'Elvis & The Birth Of Rock: The Photographs Of Lew Allen' - Genesis Publications' Newest Signed Limited Edition - to Be Celebrated on May 3 With a Book-Signing at Morrison Hotel Gallery in Los Angeles, CA

'Elvis & The Birth Of Rock: The Photographs Of Lew Allen' - Genesis Publications' Newest Signed Limited Edition - to Be Celebrated on May 3 With a Book-Signing at Morrison Hotel Gallery in Los Angeles, CA

Spectacular Volume Unveils Recently Unearthed, Previously Unpublished and Mostly Unseen Images of Presley From 1956 as Well as Rare Photos of Buddy Holly, the Everly Bros., Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin and More

LOS ANGELES, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In perhaps the greatest photojournalism scoop in the annals of rock music -- certainly the earliest, as it happened in 1956 -- 17 year-old Lew Allen was the lone cameraman covering 21 year-old Elvis Presley's Nov. 23 concert at the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's home city. 50 years later, previously unpublished and mostly unseen, 27 of these priceless, historic images -- stored and unexamined for decades -- are the centerpiece of pre-eminent art house publisher Genesis Publications' newest signed, limited edition, "Elvis & The Birth Of Rock: The Photographs Of Lew Allen."

In honor of the magnificent large format volume's U.S. release in late April, the Morrison Hotel Gallery (MHG) in Los Angeles will host a special book signing and reception with Lew Allen on Thurs., May 3 from 6-8PM. Prints of six of Allen's images of Elvis will be on display during the event. Internationally renowned MHG's sole focus is music related imagery -- and one of its co-founders is famed rock photographer Henry Diltz -- making it the ideal venue at which to welcome "Elvis & The Birth Of Rock: The Photographs Of Lew Allen" to the States (it was released in the U.K. earlier this year). MHG is located in the heart of Hollywood on the Sunset Strip at 7517 W. Sunset Blvd. (1/2 block west of Guitar Center), LA, CA, 90046 (add'l MHG galleries are in SoHo/NYC and La Jolla, CA).

The landmark concert that Lew Allen serendipitously captured on film, and which is now featured photographically in "Elvis & The Birth Of Rock," took place two months after Presley's world-rocking debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, and just days after the premiere of his first film, "Love Me Tender." Allen's high school newspaper had dispatched him to document the frenzy surrounding the young star on his meteoric ascent from hillbilly cat-dom to iconic stature, and since the show fell in the midst of a press strike blacking out Cleveland's three newspapers, he was the only photographer covering it. The school paper published only one shot of Presley; Allen, who went on to a photographic career but only reported on music on another couple of occasions, boxed up the negatives and proofs, not thinking they were good enough to warrant further attention.

Genesis credits Allen's nephew, Bob Shatten, with sparking momentum for "Elvis & The Birth Of Rock" after he realized the vast importance of the images found gathering dust in his uncle's basement in 1988. Shatten, Allen (now based in Phoenix, AZ) and editor Mike McCartney provide lively, insightful written commentary to accompany the pictures, which reveal both intimate and onstage moments with the soon to be crowned "King," many simply chronicling the sheer elemental force of his presence. Genesis' website notes, it's "Elvis as he has never been seen before," with the idol's innocence and youth shining through it all -- Allen writes, he was a "gentle, kind, considerate, back-woods country kid. Polite beyond words ... That was my Elvis."

Genesis announced the "Elvis & The Birth Of Rock's" publication in the U.K. in late 2006, and initial Deluxe editions became available in early '07. Set for U.S. release April 26, the book -- which will be available for sale at MHG on May 3 -- also presents rarely-seen photos that Allen shot in 1958 at two shows in Rochester, NY featuring a stellar assemblage of early rock 'n roll legends. These images -- including ones of Buddy Holly (a year before his untimely death), The Everly Brothers, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Darin -- offer an insider's view into a bygone era, when musicians traveled by bus, casually helped each other with lyrics, carried their own gear and stage outfits and were backed by local sidemen on the road.

Genesis Publications has offered this one of a kind title in a limited edition of only 1,750 books, the first 350 of which are Deluxe copies presented with three signed (by Allen and Mike McCartney) & numbered limited edition prints of Presley, the Everly Brothers and Bobby Darin. The 156-page tome contains 78 photographs, printed in opulent duotone with image varnishing on heavy-weight archival matte paper elegantly bound in blue suede. A custom-designed box, silver edging and production quality second-to-none make this book an extraordinary collector's piece.

Founded in 1974 by Brian Roylance and headed today by Nick Roylance and Catherine Roylance, Genesis has an unrivalled global reputation for exquisitely crafted, signed limited edition books created in close collaboration with remarkable authors and artists. They have grown from specializing in historical volumes to becoming the foremost art house publisher in the fields of modern music and culture. A sampling of other recent titles includes "Summer Of Love (The Making Of Sgt. Pepper) - A Book By George Martin," "Thin Wild Mercury - Touching Dylan's Edge: Dylan By Schatzberg" and "The Rolling Stones Tour Of The Americas 1975 - The Diary, Photographs And Memorabilia Of Christopher Simon Sykes."

For further details and information on price and availability, log on to:

http://www.genesis-publications.com/books/elvis_allen/elvis.html

Source: Genesis Publishing

CONTACT: Susan Stewart of Jensen Communications, +1-530-823-5962,
skstewart@hughes.net, for Genesis Publishing

-------
Profile: intent