oe Guercio was already a veteran in the music business when he accepted the role of Musical Director for Elvis in the summer of 1970.
He accompanied Patti Page for several years and also worked with Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Gladys Knight.
Joe Guercio joined Elvis for his third season in Las Vegas in August 1970, and remained with him until August 1977.
“I wasn’t a fan of Elvis, my wife loved him, but I came from another kind of music. I was knocked out.
I mean, by Elvis Presley – we were in awe.
Elvis was different from all the other stars I had worked with.
We used to say that, with Elvis, it wasn’t a show, it was a “happening”.
No matter which star you mention – no matter how great – they are not what He was, and I don’t know if it will happen again.
Yes, it’s sad that he died, but there are people who can’t get old: Marilyn Monroe is one of them. James Dean is another and then there is Elvis Presley. These people cannot get old.
That’s the reason we can take “Elvis The Concert” all over the world today, because He was a dynamic artist and he will never get old.”
