LEGENDARY DRUMMER CHRIS SLADE ON THE GIG HE REGRETS HE TURNED DOWN – “ELVIS PRESLEY; ‘SORRY ELVIS I’M TOO BUSY’”.
BraveWords had the honour to speak to legendary drummer Chris Slade this week for a Streaming For Vengeance chat that will air this Friday (July 19th at 9 AM EST), the same day The Chris Slade Timeline release their new album, Timescape, via BraveWords Records.
Chris Slade launched the band, The Chris Slade Timeline, in 2012 to mark 50-plus years as a professional rock drummer, working with the likes of Tom Jones, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Gary Moore, Gary Numan, Denny Laine, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, David Gilmour, Uriah Heep, Asia and of course AC/DC.
In an excerpt from the interview, BraveWords asked if there was ever a gig that he regreted turning down.
“Yes. Elvis Presley. ‘Sorry Elvis I’m too busy.’ He asked me to play drums with him for one month originally in Las Vegas.
And Gordon Mills (Tom Jones’ manager, who incidentally co-wrote signature song “It’s Not Unusual”) said to me, ‘Where is your Welchness.
What are you doing?’ In the end, Gordon went to Col Tom Parker and said ‘You can’t steal our drummer.’ I would’ve loved to of done that.
I said to Tom, ‘Look, you are great, what about having the drummer that played with you and with Elvis Presley!’ Because they were mates, they were friends and until Elvis died they were friends.
And it was a mutual admiration society because Tom grew up with Elvis right from the start. I sort of came in halfway through.
When I met Elvis, and I met him a few times. He gave a party for us and I have a picture of Elvis on one side and Tom Jones on the other. I call it ‘Who’s that with Slade.’”
