As is the case with a few early Elvis appearances, the devil is in the details, but at some point in late 1954, Elvis made an appearance at Memphis State College. In Elvis Day by Day, November 8th is described as the "most likely" day. Other sources cite November 3rd as a possibility. According to Guralnick, Elvis appeared alone (no Scotty or Bill) at the Student Government Association's blood drive. However, the date is listed on Scotty Moore's website as follows, which could indicate that Scotty was indeed present.
I haven't found much regarding this appearance besides a relatively well-known photo from the 1955 Memphis State yearbook, the DeSoto, where despite his recent Louisiana Hayride success (if the November 8th date is accurate) Elvis wasn't credited.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal ran the same photo, but with more context, including Elvis Presley the "radio-television star", which leaves me wondering about when in 1954 Elvis was on TV. I don't yet know the date this article was printed, but it does mention that the blood drive was a week-long event featuring "a series of jamborees" and it doesn't say which day the photo was taken.
Since our focus on this site is the current status of the venues Elvis played, Memphis State College is of course still around, though much expanded since 1954. In 1957 it became Memphis State University, and in 1994, University of Memphis.
I'm not sure where on campus the 1954 blood drive was held, but the current expanded grounds include the old Kennedy Veterans Hospital where Elvis also played at some point in 1954.
Sources:
Elvis Day by Day by Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen
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