ELVIS PRESLEY ON THE LOUISIANA HAYRIDE SHOW 16 OCT 1954

[쿤타킨테]

 THAT'S ALL RIGHT - BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY
Cody as Elvis

On the evening of Elvis' debut, October 16, 1954, Horace Logan strutted across the stage to the microphone to open the Hayride. Offstage Elvis looked on nervously. This was the largest house, by far, that he had played. Horace Logan: 'Is there anyone from Mississippi? Anyone from Arkansas? Let's hear it from the folks from Oklahoma. Now who's from Louisiana. Now how many of y'all from the great state of Texas?' The Hayride band struck up its theme, 'Raise a Ruckus Tonight', as the crowd joined-in. 'Come along, everybody come along, while the moon is shining bright, We're going to have a wonderful time, at the Louisiana Hayride tonight!'

Emcee Frank Page introduced Elvis who was standing against a painted backdrop of a willow tree and barn. The call letters of the station, KWKH, and a Louisiana Hayride banner stretched across the scene. Overhanging was a Lucky Strike cigarette banner with the logo LSMFT, Lucky S trike Means Fine Tobacco. Elvis was in a pink jacket with black shirt and colorful tie, white pants, and two-tone shoes. Scotty Moore and Bill Black were in western shirts. Frank Page: 'Just a few weeks ago a young man from Memphis, Tennessee, recorded a song on the Sun label and, in just a matter of weeks, that record has sky-rocketed right up the charts. It's really doing well all over the country. He is only nineteen years old. He has a new, distinctive style. Elvis Presley. Let's give him a nice hand. Elvis, how are you this evening

'Just fine. How're you, sir?'

'Are you all geared up with your band--'

'I'm all geared up.'

'to let us hear your songs?'

'Uh, well, I'd just like to say how happy we are to be down here. It's a real honor for us to get a chance to appear on the Louisiana Hayride. We're gonna do a song for ya--you got anything else to say?'

'No, I'm ready!'

'We're gonna do a song for ya we got out on Sun Records. It goes something like this.' Elvis sang That's Alright Mama. Whether it was Elvis' stage fright or the originality of his act before a new audience, his performance was flat much like his Grand Ole Opry debut a few weeks previous.

Elvis huddled with Sam P hillips during intermission. Sam exhorted Elvis to be himself, do his own kind of show; all he could do was fail and that would happen anyway if he didn't loosen-up.

The second show was different. It was a young crowd hungry for excitement. A huge cheer went up from the first bars of That's Alright Mama. It wasn't country music, it was rock n' roll and the audience loved it. On their feet, clapping and dancing, the crowd rode the thunderous beat. They didn't want Elvis to stop. Gyrating like a dervish, Elvis burned That's Alright Mama and Blue Moon of Kentucky. The Hayride had birthed its greatest star.