Elvis in Love
“Goodnight, Georgeann, love you forever and ever.”
“‘Night, Elvis; me, too. Love forever. “
Elvis did not hang up. He continued combing his hair.
“Remember the first time when I wore my pink, ruffled dress shirt to school over the black slacks?”
“Well, yes. No one said a word. It was like they were all frozen - because your clothing looked a little bit different.”
“Yep. Truth is, I’m Not exactly the same as my classmates.”
“So true, Elvis.”
Will talk to you, baby, tomorrow. Wish me the best.”
“Elvis Presly,” said the Shreveport Times reporter, “tell us your age and occupation.”
“I’m a singer from Memphis and I’m on the road as an entertainer for the first time. Also, I’m age 19.”
“And we understand that you are to make your debut on the Louisiana Hayride show this weekend.”
Elvis, making a continuing drum role with his fingers on the table:
“That’s right. It’s my first time . . . on a stage this big. And this far from home.”
“You’ve got a record out in Memphis.”
“Yessir, I do. It’s on Sun Records. One side is “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” the other side is “That’s Alright, Mama.”
“We’ve been told that you’ve got something special in your performance - that’s worth seeing.” “Well, thank you, sir. I sure hope so.”
The 3-story brick edifice of the Municipal Auditorium is at the corner of Grand Ave and Milam St. Bel Airs and Belvederes were being parked along Milam St and broad Texas Ave. Men in gabardine slacks and women in shirtwaist dresses were laughing as they exited their sedans. Many of the cars had Texas license plates. Fun was in the air.
Backstage was crowded with carefully dressed performers. The Hayride was a country music variety show. Some 30 to 40 performers had parts in the show. All assemble on the stage to sing the welcome song. “Gather ‘round, everybody,”
Elvis, Scotty and Bill: 2 guitars and a stand-up bass.