It had been five years since I was last in Memphis, having drove from Kentucky after hearing the news of his passing on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42.
Even five years later there were so many unanswered questions and we still were dealing with the reality that such a man, such an entertainer, had been so unhealthy and wasn’t able to work though the depression, the dependency, and the tolls that each one put on Elvis the man – the father – the son – the employer – and even the entertainer. As fans we loved him nonetheless.
The crowds were from all over the world. With folded signs, overflowing flowers, and even giant cards where everywhere the crowd turned.
We all waited to start the tour that we had been reading about, hearing about, and planned. We didn’t have the internet or iphones but we had the post office and we had access to CB radios and boy did it help. Short wave radios were another tool to be used in our communication arsenal.
With the announcement of the EPE employee of ” welcome to Graceland Elvis Memphis home the tour will start in a few minutes”.
What was inside those walls? We knew abut the false walls. We knew about the secret driveway through the Church and we even knew about the “top secret” storage area on the Graceland grounds which was (a) not part of the tour and (b) never discussed by any staff.
TO BE CONTINUED
Jeff Schrembs
http://www.ElvisCollector.info
http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org
