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Elvis' date for the senior prom was the current girl he was courting, a 14-year-old named Regis Wilson, a pretty and petite blonde with a big smile.
Regis had a crush on Elvis, who she considered "a gentle soul, but all boy — he kind of had this swagger to him." Elvis dressed differently than his classmates, often donning extremely colourful, loud pants and shirts, not at all the fashion for the typical male in the conservative '50s. "He would show up in outfits that were so flashy I would open the door and blink my eyes," recalled Regis in a book by Alanna Nash about the women in Elvis' life.
His hair was already unorthodox—heavily greased and slicked back into a ducktail, including sideburns running almost down to his chin. Still bearing the last vestiges of teenage acne on his face, though, Elvis was so shy he would sometimes stutter when faced with certain social situations. But if Elvis felt like an alien among other teenagers most of the time, he was never so out of place than on the night of his senior prom at the swanky (and segregated) Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis.
"It was the most exciting thing I had ever done," recalled Regis. " I felt like Cinderella getting ready to go to the Royal Ball." The excited 14-year-old had picked out a pink taffeta dress for $14.98 and accessorized it with pink shoes. Strapped for money, she had her hair done for free at the beauty college across the street from the Peabody. As she sat in the beauty chair, she excitedly looked at the Peabody Hotel across the street and said to herself, "Just think, in a few hours from now I'll be back here all dressed up."
Although most of the other boys wore white tuxedos, Elvis chose a relatively conservative dark blue suit, but he did have on a pair of blue suede shoes (no kidding!). He showed up at Regis' door in a shiny rented Chevy, also dark blue, paid for with the money he had saved by ushering at the local movie theater. Shyly, as Regis blushed, Elvis pinned a pink carnation corsage on her dress.
| As the couple entered the Continental Ballroom (right) at the Peabody, the band was playing, and couples were already out on the dance floor. But Elvis steered Regis to a seat and offered her a Coke. "I can't dance," Elvis apologized shyly. (Regis remembers him perspiring under his jacket.) Regis took it that he didn't dance because he was so religious and sweetly replied, "That's all right." And so they sat out the entire night, talking and sipping on soda pop while watching the other couples. |
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Finally, they lined up with all the other couples for the grand march, stepping through a mammoth heart as their names were called and their picture was taken. In the photo (left), Regis manages a half-smile, but Elvis looks as stiff as a soldier, peering solemnly into the camera. Elvis apparently made no attempts to socialize. But Elvis promised Regis they'd have more fun afterward at Leonard's Barbeque, where they'd meet some of his pals and go on to a party. They drove out and waited, but nobody ever showed. Regis could tell it bothered him, and finally, chagrined, Elvis took her home. |
Regis' mother, financially strapped, had decided to move the family to Florida to live with her relatives. Regis said she was "embarrassed" to tell Elvis she was moving. She couldn't bring herself to tell him how bad their financial situation was. Besides, she recalled, "Girls didn't call boys in those days," so she never said goodbye.
In the family's move to Florida, Regis lost her photo from their prom date. But Elvis always kept his, and a few years later his mother gave a copy to a fan magazine. By then, Elvis Presley was a teen heartthrob and a national sensation, with very specific dance moves all his own.
23rd May 1953
| Ronald Smith was at it again. With virtually no notice, he booked "his band", including Elvis Presley, to play a private party at Lodge Banquet, downtown Memphis' Columbia Mutual Towers on Main Street, just north of Court Square. This Saturday night engagement took place during the Annual Cotton Festival in Memphis. One of Ronald's friends Mary Scott, had suggested that her dad hire a teenage band to play at the Columbia Mutual Towers. Ronald Smith and Elvis Presley joined with Ray and James Damon Secton to play in the activity room at the twelve-story Columbia Mutual Towers building. The dance was an adult affair, and the band stuck primarily to country and pop tunes. Elvis Presley was delighted with his job. |
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"I called Raymond and Damon Sexton. They were both singers", said Smith. "I got Johnny Fine on bass. Then Mary Scott, who had told me about this gig, mentioned Elvis Presley. I called him and told him we would each be making three or four dollars for the night and if he wanted, he could join us up there. When Elvis Presley showed up, Raymond and Damon and Fine huddled on the corner outside the building. They said they didn't want to go on if Elvis were going to be on stage also. So, just Elvis and I ended up performing".
"Lee Adkins was playing in the regular band at the Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street, which was up on the second floor, and we were to playing during that band's intermissions". "I wasn't scared at all. I had been playing at KWEM radio with Scotty Moore and Bill Black even before Elvis met them. Anyway, just the two of us went on. There wasn't anything Elvis couldn't sing bluegrass, country, gospel. He was nervous that night, but years later he learned to turn that nervousness into a positive and let it work for him. He was so nervous he kept dropping his guitar pick and one time he said, 'I'm just going to leave it there', and kept on picking and singing".
"I think he was nervous because he wanted to be accepted. He sang Marty Robbins, he sang "Crying In The Chapel, "Money Honey", "Tryin' To Get To You". We sang the intermissions and, man, they were long intermissions", said Ronald Smith.