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Elvis' star
was quickly rising, as 'Country Music's Mr. Rhythm' was now signed to
an exclusive deal with RCA Victor. On a bill that featured Mother Maybelle
and the Carter Sisters among others, Elvis was again top of the bill, just
coming off his third appearance on the Dorsey Brothers' "Stage Show."
According to Bill "Tex" Davis (an early promoter of country music in Norfolk
and now a Nashville honcho), Elvis' announcement of the Norfolk shows on
Saturday night's Dorsey Brothers "Stage Show" caused a near riot the next
day at the auditorium's box office. Also, said Davis, Elvis felt
misunderstood in the Norfolk area, but felt after these shows on the 12th he
had " made it!"
Elvis was also interviewed by the Oscar High School radio station WFOS, the
first high school FM station in the U.S., and still on the air. According to
Steve Jones (the young man with the headphones) the WFOS engineer, Ray
Pulley conducted the interview.
Raymond H. Pulley was a professor of history at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1966-1973, and at Appalachian State University,
1973-1995. While a student at Oscar Frommel Smith High School in South
Norfolk, Va., 1955-1957, Pulley worked as an engineer and disc jockey at the
student-run radio station WFOS-FM, hosting The Cuzin' Ray Hoedown, a daily
two-hour program that featured rock and roll, country, and hillbilly music.
Elvis performed at the Paramount Theater in Newport News the next day,
getting a ticket for driving backwards down Washington Avenue.
Listing from the Pilot for Saturday evening's TV
entertainment showing Elvis on the Dorsey Brothers show.
Here's a
Video link
for that 'night before Norfolk' performance:
Here's an exciting find:
Scotty Moore's website has a
completely
awesome and well-researched illustrated page on this set of shows and the
1955 shows as well as a nice bit about the auditorium itself, along with
audio of the interview being conducted at left, as well as one with the
Carter Sisters.
Looks like Scotty's researchers hit the same microfilm spools
at the Kirn Library that I did, because they've got some of the same
ad reproductions (right down to the scratches!).
Elvis with Oscar Smith radio team
