ELVIS LIVES

Although the December 10th Press-Scimitar advertised this as Elvis Presley's "last time in Memphis this year", it would in fact be Elvis' last ever time at the old faithful Eagle's Nest. If you've followed along with Elvis' earlier appearances at the Eagle's Nest, you'll note that the tone of the advertisements has changed by this point, and Elvis is now the main attraction.  You can  read more about the Eagle's Nest venue by clicking here,  and you can  see some famous Eagle's Nest photos taken by Elvis' aunt Clettes by clicking here.  For information on every Elvis date at the Eagle's Nest and more information on Sleepy Eyed John, Tiny Dixon, the Eagles, and the regular cast of Eagle's Nest characters, click the dropdown menu on the top right of this page and look in August, September, October, and November. Sources: Elvis Presley - Live 1954 Tour Dates - The Elvis years

On December 8th, Elvis played a "Christmas Jamboree" at a used-car lot in West Memphis called P and G's, but this has been one of the more elusive venues to nail down. The ad shown here ran in both the December 7th Memphis Press-Scimitar and the December 8th Memphis Commercial Appeal and lists the address as 1403 Broadway. If the street has not been renumbered, the 1403 Broadway location would be the red marker across from the Meadowbrook Country Club: My first impression was that this was probably the wrong place because there's not much out there. All the current businesses are to the right of Rich Road on the map, but out where the P and G's should be, it's all either houses or empty fields. Although it is only a vast expanse of dirt today (and I'm relying on google maps because I don't live anywhere near Arkansas) something caught my eye that lends credence to this actually being the P and G's location. In the photo above, and highlighted on t...

December 4th marked Elvis, Scotty, and Bill's sixth appearance on the Louisiana Hayride, hosted out of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, and that meant Elvis would be $18 richer. If you've been following along with the previous gigs, you'll know that Elvis and the boys were perpetually broke at this stage of their careers, at one point "marooned in Shreveport" as Scotty put it, without even gas money to get home to Memphis. The Hayride ad above ran in the December 4th, 1954 Shreveport Journal , but doesn't give too many particulars about that night's show. You can find more information about  the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium and Elvis' first show on the Hayride by clicking here,  and you can find all of his previous Hayride performances by clicking the dropdown at the top right corner of this page and looking in the October and November categories. Sources: Elvis Presley In Concert Tour Dates - The Elvis years Shreveport Municipal Memorial Audito...

Hot off the heels of a show the night before at the Helena Catholic Club , Elvis, Scotty, and Bill were back in Texarkana. You can click here for information on the venue, Arkansas Municipal Auditorium, and the boys' first appearance there on November 24th. As you can see above, although 70 years have passed, the auditorium hasn't changed a whole lot since Elvis graced the stage. *Note: this date is contested, as some sources do not include a December 3, 1954 show at all on the Elvis timeline, some claim a December 3rd show at the American Legion Hall in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and others a show at the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium profiled here. Since Scotty Moore's website claims the trio was in Texarkana, that's the one we're going with until definitive proof otherwise. Sources: Tour Dates - The Elvis years https://www.elvisconcerts.com/real/roadtexas201703.htm https://collections.oldstatehouse.com/objects/8709/postcard-texarkana-municipal-building-fire-station-...

On December 2nd, Elvis and gang rolled into Helena, Arkansas for a gig at St. Mary's Catholic Club. Advertisements for the show were running in the Helena World as early as November 24 (shown above) and this time Scotty and Bill got some credit as well. Elvis was billed ahead of fellow Louisiana Hayride act The Browns, who would eventually wind up with a Grammy nomination and land in the Country Music Hall of Fame. The ad below ran on the 28th and indicates there was probably a sizable crowd expected at the show, considering there were only "a few advance tickets left" of the original 500. If all 500 sold at 75 cents each, the take for the entire show would be about $4,400, adjusted for inflation. The 'Catholic Club' was officially known the St. Mary's Parish Center building, which opened next to St. Mary's church at 123 Columbia Street in 1949.   The Catholic Club building included a gymnasium and stage, and in addition to the usual religious or communit...

Saturday the 27th, "America's Great Singing Star" Elvis  Pressley  was back at the Paladium Club for a third and final performance. Unfortunately, not much information has survived about Elvis' shows at the Paladium or even the venue itself, but  you can click here for everything I've found so far  and here to see the telegram he sent home on the 26th. Sources: Tour Dates - The Elvis years Elvis Presley - Live 1954

On November 26th, "America's Great Singing Star" Elvis Pressley  was back at the Paladium Club for the second of three consecutive shows. Just a few short months prior, Elvis was a nobody fresh out of high school, and no matter what his aspirations were when he wandered into Sun Records, July Elvis probably had no idea that November Elvis would be in the consideration for America's star, even if people still had a habit of misspelling his name. Unfortunately, not much information has survived about Elvis' performances at the Paladium or even the venue itself, but you can click here for everything I've found so far. Elvis did send money and a telegram home on this date, so although he, Scotty, and Bill were dead broke in Shreveport just a week prior, the Paladium must have been somewhat of a financial windfall for the trio. Sources: Elvis Day by Day by Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen Tour Dates - The Elvis years Elvis Presley - Live 1954