Hi TIS - doing well! Just wishing the summer wasn't winding down.

Here's another story about how Led Zeppelin, minus bassist John Paul Jones, went to Graceland and hung out with the King.

Elvis meets Led Zeppelin in 1974

If you've ever seen Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same film, they throw in a few lines from Elvis' "That's All Right" during the performance of "Whole Lotta Love."

Here's another part of the story from Richard Cole, who was one of their tour managers. I believe that this was included in the "Hammer of the Gods" biography of Zeppelin by Steven Davis.

Later in the year Richard Cole organised a meeting between Elvis and John Paul Jones as Jones had missed out on the LA meeting for some reason which is not clear. Richard had become friendly with one of Elvis's bodyguards, Jerry Schilling. The year before, while Led Zeppelin didn't tour, Cole had road-managed Eric Clapton's American tour, and had taken Clapton to meet Elvis in Memphis. Now Cole had decided to meet Elvis again, and arranged to take John Paul Jones up to Elvis's mansion in Bel Air. So they took one of the limos, and when they got to the house they were told not to discuss music with the King and to leave after twenty minutes. Cole walked into Elvis's living room with a cold bottle of Dom Perignon in each hand. They found Elvis sprawled over a couch, wearing pajamas and house slippers, watching television with his entourage. Cole was a little drunk. “Wot the fucking hell is going on here?” he asked good-naturedly. Elvis didn't like people to curse in his house. “Man,” the King said, “what's all this cussing and swearing?” But Cole started to 'kid' Elvis. “You're sittin' there in your fucking carpet slippers and fucking Charlie Hodge [one of Elvis's aides] is twiddling a fucking pencil over here, what kind of fucking party is this?” Elvis could take no more. He jumped up in a karate pose and whacked wrists with Cole, who had also gone into fighting stance. On contact, Cole's gold Tiffany watch clattered to the floor. Elvis picked it up. He liked watches, so he put it on. “That's nice,” the King said.“Ahh, fucking keep it!” Cole said. But giving Elvis a watch set off the Kings automatic gifting mechanisms. Elvis ran out of the room and returned with another watch. Here,” he said, handing it to Cole. “You fucking keep this!” It was a gold watch decorated with thirty-two diamonds. Then Elvis looked at Jones and said, “Whaddaya got? Gimme your watch.” Jones handed the King his Mickey Mouse watch. Elvis exited and returned with a double-dial (for two time zones) Baume & Mercier watch set in lapis lazuli. Elvis wasn't through. “What else you got?” he asked. Cole gave him his Brazilian amethyst ring. Elvis took a ring off his hand and said, “You can fucking have this,” throwing Cole a two-karat diamond ring engraved with “Love Linda.” Elvis finally let Cole and Jones leave three hours later.He walked them to their limo in his pajamas and opened the car door for them.The drivers and the other retainers almost dropped dead. Elvis hardly ever came out of the house, let alone opened limo doors for his guests.