Photo by Rebecca Saye/Special to the News Sentinel
Rebecca Saye remembers being a 9th-grader boarding the train with friends that carried Elvis Presley in Greeneville, Tenn., in 1957. She said he kissed her and her friends when they departed and she didn't wash her face for six weeks.
Photo by Rebecca Saye/Special to the News Sentinel
Rebecca Saye remembers being a 9th-grader boarding the train with friends that carried Elvis Presley in Greeneville, Tenn., in 1957. She said he kissed her and her friends when they departed and she didn't wash her face for six weeks.
Editor's Note: Betty H. Smith of Knoxville and Rebecca Saye of Harriman remember Elvis, who would have turned 75 years old on Friday, Jan. 8.
Rebecca Saye, Harriman
In 1957, I was in the 9th grade in Greeneville Junior High School, and a huge Elvis fan. At that time Elvis would travel only by train, and he would go through Greeneville from Memphis to NY to be on the Ed Sullivan show.
Several mornings during the week that he was to appear on the Sullivan show, my daddy would be late for work, and take me and a friend of mine to the train station to see if Elvis was on the train. Of course, we would be late for school too, but important things like Elvis came first. He didn't come during the week, but on Saturday, he came through. We were waiting, and got our tickets and boarded the train. We had tickets to go as far as Johnson City, where my daddy was going to pick us up. Unfortunately, Elvis was asleep during that trip, but we talked to several people who had seen and heard him until late into the night.
On Sunday, he was on the now famous "shown above the hips" episode of Ed Sullivan.
On Monday night my one friend, and 2 others, decided that we would go to the Greeneville train station again, but when we got there the word was out that he was coming through, and there were a lot of people there. We already had our plans made beforehand, so we went to get our tickets. This time to Morristown., since he was headed back to Memphis. While everyone else was screaming for him, and he was signing autographs for the others,( as seen in the pictures), the four of us girls boarded the train, and when it left the station, we were there with Elvis waving to everyone.
He and his friends, who later became know as the Memphis Mafia, went back to the dining car, and we were able to sit at the table across from them. He had on the deep red suede jacket that he wore on one of his record covers. We all got autographs, and I got a sprig of parsley, and a piece of bread that he had eaten off of.. He kissed us as we left the train, and I didn't wash my face for six weeks. I can't remember now why I broke down and finally washed it. The event was written up in the Greeneville Sun, as well as the Knoxville Sentinel.
I was able to see Elvis in two concerts much later on. One in Nashville, and one in Murfreesboro. I was married with children by then, but I still screamed when he moved. I will never forget getting to ride on the train with him, and it was fun when we were able to take our granddaughters to Graceland and remember how it once was.
Betty Smith, Knoxville
Photo courtesy Betty Smith
From left, Elaine Owens Pust and Joan Owens of Fitzgerald, GA., with Betty H. Smith, at the Smith home in Alcoa in 1972. They were ready to go to Knoxville for the Elvis concert.
Photo courtesy Betty Smith
Gerald and Betty Smith ready to leave Alcoa home for 1972 Elvis concert.
Having been devoted Elvis fans since 1958-59, my husband Gerald and I were very excited when we read that Elvis would be making a concert appearance in Knoxville!
The year was 1972, and tickets went on sale at the U.T. Student Center. We took shifts standing in line all night outside the Student Center so that we could be in a position to get good seats.
The line fronted Cumberland Ave. as I recall. Some relatives from our hometown of Fitzgerald, GA, drove up for this concert. Two nieces of Gerald, Joan Owens and Elaine Owens Pust, were particularly crazy about Elvis.
We girls had a great time getting ready and all wore popular go-go hotpants with white faux leather knee-high boots to the concert.
When the music from "2001, A Space Odyssey" blared out for the entrance of Elvis, the air was electrified with energy! Then when he began singing, "C.C. Rider," we could not believe we were actually hearing a live concert with Elvis. There was so much excitement as he went through our favorite songs, including "Burning Love."
He was a wonderful performer and loved his audiences. We saw Elvis again in Knoxville in 1974 and 1977. We were saddened to see his deteriorated physical condition in 1977. It was hard to believe he had gone downhill so quickly. His voice was still strong on some of the songs, but his karate kicks and other physical moves were less impressive. On a few songs, he forgot or slurred words...we were sad but still happy to see a live performance.
About three months after the Knoxville concert in 1977, Elvis died.
© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 1
brauhuff#295403 writes:
I was at all of those concerts as well in 1972, 1974 and 1977. Those were great days. They will never be another ELVIS. Maybe that is the way it should be.
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