Elvis has left the building, but he’s still in Hong Kong hearts, as fans pay tribute to icon
Singer’s legacy lives on in his diehard supporters, who gathered amid nostalgia to look back at the golden days of rock ‘n’ roll
More than 250 diehard fans in Hong Kong gathered last Saturday to reflect on their youth and take a musical trip down memory lane as they commemorated the death anniversary of their idol, “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Elvis Presley.
The meeting was initiated by the Hong Kong chapter of the International Elvis Presley Fan Club. The iconic American singer passed away in his Memphis home on August 16, 1977.
“Elvis was one of the few legends, like the Beatles and our own Bruce Lee. He was a trend-setter who made a global impact through his music and stage act,” Ricky Fung Tim-chee, lead guitarist from the Mystics, a top local band in the 1960s, told the Post.
Fung was at the event with bandmates Norman Cheng and Frederick Chan to support tribute acts by other stars including local 60s English pop singer Joe Junior, veteran actor Philip Chan, and famed voice coach and producer Christine Samson.
“It was then the post-war era and the puritanical regarded him as devilish but young people emulated him as an act of rebellion. That I think kicked off a process of progress,” Fung said of his idol.
Former legislator Dr Edward Leong Che-hung, who became an Elvis fan after he fell in love with the hit song Love Me Tender, recalled how he was inspired more than half a century ago.