Leo Sayer was personally invited to work with Elvis Presley – but The King died just hours after their conversation.
Leo Sayer was personally invited to work with Elvis Presley – but The King died just hours after their conversation.
The ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’ hitmaker had broken his leg and “a bit” of his back when he fell off stage in the US and was going through physical therapy with a former Miami Dolphins player named Michael, whose Alabama gym was funded by a “big guy” in Memphis when he was stunned to receive a phone call.
Leo recalled how the phone rang in the gym and Michael passed it to him, with the voice on the other end saying: “This is Elvis Aaron Presley, and you make me feel like dancing.”
He added to the Telegraph magazine: “That was his first line. We talked for an hour. He said: ‘Michael’s told me all about you. You got great energy, you’re a very positive guy. I’ve been listening to your records. I really love them. Some songs in there I could have sung, and maybe I could sing. Why don’t you come to the house tomorrow and let’s see if we can have some fun together?”
Sadly, Elvis died the following day.
Leo continued: “And that was it. My chance to meet and work with Elvis was gone in 60 seconds. But I could never tell anybody that story. Because who would ever f****** believe that the Gerard Hugh Sayer from Shoreham-by-Sea had actually talked to The King?”
Meanwhile, the 76-year-old singer claimed notorious late paedophile Sir Jimmy Savile “fancied” him and wouldn’t leave him alone when he appeared on ‘Top of the Pops’ to promote his second single, ‘The Show Must Go On’, in 1973.
He said: “Jimmy Savile would not get off the stage. I think he fancied me. I was quite cute in those days.
“We had to use BBC musicians… and they’re all playing live as you’re singing live. So it’s terrifying. And you’ve got Jimmy Savile whispering in your ear all the way through, ‘you’re really cute…’
“How do you concentrate on singing the song? Somehow I managed to get through it.”
Leo Sayer invited to sing with Elvis Presley – day before The King’s death
