Time of our Lives: South Tyneside man celebrates Elvis Presley anniversary

Trevor Cajiao with some of his Elvis records.

For a devoted South Tyneside fan has just published the 30th anniversary edition of his magazine dedicated to “the king” of rock ’n roll.

Trevor Cajiao has been publishing Elvis – The Man And His Music since 1988, helping to keep the memory and music of the musical icon alive for fans old and new.

Today, Trevor explains how started the magazine, the latest edition of which is a must for Elvis fans.

“By December 1988 I’d already been putting together ‘Now Dig This’, our monthly 50s rock n roll magazine, for over five years,” he said.

“So I knew how to go about things, and I sort of knew what the market for specialist mags was like.

“I’d been an Elvis fan since I was a kid (it all started when my cousin, Muriel, gave me a copy of his second LP!) and I had often bought some of the Elvis mags that were out there.

“Sadly, however, none of them concentrated on the most important aspect of his whole career - his recorded legacy. I wanted to read about the nuts and bolts of his recordings.

“I wanted to read interviews with songwriters and producers who worked with him. I wasn’t interested in reading poetry about him or knowing the names of the jumpsuits he wore – which is what the other mags seemed to concentrate on.

“So, using a lot of the contacts I’d made since setting up ‘Now Dig This’, and relying on a few like-minded friends of mine who were also long-time Elvis fans, we launched ‘Elvis – The Man And His Music’ in December 1988. The reaction was immediate: there were lots of folk out there who wanted a no-frills Elvis magazine that dealt only in the facts and wanted to know everything there was to know about his recordings, films etc.

“Before too long we were bagging exclusive interviews with Elvis’ musicians, producers, friends, co-stars and associates – all of whom found it most refreshing that we wanted to talk about the man’s artistry and not his private life or any of the other tabloid-like stuff that was so common back then. And we’ve continued that way ever since.

“We have subscribers in virtually every country in the world and they continue to join us, even though Elvis died 41 years ago.

“Elvis means lots of different things to different people, but to me it’s always been about the music. He was a trailblazing trendsetter whose recorded legacy and impact on the world should never be trivialised or played down in any way.

“Continuing to spread the joy of that legacy is what ‘Elvis – The Man And His Music’ is all about. We’ve done it for 30 years now and it’s been one heck of a ride ... and we’ve still got plenty of gas in the tank!”

You can find out more about the magazine by logging onto /www.nowdigthismagazine.co.uk/store/elvis-the-man-and-his-music