Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
It was this day – Aug. 16 – 29 years ago that Elvis died at age 42. Funny how we’ve gone through most of the day and heard nary a mention of his passing. Elvis may be long gone, but Ashvegas still has plenty of love for the King of Rock’n’Roll.
So, how did Elvis leave his mark on Ashvegas? Let us recount some of the stories, now legend, that live on. No doubt you’ve heard these stories, or perphaps have some of your own. Enjoy. And long live the King.
Ashvegas in mourning
Elvis died just 10 days before he was set to perform in concert at the Asheville Civic Center. The center printed up a messload of tickets. A couple of years ago, the local media reported that the civic center still had dozens of the tickets kept in storage. We’ll have to check and see if the city still has those tickets. Maybe if the city sold them now on ebay, they could raise enough money to fix the creaky center.
Boob tube bust-up
In 1975, Elvis played a three-day series of concerts at the Civic Center. He and his posse stayed at a local hotel, the Rodeway Inn on Tunnel Road, and reserved more than 80 rooms.
Legend has it that Elvis got pissed off at the television, which wasn’t working properly, then whipped out a handgun and pumped a bullet into the TV. Elvis paid for the TV and took it with him.
Gifts that keep on giving
During the ’75 concerts, Elvis gave away a ton of booty. He handed out scarves. He handed out two chunky diamond rings. And he handed a young Mike Harris a custom-made Gibson guitar. Harris still owns the guitar and keeps it in an Ashvegas bank vault for safe-keeping. Here’ how it went down, according to a Mountain Xpress story from 2005:
At first, Elvis’ band went through the usual motions: The theme from 2001 set the scene, then the lights came up and there was Elvis. “He just strode across the stage,” Harris remembered in a recent interview with Xpress. “Charlie Hodge, his back-man, put the guitar over him.”
The instrument was one of Elvis’ favorite six-strings, a personalized Gibson he’d commissioned back in 1968. His name was engraved in the guitar’s neck in a mother-of-pearl inlay. The body was as black as his hair – except for the Kenpo Karate sticker he’d pasted on beneath the lacquer. He’d played it in shows all over the country, and in several of his movies.
Elvis strummed and sang for a moment, then made a move that even his most ardent fans couldn’t have expected.
“He was in his opening number,” Harris remembers. “After he finished the first verse, they went into a break and he stopped, looked straight at me, walked over to the edge of the stage, and said, ‘Here, this is yours.'”
And with that, Elvis pulled the guitar over his head and placed it in Harris’ hands.
The 1975 concerts weren’t the first time Elvis set foot in Ashvegas. Elvis came to play the old City Auditorium in 1955. Here’s an excerpt from a great remembrance:
We were seated somewhere in the front few rows of the Asheville City Auditorium (which is now renamed Thomas Wolfe Auditorium). Some girls behind us were screaming for “Elvis” so that we could not fully enjoy all the acts on before him.
Finally, he hit that stage wide open. He had on a rose, almost red, suit…white buck shoes, and I believe his shirt was pink. … He swaggered over to the piano and stuck a big wad of gum on the side of it. He turned to the audience and asked that we not let him forget his gum. After making us laugh at his remarks, he proceeded to sing “That’s All Right Mama”, “Shake Rattle and Roll”…and those are the only ones I still remember.
Elvis came over to the corner of the stage after the show and signed autographs and answered questions for the fans. Believe it or not, very few people hung around for that. I could not stay as my boyfriend became ill near the end of the show and went to the car. At the end we all rushed out to check on him. I admit I stood there debating whether to run up to the stage for a minute, but my concern got the better of me and I left with the others. One of my friends who did go up told me he had the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She had a signed program or picture, but has since passed away.
Elvis obit, as written by the Washington Post
One person’s remembrance of Elvis concert in Ashvegas
Concert photos of Elvis in Ashvegas
More concert photos of Elvis in Ashvegas
Still more photos of Elvis concert in Ashvegas
Well-written, comprehensive Mountain Xpress piece on Elvis in Ashvegas
Photos – Harold J. Newton
Great Post, Ash. Elvis’ Deathday has always been special to me. Seriously.
I remember the day well. I was 17 and living near Portland, Maine. Elvis’s tour was to have kicked off there in a day or two. His advance entourage had reserved the top two floors at the Sheraton in South Portland. Intitial local reports of his death were innaccurate and had him dying in Portland. Before the report was clarified it was supposedly quite a zoo in the hotel. We high school kids thought Elvis was from our parents generation, so we didn’t get too excited.
The Nu-wray Inn in Burnsville claims Elvis stayed there in the late ’60’s. Supposedly he showed up one evening, asked for a room, and left the next morning. I’ve always wondered if it’s true since he seems to have stayed in more places than George Washington.
for as long as i can remember, the word "elvis" has been in my vocabulary – as a verb. i.e., "my computer monitor started going haywire, so i elvised it with my .38"
thanks for posting this – i’ve always been fascinated by this little piece of asheville folklore.