With disrespect to no one, I came up with an idea several years ago that has never been – will never be – taken seriously. I understand and accept that because the idea was strictly tongue-in-cheek in the first place and never really offered for serious consideration but nevertheless, here goes:
Why not combine the birthdays of Martin Luther King and Elvis Presley for a national holiday designated as A Pair of Kings?
Think about it. The two had much in common.
Both came from humble roots. Both were born in the South – Elvis in Tupelo, Mississippi, and MLK in Atlanta, Georgia.
Elvis’s birthday was January 8, 1935 and MLK’s birthday was January 15, 1929.
MLK would go on to inspire America’s blacks and, through his insistence on peaceful protests, prod a hesitant nation to abolish Jim Crow laws and to enact laws promoting equality. Elvis brought heretofore obscure black music, especially Memphis blues, to the forefront of popular music (if you don’t believe blues had a terrific influence on rock ‘n’ roll, listen sometime to HONKY TONK WOMEN by the Rolling Stones).
Both men were admired and loved by millions of people worldwide. Sadly, each had his detractors. Bigoted whites detested MLK, parents initially despised how Elvis excited their teenage kids. Later, the younger rock fans and stand-up comics would ridicule the overweight, jump-suited Vegas act.
MLK became famous for his inspirational “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Five years later, Elvis recorded his own inspirational message conveyed in his song IF I CAN DREAM, notable for its similarities to MLK’s ’63 speech and recorded just two months after MLK’s death. Keenly aware of the plight of blacks in this country, he followed that a year later with his recording of IN THE GHETTO.
Finally, as admirers of either man surely knows, each died in Memphis, though in marked contrast to each other as to the manner in which each died. MLK was assassinated while in town on behalf of striking garbage workers. Elvis died while…well, you know.
Still, I don’t think my idea is so far-fetched – if you’re an Elvis fan. Not so much when one considers how it might diminish the intended purpose of paying sincere homage to MLK.
Louisiana Voice 
No Tom, no disrespect but your two King Holiday idea doesn’t work!! I like your courage as a journalist to tackle “corruption” in LA and I applaud you for that. You are out of your league this time, your idea is far-fetched!
Of course it is. I’d hoped readers might recognize a parody when they read it. It was never intended to be taken as a serious proposal. In fact, I said in the very first paragraph that the suggestion was “tongue-in-cheek.”
Goofy me, I recognized it as a parody, a very good parody, and I still think, like Lewis Grizzad, “Elvis is dead and I don’t feel too good myself.” Think of G. Santos and our friend Paula and “Catch me if you can” appearing at a LABI sales get together. I feel better when I seek humour and the truth. Keep learning/loving ron thompson
We just recently reverted to one Pope. Two Popes-why not 2 Kings?