NEW CONTRACTS AND NEW MANAGERS COLONEL TOM PARKER ENTERS THE SCENE On January 1, 1955, Elvis signs a contract with Bob Neal, who becomes his manager. A publicity photo is taken of the signing of the contract, in which Elvis…
Elvis performs at the great festivals of the South – First appearances at “Lousiana Hayride” – Elvis appears for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry on October 2, 1954, not with much luck. They perform the B-side of their…
ELVIS WORKS AT CROWN ELECTRIC, WHILE THE GROUP PLAYS IN SMALL CLUBS. Sam Phillips, gives DJ Dewey Phillips of WHBQ radio located at the Chisca Hotel in Memphis, an acetate of Elvis’s new song. The Dewey Phillips show plays the…
THAT’S ALL RIGHT MAMA, JULY 5, 1954.. EVERYTHING WOULD CHANGE. Elvis meets up with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, but nothing really important comes up until July 5, when after a tedious session, in which they play ballad after ballad,…
AUDITION FOR SAM PHILLIPS On June 6, 1954, at the suggestion of Marion Keisker, who certainly believed in the young Presley’s possibilities, Sam Phillips called Elvis to return to the studio and try to sing a song that Sam hoped…
THE RECORDING OF THE SECOND ACETATE “I’LL NEVER STAND IN YOUR WAY“ Elvis recorded another demo acetate on the Sun. Sam Phillips, the owner at the time, and Marion Keisker, were intrigued by the young man’s unique look and sound. Elvis changed…
THE BIRTH OF A MYTH In Tupelo, Mississippi, shortly before dawn, in a two-bedroom house built by her husband, Vernon Presley, and her brother-in-law, Gladys Presley gives birth to twin sons. The first, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. The second, Elvis…
Elvis Presley has faced crazy audiences in the past, but he sure was a nervous wreck when he met a mere 150 people on December 17, 1963, in the Mayor’s office in Memphis, Tennessee. He was there not to entertain…
Elvis Presley found what would become the Circle G Ranch in February of 1967. He, Priscilla, and a few others were in Mississippi to buy a horse for Elvis’ father Vernon. While driving back to Graceland, something caught The King’s…
Elvis and his friend Nick Adams visited Elvis’s former teacher, Mildred Scrivener. Mrs. Scrivener was Elvis’ senior teacher at Humes High School in Memphis, and responsible for enrolling Elvis in Humes’ annual “Minstrel” show, which took place on April 9,…
On Wednesday, May 25, 1955, Elvis attends to the third annual memorial celebration of Jimmie Rodgers, the “Father of Country Music” universally recognized in his hometown. The next day, all the artists participate in the parade, including Elvis, and later…
Anita Wood, with her blonde hair and big smile, reminded some in Elvis Presley’s inner circle of Marilyn Monroe. They thought she was destined to be Mrs. Elvis Presley. Wood, who dated Elvis from 1957 to 1962, knew he dated…
