A Bridlington author who has spent 25 years meticulously researching the world’s most famous singer has finally seen her book published.
Madeleine Wilson, who is now 78, listened to Elvis Presley records as a teenager, but it was several decades later when watching a TV programme on the ‘King of Rock & Roll’ in 1995, she started to delve into his life and times.
Now after a quarter of a century of meticulous research, Madeline has produced a stunning 370 page book, entitled – Elvis Presley – Gospel Singer – An Inspirational Life.
During her research and several trips to America and Graceland, she says has been privileged to meet members of Elvis’ family and friends and musicians who understood his spiritual yearnings and discovering that not only was he brought up as a Christian, but that he was called to be an evangelist.
Madeleine says, “Elvis’ idea of religion was not necessarily attending church, but rather one’s personal relationship with God and how one lives one’s life.
“His generosity with his money, spending hours counselling and encouraging relatives and friends and fans from the Word of God, successfully praying for people to be healed, honouring his parents by buying them their dream home and living with them as an extended family at Graceland, being sweet-natured, not harbouring bitterness, having a sense of fun and joy for life, and crying out to God in anguish for forgiveness and direction, then I would say his lifestyle was fully in step with his commitment to God.”
Madeleine formed the Elvis Gospel Fan Club in 1998, with her husband Peter, organising several Elvis Gospel events both in the UK and the USA. She also produced a booklet, “Prayers of Elvis,” in 2002.
Madeleine, who is retired, is hoping that her 25 years of research has produced a book
that will interest, delight and challenge those who read it.
Rex is 100 years young in this photo. Rev. Rex baptised Elvis as a teenager in Memphis.
Photo: (J P Wilson)
Elvis Presley Gospel Singer – An Inspirational Life – (Shalom Publishing). is available, as a full-colour paperback on Amazon Worldwide.
