January 18, 2005
LONDON - Elvis Presley's music lives on - and continues to set records in Britain - taking the No. 1 position on the country's singles chart.
The weekly singles hit parade - first started in Britain in 1952 - reached its 1,000th week Sunday with Presley's rereleased 1959 hit "One Night" claiming the milestone No. 1 position.
The track, one of 18 Elvis hits being rereleased to commemorate what would have been his 70th year, was joined by another Elvis favorite "Jailhouse Rock," also recently rereleased, which came in at No. 10.
By storming to No. 1, "One Night" became Presley's 20th No. 1 hit on the British charts - a record in itself. The Beatles only managed 17 No. 1 hits.
Presley had his first No. 1 hit on the British charts in 1957 with "All Shook Up."
His success Sunday surprised bookmakers, who were forced to shell out to bettors who had backed the King on long odds to claim the 1,000th No. 1.
"To our knowledge this is the first time that an Elvis bet has taken us to the cleaners, as the majority of Elvis bets we take are for him to be found alive," said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill bookmakers.
