A Boy From Tupelo wrote:It was a constant challenge to try and expand the range of cities for Elvis to work. An invitiation to go to Cleveland was most welcome. They drove up in Bob Neal's car and stopped at radio stations on the way, at least the one in Pocohontas, Arkansas.
Tommy Edwards, DJ at WERE in Cleveland: "Although Bill Randle was the undisputed kingpin of the Cleveland area radio scene at that time, I discovered Elvis and bought him to Cleveland."
Edwards arranged for Elvis to meet with Bill Randle, who was also a top DJ at WCBS in New York and consequently commuted between the two cities. "I went in and said: "I got this kid out here,' and Randle said, 'OK, I'll get to him.' So we must've waited 20-25 minutes, and then he gave Elvis a perfunctory little interview, two minutes or so. He sloughed him off, in other words, which was an indication that he didn't think much of him either. This was the first appearance by Elvis in Cleveland. But the second time he came out, Randle's attitude had completely changed.
Comparing the above with the following excerpt and you'd think the two were occasions years apart:
'Last Train To Memphis' by Peter Guralnick wrote:They did the interview down at WERE studio that night, as Randle played all three of Presley's Sun records and was altogether won over. "He was extremely shy, talked about Pat Boone and Bill Haley as idols, and called me Mr. Randle. Very gentlemanly, very interesting, he knew a lot about music and the people and the personalities in Memphis, and it was very exciting." He was almost equally impressed by Bob Neal. "Bob Neal to my mind was a really interesting person. He was very bright. He was a country disc jockey, but he was also a businessman-entrepreneur-hustler - but with a lot of class." Randle invited Neal to stay over at his place, and they stayed up much of the night talking. By the end of the evening Randle was convinced that Neal "had a big artist on his way," and he gave Neal the name of a contact in song publishing who he thought could help get Presley a tryout on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. When they parted in the morning, Randle wished Neal luck with his boy and said he hoped he'd get a chance to see him perform when they returned to Cleveland and the Circle Theater the following month. Then Randle had his Sunday afternoon radio show to do, and Neal and the boys had along drive back to Memphis.
There were two shows in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Circle Theater's Hillbilly Jamboree. Also appearing with Elvis Presley was Jimmy Work. The movie theater was located at Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street. Stage shows began at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m., with a pair of movies sandwiched between. The films this evening were both westerns, "Johnny Guitar" starring Joan Crawford and the obscure B-movie "Texas Uprising". Elvis Presley was booked on the Hillbilly Jamboree by Tommy Edwards "The City Slicker Turned Country Boy" of WERE radio who also acted a emcee for the show. Elvis and his band were paid a total of $ 4150.
The show that night went fine. Elvis Presley remained largely unheralded in Cleveland, but if Bob Neal had been apprehensive about a northern audience's receptivity to this new music, his fears were quickly put to rest. Elvis Presley went over the same as he had throughout the South; the young people went wild, and the older folks covered their mouths. Bill Black's souvenir photo sales were brisk, as he mixed easily with the fans and made change from his money belt, and Tommy Edwards sold a fair number of their records in the lobby.
Elvis Presley the following songs that night: "I Forgot To Remember To Forget", "That's All Right", "Blue Moon Of Kentucky", and "Good Rockin' Tonight".
Following the show, Elvis Presley was taken by Edwards to the studios of WERE radio on 12th Street where he was introduced to Bill Randle, a popular disc jockey. Randle broadcast rock and roll weekdays on WERE from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. On Saturday he flew to New York City where he could be heard coast-to-coast over the CBS Radio Network. He returned to Cleveland on Saturday nights to broadcast locally beginning at 11:00 p.m. On this particular Saturday, Randle interviewed Elvis sometime after 11 o'clock. This interview may have aired "live", or it may have been taped for broadcast at a later time. There are minor differences in the versions of the story, and Randle is said to have a tape of the interview.
As a result, there were inquiries made to Sam Phillips from northern one-stop record distributors about the availability of Elvis' records. Places like Al Smith's Record Bar in South Bend, Indiana, ordered Presley's records and advertised them extensively. This mailorder house listed Presley's "Milkcow Blues", the store's name for "Milkcow Blues Boogie" as one of their ten best-selling songs. In Hammond, Indiana, Elvis Presley records were sold in a small shop as a result of the owner's trip to Louisiana. Having caught Elvis on the "Hayride", he had eagerly brought back early Presley releases to put on sale in his record repair shop.
Jimmy Work's biggest country hit was his first release, "Makin' Believe" on Dot Records. He had eight singles on the label through 1957. In 1959, he also recorded two singles for All Records