Earl Freudenberg - “Elvis Presley Lives On In Our Hearts”

August 16, 1977, the Associated Press Bulletin read, “Police in Memphis, Tennessee say Elvis Presley, the Mississippi boy whose country rock guitar and gyrating hips launched a new style in popular music, died this afternoon at Baptist Hospital. He was 42 years old.”

The AP’s Joe Edwards in Nashville wrote this bulletin and said Elvis’ death was one of the hardest stories to cover during his 40 plus year career for the wire service.

Chattanooga radio and TV stations broke in with the news that one of our favorite singers from Tupelo, Mississippi, had died.

The late Tommy Jett was on the air at WDOD Radio when he interrupted his record and read the AP Bulletin. Jett immediately started playing Elvis selections for the rest of his afternoon program. The first song after announcing the bulletin was “How Great Thou Art,” by Elvis. The station’s telephone lines were busy for the next few hours with listeners expressing shock and disbelief.

TV News Anchor David Carroll, who wrote the book, “Hello Chattanooga,” said he could never find any record of Elvis Presley singing here.

Mr. Carroll’s book said Elvis was part of a tour group that performed at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in 1955, but the author said there’s no account of an Elvis concert.

Retired WFLI station manager Johnny Eagle said the Brennen and Benns families, who owned WFLI and three other radio stations, tried very hard to get Elvis to come to Chattanooga. He said Elvis was offered a large amount of money to do a concert here but Colonel Tom Parker turned down the Brennen and Benns’ request.

Dr. Rick Stanley, Elvis’ half-brother, spent a year teaching at Tennessee Temple University. Dr. Stanley said the morning Elvis died, the singer had gone to his suite to rest up for a flight to Maine for an evening concert. Dr. Stanley said he had a long visit and talk about after life issues with Elvis the day before his death. Dr. Stanley said he’d left Graceland that morning for some appointments and, when he returned, there was an ambulance in front of the mansion; EMTs were bringing out his half-brother. Dr. Stanley said Elvis was taken to Baptist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead of heart failure.

Elvis passed through Chattanooga in 1956 by train. Pictures by Photographer Alfred Wertheimer show Elvis eating at the Chattanooga train station on South Market Street while waiting for the train to take him home to Memphis and also signing an autograph.

The late Dickie Mathews of Chattanooga played the piano for Gospel groups for over 70 years. Mathews recalled a July 4, 1955 evening in Dallas, Texas, when Elvis’ piano player didn’t show up. Mr. Mathews said he was on tour with the Deep South Quartet and, after they finished their concert, he was standing by the curtain when Elvis’ promoter asked him to play. Mathews said he just followed Elvis to center stage and acted like he’d been playing for him for years. When it was over Elvis told Mathews, “Good job, young man, thank you very much.”

Retired Chattanooga broadcaster Jerry Lingerfelt remembers the day Elvis was on the phone. He said Elvis called WDXB Radio to speak to his good friend Marty Lacker who was working the mid–day shift. Mr. Lingerfelt said a voice came on the line and said, “Hi Jerry, this is Elvis. Can I talk to Marty?” Mr. Lingerfelt said Elvis wanted Mr. Lacker, described as a member of the "Memphis Mafia," to return to work for him. Mr. Lingerfelt said Marty Lacker accepted Elvis’ offer, but did give the station a notice.

Chattanooga broadcaster Max O'Brien was working the overnights in the early 70’s at WDXB radio, whose studio was in the Read House basement. He said early one morning Elvis and some of his friends came into the station just to look around. He said he offered to put the popular singer on the air twice, but he declined. Mr. O'Brien said Elvis went into the station production room, looked around for half hour or so then thanked the DJ for letting him visit the station. Elvis told Max O'Brien that “sometimes he had trouble sleeping and just needed to walk around." He said Elvis then "thanked me and left.”

Chattanooga Funeral Home President Gene Pike has several Elvis memories. Mr. Pike said Elvis would visit the Memphis Funeral Home, owned by the same company as the Chattanooga Funeral Home. Mr. Pike said, “Our employees knew Elvis well and he even sang for several services.” Mr. Pike said the funeral home had just purchased new Cadillacs and Elvis told him, “One of these days I’ll own more of these than you folks.”

Mr. Pike said they had to bury Elvis twice; He was first interred in the Memphis Forest Hill Cemetery, but within a week his body was moved to Graceland because the cemetery was overwhelmed with visitors.

Mr. Pike said a few days after Elvis’ service he received a call from Vernon Presley inviting his family for a private tour of Graceland. For the Pikes it was a most exciting and very interesting visit. As the family left, Vernon Presley told a 10-year-old Stephen Pike, “You are a little Elvis.” The father gave the Pikes a large picture of Elvis that hangs on the wall in their home today. Mr. Pike said he got to know the entertainer very well and Elvis was probably the most famous person he’s buried.

Chattanooga Funeral Home secretary-treasurer the late Martha Ragland said she met Elvis with State Senator Anna Bell Clement O’Brien when they were invited to tour RCA Victor's famous Studio B in Nashville. Ms. Ragland was involved in planning the music for Elvis’ funeral with her friends J.D. Sumner and James Blackwood. Ms. Ragland said both were experiences she would forever remember.

Elvis received a weak reception from fans when he sang a rockabilly version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” during his first performance on the Grand Ole Opry, October 2, 1954. Trying to smooth things over, Ernest Tubb invited Elvis to the “Midnight Jamboree” at his music store around the corner from the Opry. After the program, Mr. Tubb said he told Elvis to stick to his dreams and the singer took that advice chalking up 149 songs on the Billboard Charts.

Elvis answered Uncle Sam’s call and served in the Army from 1958 to 1960; part of that time he was stationed in West Germany. Although the singer was forbidden from performing while in the military, Elvis visited the American Forces Network in Frankfurt several times. While this writer was stationed at AFNE in the early 70’s there was a signed picture of the singer hanging in a hallway.

The way radio and television handled Elvis’ death showed the singer’s enormous popularity. Now, 47 years later, RCA sales of Elvis records, CDs and DVDs continue to soar to over one billion around the world. The label recently released a collectors set of five CDs.

One of the popular channels established 20 years ago on Sirius XM is Elvis radio (channel 76). The channel, broadcasting from Graceland in Memphis, features the singer’s hits, rare recordings and live concerts.

This next week special events are planned in Memphis including the annual Aug. 15 candlelight vigil. Elvis movies will also be easily accessible on several cable channels.

During the month of August the question will be asked over and over, “Where were you when Elvis died? - much like when we heard President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

Why does the public continue to like Elvis so much? The answer may be found in the words of Elvis’ Uncle Festus, “My nephew was down to earth and never outgrew his raising.”