Always on my mind: Elvis tour preview with Cosmos Tours' Ken Thompson
The Southern US-based tour director has a particular penchant for everything Elvis
How long have you worked for Cosmos?
I have been a tour director for Cosmos for about five years, though I have been in the industry for almost 13 years. My primary region is the South, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida. But I have also led tours over much of the US as well as Mexico, Panama, Canada, and several countries in Europe.
Which is your favourite Cosmos tour to lead?
My favourite tour, by far, is the nine-day Elvis & the Southern Sounds tour covering Memphis and Nashville. I’ve always liked Elvis’s music, plus I’m a big fan of country and western music. This tour combines both into one great musical experience. I probably lead this tour more than any other Cosmos tour director.
When did you become an Elvis fan?
When I was about four or five years old, my favourite song was You Ain’t Nothin’ But A Hound Dog. That was in Elvis’s early years. I’ve been a fan ever since but I never met him sadly.
What is Cosmos doing to mark the 40th anniversary of Elvis’s death?
We will promote a special departure of the popular Elvis & the Southern Sounds tour on August 12, 2017 which includes being at Graceland for the famous Candle Light Vigil on the evening of August 15 – where fans can visit Elvis’s gravesite and meditation garden.
How big is the anniversary for Memphis?
The city anticipates that the 40th anniversary will be the biggest Elvis Week in history, drawing thousands and thousands to Graceland and Memphis. In addition to the importance of a big anniversary like 40th (much like 25th, 30th and 35th), they anticipate a tremendous response because Graceland is currently undergoing its largest expansion since it opened to the public in 1982. Part of that is the new Guest House at Graceland resort hotel (2017 will be the first Elvis Week for the new resort). While Graceland is still in the planning stages, Elvis Week in 2017 will feature Presley family members, plus an extraordinary roster of Elvis’s close friends, music artists, performers and celebrities, culminating with the 40th Candle Light Vigil at Graceland.
How would you describe Tupelo, Elvis’s birthplace?
Tupelo is a nice little town. Much larger now than when Elvis lived there as a child but the town maintains its quaintness and charm. Besides the Birthplace Museum, I especially enjoy visiting Booth Hardware Store, where Elvis bought his first guitar. It is owned and managed by the fourth generation of the Booth family and is all that a small town hardware store should be.
What’s your favourite Elvis story?
Elvis was very loyal to his friends. Case in point: In high school, Elvis was very different from the other guys. He wore flashy clothes and had long sideburns and his hair in a ducktail at a time when most guys wore crew cuts. One day in the boys’ restroom, three boys jumped Elvis and were about to cut his hair off when football player Red West came it. West intervened, stopped the hair cut, and became an instant friend to Elvis. A couple of years later, when Elvis’s recording career was taking off, he hired West to be his bodyguard and driver. They were inseparable from that point on. I like that story.
What do you look forward to seeing in Graceland?
I am a classic car kind of guy – I own a 1968 Mustang convertible – so I really like Elvis’s car collection. And seeing his grave is always a poignant moment.
Best Elvis song?
How Great Thou Art. It’s a very powerful song and one that I sang at my dad’s funeral.
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