. before his death.

Clay Aiken first performed Suspicious Minds as a part of his Jukebox Tour in the summer of 2005.  On July 29^th, Clay performed the song on Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series. The performance received a great response from the audience and the chatter on all the Clay Boards was full of excitement.

Flash-forward to 2010 and Clay Aiken’s newer CD, Tried and True….  Suspicious Minds is one of the most popular songs on this album of classics.

Although the song is the same, the arrangements of both performances are somewhat different.  It is interesting to hear the differences.

The following video is from The JukeBox Tour.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

       

Comments

• Elvis was at the top of my list before Clay came along – it ... by Marlene Michener

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June is the sixth month of the year.

Did you Know That…..

The YMCA was organized in London on June 6, 1844.

United Nations Charter was signed by delegates
from 50 nations at San Francisco, June 26, 1945.

Clay Aiken In June

Clay started recording his first album in June, 2003.

UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken was in Somalia at the end of June in 2008.
He met lots of children and learned about the catastrophic conditions
under which they struggle to survive every day.

June 1st, 2010, Clay introduced Tried & True

to Good Morning America.

Clay Aiken  performed a tribute to Barry Manilow at the inauguration of

The Great American Songbook Hall of Fame 

on June 15, 2012

Hosted by multi-platinum selling artist, Michael Feinstein…

Clay sang “Even Now”.

Clay Aiken  sang the National Anthem at a special charity basketball game for the Richard J. Murphy Memorial Scholarship.

The event was held  at the Leesville Road High School, Clay’s Alma Mater on June 14, 2012.

On April 17, 2015, Clay Aiken made a visit to the TV show, Real Time With Bill Maher.

This HBO show is an hour long and records in front of a live audience on Friday nights.

On June 21, 2010, Clay Aiken performed in Raleigh at a concert called Bringing Broadway Home. 

Clay opened the program by singing Home from “The Wiz”

 

Hopefully, we will see a lot of Clay this June… I hope he has lots of performances all over!

And….. maybe, just maybe we will also get some tweets and instagrams from him.

They are always fun!!

What are your plans for June?

       

Comments

• Thank you for the pictures and the video. I love all the ... by Phyllis Solotoff
• Really loved all of the songs that Clay did from “Bringing ... by Marlene Michener

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…fit around the thighs that slims toward the ankles and waist, these pants capture MC’s original multi-million dollar look – you’ll feel as cool as the man himself!

WAIT!  Where is the flamboyant belt with chains?  That is a “must have” for the MC Hammer look!

MC Hammer, himself, says of this style:

“You can make a fashion statement. You can move in ’em. You can dance in ’em. … It accentuates the movement, and it gives you freedom of movement. It’s a slight delay. You move, and then the pants move, so it brings a nice little flair.”

“From your heart, you wear them, how you feel today. If it’s a sunshiny day and you have a certain pair that goes with the sunshine, and you want to put some bright colors with them, then you do that.”

Whether they are ivory, slick black, or gold lame, there is only one person I want to see wearing Hammer Pants…..Clay Aiken really looked cute!

I think you will have fun watching this great video from Reno Nevada…

Clay and Ruben seem to be having a great time!

 

Did you see Clay in his Hammer Pants?

       

Comments

• In reply to musicfan123. You are so very welcome – I enjoy ... by Marlene Michener
• Thank you for the pictures and the video. The pictures are ... by Phyllis Solotoff
• In reply to Marlene Michener. Marlene….Each day, I am so ... by musicfan123
• Missed seeing a show in this tour – still feel bad about ... by Marlene Michener

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On June 22, 2004, CBS aired a 3 hour special called AFI – 100 Years, 100 Songs. Hosted by John Travolta, the countdown from the American Film Institute featured clips of 100 songs.

Clay Aiken joined Burt Bacharach, Celine Dion, Barry Gibb, Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Andy Williams and others who commented on the songs in the Top 100.

The 100 songs were chosen by 1,500 “industry experts”; songs were evaluated on quality of music and lyrics as well as their cultural impact and legacy. Over the Rainbow – the Judy Garland anthem from The Wizard of Oz – was voted the greatest movie song ever.

The top ten list of greatest movie tunes follows:
Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz
As Time Goes By from Casablanca
Singin’ in the Rain from Singin’ in the Rain
Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
White Christmas from Holiday Inn
Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate
When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinnochio
The Way We Were from The Way We Were
Stayin’ Alive from Saturday Night Fever
The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music

Commenting on Lose Yourself by Eminem, Clay said:

“Movie music does not have to be soaring love ballads. Lose Yourself is definitely an example of a movie song that makes a movie much more hip and much more popular for today’s culture.“

When commenting on Unchained Melody from Ghost, Clay said his mother had a dream that Clay would record a cover of Unchained Melody and it would be a big hit. One week later, LeAnn Rimes came out with the recording and it became a big hit. The hopes of Clay’s mom were dashed. Clay also commented that he was in 4^th grade when Ghost was released and that he did not understand the significance of the hands on the potter’s wheel during the song.

Little did anyone know that Clay would record the very best arrangement of Unchained Melody seven years later.  A big thank you to Clay and Ben Cohn.

Another of Clay’s comments brought a laugh when he shared that he tried hard to learn to spell supercalifragalisticexpialidocious.

100 Years, 100 Songs, with the American Film Institute,  had an audience of 12.3 million people. How many of those people were fans of Clay Aiken?

Watch the video below to see Clay’s part of the AFI show.

 

Which song do you like the most?

       

Comments

• Thank you for the pictures and the video. The pictures and the ... by Phyllis Solotoff
• Unchained Melody – would be my favorite – Clay's way! I did ... by Marlene Michener

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In the United States, Memorial Day is on the last Monday
in May and honors Americans who gave their lives
for their country in wars.

Memorial Day is a celebration of remembrance for the brave service of men and women who gave their lives for their country. Originally, Memorial Day honored those who had died in the Civil War. Now, it honors those who died in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

Waterloo, N.Y. is considered the birthplace of this holiday because the people of Waterloo were the first people to proclaim a day on May 5, 1866 to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. They closed their businesses and placed flowers and flags on the graves of their soldiers. Flags were flown at half-mast.

Although this holiday is celebrated with barbeques, trips to the beach, and other recreation, it is important to remember the history of the day and the men and women who have given their lives for our great country.

A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.

~ Bob Dylan

What are your plans for this Memorial Day? 

Are you going to a parade or are you staying at home? 

Maybe you are cleaning up the grill for an old fashioned Memorial Day Picnic

Whatever your plans may be, have a safe and memorable Day.

 

I hope you will have a great day!

       

Comments

• I remember watching Clay sing this so many years ago. Thanks ... by Emily Patrick
• Thank you for the pictures and the info. We should all remember ... by Phyllis Solotoff
• We will be spending the day with family and friends with a ... by Marlene Michener

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