Sony BMG Music Entertainment Announces the Release of 'Elvis Presley Christmas Duets'...

Sony BMG Music Entertainment Announces the Release of 'Elvis Presley Christmas
Duets' CD Available October 14, 2008
First Elvis Presley Duets Album In History

NEW YORK and NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 14, Sony
BMG Music Entertainment, in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.,
will release the "Elvis Presley Christmas Duets" CD, which is the first Elvis
Presley duet recordings album and the first Christmas compilation of its kind
ever produced. This release marks yet another milestone in Elvis Presley's
legacy, 31 years after his death.
The CD will feature many of today's biggest country artists, including
Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson, Sarah Evans and LeAnn
Rimes singing classic Elvis holiday songs with Elvis Presley.
"There has been tremendous excitement from the many artists contributing
their voices to these Elvis Christmas classics. We believe Elvis fans will
truly enjoy these unique collaborations while introducing Elvis' holiday
classics to the many fans of his duet partners," says Joe Galante, Chairman,
Sony BMG Nashville.
In order to create these classic "duets" Sony BMG used the most advanced
and sophisticated audio technology available. For songs that were recorded on
one track, mono, musical beds were created to perfectly match the
instrumentation and arrangements contained on the originals. In the case of
songs that have been recorded in multi-track where Elvis' vocal is isolated on
a single track, the vocal was simply dropped for a given verse or chorus,
making room for the duet artist. To be as faithful as possible to the original
recordings, the fabled RCA Studio B in Nashville -- the same studio that Elvis
recorded the 1971 original Christmas session in, was used.
"This is an excellent example of the innovative ways in which we keep
Elvis' catalog fresh for new and existing fans, and continue the history of
creating, preserving and celebrating his great music," says John Ingrassia,
President of the Sony BMG Commercial Music Group.
"We are so pleased that these accomplished artists are collaborating with
Elvis in this unique way to make exciting new versions of his Christmas songs.
I am sure Elvis would be proud to have worked with them," says Priscilla
Presley.
Elvis is one of the biggest-selling artists every holiday season, although
he only recorded 20 Christmas songs, his various holiday albums have sold over
25 million copies in the U.S. alone. His existing Christmas releases are seen
on the holiday charts year after year.
Partial track listing (not in sequence):
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" with Carrie Underwood
"Blue Christmas" with Martina McBride
"Here Comes Santa Claus" with LeAnn Rimes
"Silent Night" with Sara Evans
"Merry Christmas Baby" with Gretchen Wilson
"Silver Bells" with Anne Murray
"White Christmas" with Amy Grant
"O Little Town" with Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big
Town
"Santa Claus Is Back In Town" with Wynonna Judd

Sample tracks will be previewed August 14 during the 2008 Elvis Week in
Memphis at the Elvis Insiders Conference www.elvisweek.com. Sony/BMG and EPE
executives will welcome the attendees to be the very first to hear portions of
the CD during an exclusive preview and listening party at the Conference in
The Cannon Center.
About Sony BMG
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint venture with
a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists
and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of
the most important recordings in history. SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is 50%
owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.
About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is based in Memphis, with additional
offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions
in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a
worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television,
film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland,
visit www.elvis.com . EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (www.ckx.com), a
publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market(R) under the ticker
symbol CKXE.
SOURCE Sony BMG

Angela Barkan, +1-212-833-8575, angela.barkan@sonybmg.com, or Lori Genes,
+1-615-301-4307, lori.genes@sonybmg.com, both of Sony BMG; or David Beckwith
for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc, +1-323-845-9836,
david@thebeckwithcompany.com