A farewell fit for the King's daughter: Local man sings at Presley's funeral

Jan. 23—The most recent celebrity passing to make headlines was that of Lisa Marie Presley — daughter of iconic singer Elvis Presley — who died on January 12 at age 54.

And a member of the Nancy community was able to pay his respects to her in the most appropriate way possible — through the gift of music.

Jim Rogers is a member of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, one of the most well-known names in gospel singing. And on Sunday, that ensemble sang at the legendary Graceland, Elvis' home estate in Memphis, for Lisa Marie Presley's headline-making funeral.

Lisa Marie, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, had her own music career, with singles like "Dirty Laundry" and "Lights Out." She was also heavily involved in various philanthropic efforts and had a newsmaking personal life, including her marriage to another music superstar, Michael Jackson.

Rogers, whose parents were originally from Nancy — his father was a pastor in Ohio, and they moved back to western Pulaski when he was 15 — has also been singing gospel music for a long time, with groups like the Joymakers (with whom he started playing piano at age 15), local act One Accord, Florida ensemble Midnight Cry, and the Pulaski-based Brothers Quartet, with which he spent almost 15 years, as well as doing some solo work.

"We were a singing family," said Rogers. "My two sisters who passed away, and my brother, who is younger than me, have sung together all of our lives."

Those gigs led to the opportunity last year to perform with the Blackwood Brothers Quartet — one of the oldest such groups around, forming in 1934. The group has won eight Grammy Awards over time, seven Dove Awards, and has been named to various music halls of fame — but last year, they found themselves with a need with which Rogers could help.

"Their tenor singer (Wayne Little), who had been with them for over 20 years, passed away last year, January 1," said Rogers. "I had a good friend that was very good friends with Billy Blackwood, who is the son of James Blackwood, one of the Blackwood Brothers that started the group. When their tenor singer passed away, this guy got a hold of Billy and told him about me. We talked a little bit, and he hired me to take the tenor vocal part."

In addition to their own success, the Blackwood Brothers quartet was tied to an even bigger name in the music world, one of the biggest in fact — Elvis. James Blackwood and Elvis were friends when "the King of Rock and Roll" was just a youngster growing up in Memphis.

"The Blackwood Brothers were singing in Memphis a lot there at the auditorium, and Elvis would come in and would listen and they got to know each other very well," said Rogers. "The background between the Blackwood Brothers Quartet was a very, very good relationship. A lot of times, Elvis would call (James) and the group would go over to Graceland and they would just jam with Elvis."

Indeed, the tradition of the Blackwood Brothers performing at Presley family funerals goes back before Lisa Marie. When Elvis' mother Gladys died in 1958, the Blackwood Brothers were on the west coast touring, and Elvis and his father Vernon chartered a plane to go and get the Blackwood Brothers so they could sing at Gladys' funeral, noted Rogers. When Elvis himself passed away in 1977, James Blackwood sang at his funeral as well.

"It's kind of come full circle, because the (Presley) family asked the Blackwood Brothers to sing at Lisa Marie's (funeral)," said Rogers. "It was a great honor for us to be able to do that, and also a great opportunity to sing gospel. ... For us to be able to be there and present the gospel was a wonderful opportunity to share that."

The funeral took place this past Sunday at Graceland, on the lawn, and the Blackwood Brothers were in elite company in the music world — also performing at the funeral were the likes of alternative pop star Alanis Morissette and Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose.

The public was invited, noted Rogers, and made for a "great crowd" at the funeral; "It was a lot of people," he said — royalty among them, and not just the musical kind.

"There were a lot of dignitaries there; one of Lisa Marie's good friends was Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess (of York)," he said. "I got a chance to meet her and to spend a little time with her and have a conversation. That was great."

Not only that, but Rogers got to speak with Kevin Frazier of "Entertainment Tonight," who interviewed him and fellow vocalist Eric Walker for the television program.

"That was amazing to be able to do that as well," said Rogers. "That was not something you do every day."

The Blackwood Brothers performed two beloved hymns: "How Great Thou Art," a song Elvis did regularly in concert and that was requested by the family for the funeral, and "Sweet, Sweet Spirit."

Though Rogers noted with a laugh that he wasn't in that most intense group of Elvis fans, the kind that would faint in the King's presence as many famously did during his concerts, he did have Elvis' records growing up and enjoyed his music. As such, Rogers was well aware of the significance of performing at a place like Graceland — but it wasn't his only time there.

"With the history between the Blackwood Brothers Quartet and Elvis, we usually are invited to come down to different events at Graceland; last year, we sang about three times (there)," he said. "We were there for Elvis Week and sang then. A lot of times they'll come and ask us to do special events, which is always an honor."

Rogers said that he "never dreamed" that he'd be part of an experience like this one, an opportunity to do something on a very special stage and pay tribute to someone so notable — and to be able to share the message of his faith as a part of it.

"Growing up and knowing who Elvis was, knowing the band ... to know all of that and then to see Lisa Marie do her thing but always in the shadow of her dad, who was bigger than life" made the invitation special, he said. "She went on to be a very musical, very talented person herself, and was able to do her own thing, even though she had a famous father and mother. I always thought that was a neat thing. So to be a part of that celebration of life was great."