23rd October 1958, Thursday
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silverwings
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Private Presley
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Re: 23rd October 1958, Thursday
October 23, 1958
After meeting back in 1955, Bill Haley and Elvis Presley remained friends and there was genuine mutual admiration of one for the other. So when Bill Haley was on tour in Germany in 1958 with shows scheduled at Wiesbaden (near Frankfurt) and Mannheim, Elvis made a point of taking time away from his military service to attend both shows.
Bill Haley’s show was much anticipated and the performance at the Rhein-Main-Hall was sold out. A local paper described his coming to Wiesbaden as one that will “set the teenagers of Wiesbaden into rhythmic ecstasy!” Bill Haley had invented his own style, a combination of Dixieland, Hillbilly Blues and pop songs. Then he started doing movies like “Blackboard Jungle” and “Rock Around The Clock”. Bill Haley’s world-wide hit “Rock Around The Clock” made him famous and had already sold 18 million copies. And “Shake, Rattle and Roll” or “Dim, Dim The Lights” already reached sales of several millions copies. Bill Haley’s name on the marquee alone guarantees that there will be no empty seat in the Rhein-Main-Hall!
However, the director of Rhein-Main-Hall, decided to also invite Elvis Presley to the concert and of course Elvis would not miss the opportunity to see his friend. The possibility of a pandemonium with both Haley and Elvis being at the same venue must have crossed their minds but was quickly dismissed. However, they did decide to keep Elvis’ visit mum.
When Elvis arrived at the concert on October 23, 1958, it was felt that Elvis’ presence in the audience could have encouraged even more hysteria and it was therefore suggested that Elvis should watch the show from a backstage area and limit himself to visiting Haley in his dressing room.
The taxi driver who drove Elvis and his entourage, including his dad and a couple of friends, described the incident as follows:
“We all stood behind the stage during the concert and watched. In his family and friends circle, Elvis was called "El", and Bill Haley greeted him with "Hey, El!”! We parked the taxi at the back entrance. But somehow word had spread among the fans that Elvis was with Bill. When the concert was over we went to our taxi and we could barely see it - so many fans had gathered. Fortunately, the police were also there and cleared the way to the street. A police sergeant wished us good luck for the trip home!"
Elvis and Bill Haley remained friends and it is said that they would still hook up right into the 70s if they were playing Vegas at the same time.
After meeting back in 1955, Bill Haley and Elvis Presley remained friends and there was genuine mutual admiration of one for the other. So when Bill Haley was on tour in Germany in 1958 with shows scheduled at Wiesbaden (near Frankfurt) and Mannheim, Elvis made a point of taking time away from his military service to attend both shows.
Bill Haley’s show was much anticipated and the performance at the Rhein-Main-Hall was sold out. A local paper described his coming to Wiesbaden as one that will “set the teenagers of Wiesbaden into rhythmic ecstasy!” Bill Haley had invented his own style, a combination of Dixieland, Hillbilly Blues and pop songs. Then he started doing movies like “Blackboard Jungle” and “Rock Around The Clock”. Bill Haley’s world-wide hit “Rock Around The Clock” made him famous and had already sold 18 million copies. And “Shake, Rattle and Roll” or “Dim, Dim The Lights” already reached sales of several millions copies. Bill Haley’s name on the marquee alone guarantees that there will be no empty seat in the Rhein-Main-Hall!
However, the director of Rhein-Main-Hall, decided to also invite Elvis Presley to the concert and of course Elvis would not miss the opportunity to see his friend. The possibility of a pandemonium with both Haley and Elvis being at the same venue must have crossed their minds but was quickly dismissed. However, they did decide to keep Elvis’ visit mum.
When Elvis arrived at the concert on October 23, 1958, it was felt that Elvis’ presence in the audience could have encouraged even more hysteria and it was therefore suggested that Elvis should watch the show from a backstage area and limit himself to visiting Haley in his dressing room.
The taxi driver who drove Elvis and his entourage, including his dad and a couple of friends, described the incident as follows:
“We all stood behind the stage during the concert and watched. In his family and friends circle, Elvis was called "El", and Bill Haley greeted him with "Hey, El!”! We parked the taxi at the back entrance. But somehow word had spread among the fans that Elvis was with Bill. When the concert was over we went to our taxi and we could barely see it - so many fans had gathered. Fortunately, the police were also there and cleared the way to the street. A police sergeant wished us good luck for the trip home!"
Elvis and Bill Haley remained friends and it is said that they would still hook up right into the 70s if they were playing Vegas at the same time.
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