Tuesday, September 11, 2007 – Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Faith Hill and Willie Nelson will be among a group of musicians honoring Elvis Presley on the upcoming ABC news special, "Elvis, Viva Las Vegas," Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. eastern.
Lambert will perform "Jailhouse Rock," and Keith will perform "Mystery Train" with Aerosmith's Joe Perry. It was unknown what Hill and Nelson would perform.
The two-hour special will examine how the King of Rock-and-Roll affected Las Vegas. Hosted by ABC News' "20/20" anchor Elizabeth Vargas, the special, produced in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., will incorporate footage of Elvis performing in Las Vegas, interviews with those closest to him and special performances from some of today's top recording stars singing Elvis' Vegas classics.
Chris Isaak will perform with Brandi Carlile performing "Love Me Tender" (filmed on the former site of the Aladdin Hotel, where Elvis and Priscilla were married). Some musical artists talk about the influence Elvis had on them and others perform covers of their favorite Elvis songs. Artists include: 50 Cent, Beyonce, Daughtry, Celine Dion, Paul McCartney, "The Rock," Patti Scialfa and Oscar winners Three-6-Mafia.
The two-hour special will include exclusive interviews with Elvis' former wife Priscilla Presley and will chronicle different aspects of Elvis's life during the Las Vegas concert years. Elvis was able to reinvent himself in Las Vegas and make a comeback at a time when critics didn't think he had a chance.
