POP/ROCK - June 12, 1989

Finally a stamp of approval for Elvis? Fans of the King can take heart that the battle for an Elvis Presley stamp may soon be over. Rep. Don Sundquist (R-Tenn.) recently criticized Postmaster General Anthony Frank after Frank made critical remarks about Presley’s drug habit. Sundquist, who has been a proponent of an Elvis stamp, said that Frank then wrote him a letter, conceding that Presley rates a stamp on the merits of his music and popularity. Frank reiterated his concern about Presley’s drug use but nonetheless told Sundquist: “My guess is that we will commence a series of stamps on popular American music and that Mr. Presley will be represented in this series.” Presley’s estate has exclusive rights to the use of his name and likeness but it has agreed to let the Postal Service use Presley’s image without paying royalties. An estate spokeswoman has said that the Presley depicted on the stamp will be the slim Presley of the 1950s and 1960s, not the heftier Elvis of the 1970s.