Remembering exactly when and where I learned that Elvis had died is easy. I was a radio disc jockey at a small AM station, making a very modest living but livin’ the dream. All alone in the building, sort of like Wolfman Jack at the end of American Graffiti, I was on the air when I heard the AP teletype alarm bell ringing in the hall. Whatever the news was, it was obviously big, so I ran out to see what it was while a record was playing.
I read the terse announcement, went back to the console, turned on the mic, and did a stunned “rip and read.” Giving the news all of the gravity that I could muster, putting some emotion in my voice, I announced the news from Memphis, Tennessee, that Elvis Presley was dead, at age 42.
Immediately I cued up “Heartbreak Hotel,” then I ran to a closet where the BBC History of Rock and Roll set on reel-to-reel tape was stored. I grabbed the Elvis tape then ran to the production studio. After that I was frantically jumping between the on-air studio, the AP machine, and the production studio. Soon, I had a bunch of carts (cartridges, sort of like 8-track tapes but much better and very rugged) with sound clips from various artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, talking about Elvis. I played these in between Elvis songs while reading the updates as they came across the wire. I thought my impromptu Elvis tribute came off pretty well. The next day the program manager said he “liked it and thought it was really good.”
(An aside for Cactus Lizzie, who worked with me at the station: Can you believe that Mike Dion actually said that? It was the only time he ever praised me.)
OK, so let’s hear some Elvis Presley. This is Elvis live at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, May 6, 1956, taken from a black piece of plastic with grooves that I own. The classic Elvis line-up is Scotty Moore — guitar; Bill Black — bass; D. J. Fontana — drums. Thirteen minutes of Elvis in his prime, playing it loose for an audience that must have thought the kid was from Mars. Note the celebrities that Elvis points out.
Wow! A comment that’s longer than the post itself! Thanks, Liz.
I was so new to the game I honestly didn’t stop to consider that I was breaking format. Before then I’d done college radio, and my only “pro” experience was filling in at the all-news station the next city over, so I was inspired and I ran with it. These days, with cell phones, even if the program director weren’t around it would be easy to find out what he wants to do when there’s a big event.
I’m glad you included a picture of Elvis’ birth place in Tupelo, Mississippi, a town which is famous for its honey. I’ll never forget our trip, designed to purposely swing by The King’s former home, before heading on to Memphis.
Elvis’ birth home was basically one of those “shot gun” houses: you could theoretically fire a shot gun in the open front door and have it discharge all the way out and through the open back door lined up with the front door. As I recall, it was a 2 room house. There was a living area – including for sleeping, I believe – in the front, and a kitchen room in the back. That was it.
There was a sort of caretaker woman there, watching over the place and the tourists. I remember her saying, “Well, Elvis WAS love.” And I thought, “Hoo boy, this one is a REAL Elvis fanatic!” I wasn’t about to argue with her, that’s for sure!!! I don’t think she would’ve appreciated a return comment from me that I think “GOD is love, and His way a much better way to model one’s life on, rather than the mess Elvis made of HIS life!!!”
When we drove north to Memphis and visited Graceland, I understood the gaudy, garish way in which it was decorated. Elvis didn’t have any background of money or education, so to him, his style of interior decorating was just fun and vibrant and colorful. But it certainly wasn’t what would generally be called tasteful.
Hearing the news of Elvis’ death: I remember I was in the middle of cleaning out the bathtub in Amherst, Mass., not too long after our arrival there, and months before I landed the job at the radio station where we later worked together, Doug.
Not only am I surprised that Mike Dion actually complimented you on your good job of doing the Elvis tribute, but I am stunned by the fact that he let you break format so completely. As I found out later, radio program directors can be just SO uptight about that!!!
Here’s my personal example: My next radio D.J. job was at another tiny radio station near the New Jersey shore. I had a mid-day radio shift, same as in Mass. The Philadelphia Phillies were in the World Series that year. Ashford and Simpson had re-recorded their big hit, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” using all lyrics about the Phillies being in the World Series. It was a huge deal at the time.
A friend of mine who worked as a D.J. in a top Philadelphia radio station gave me a cart with this special lyrics song on it, to use at my little station. I stuck it into the cart machine about 11 a.m. The next thing I knew, my very young (younger than me) program director came storming into the control room. “Where did you get that???” he fumed angrily. Truthfully, he seemed more jealous than anything else, that I had an “exclusive” piece of music. He sternly reminded me that we weren’t supposed to play the regular hit of “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” until after one, or maybe it was 2 p.m. And he chastised me for not clearing the use of this unapproved song with him, before airing it…even though it was the same melody sung by the same group, that we already played regularly. No matter: Station format rules!!! Just because these lyrics were all about the Phillies playing the World Series was no exception, to change ANYTHING!!!
These days, if I were still working in radio as a D.J., I wouldn’t even consider doing what you did, without checking with the program director first. The spontaneity and creativity has mostly been scrubbed out of all radio play. The last place I was a D.J. at, in Philadelphia, had all the songs listed in exact order on a computerized print-out sheet, and that was all you were allowed to play. Some highly paid, independent radio consultant figures out the system that’s supposedly best for your radio playlist, and you’re stuck with it…Unless you don’t care about possibly losing your job that day.