The Elvis Scene in Glasgow from 1967-present
With thanks to Gerry McLafferty for the
use of this article
"Elvis For Everyone" was the first active Glasgow Club. Ellen MacArthur is the lady honoured with starting it all in 1967. With a willing group of helpers, she arranged various outings, meetings and also produced a monthly newsletter covering activities locally, and also Elvis's own events. Dances, on a small scale, were organised and a core of loyal fans was emerging. In late 1967, Ellen MacArthur travelled to Memphis and was fortunate enough to see Elvis several times while she waited at the gates of Graceland. She took with her two books (one signed by loyal fans) to be given to Elvis as a gift, but did not manage to hand them over personally. Through Uncle Vester, Elvis did receive the gifts. In November of 1967, Ellen MacArthur made the surprising announcement that the Club was closing down. The reason appeared to be two-fold - lack of support and disillusionment over Elvis's apparent disinterest in his precarious career.
Elvis activity in Glasgow recommenced in January 1968 with the formation of "The Rockin' Elvis Fan Club". Organisers then included brothers Bill and Wally McLennan. Neil Leckenby, Frank Brown and Eddie Crawford. A new Elvis information began, "Elvis Forever", but it ended after just three issues. Meetings took place regularly at the Masonic Halls in Partick, Glasgow. Elsa Hamilton became part of the Committee and, shortly after, both McLennan brothers left the club. In 1969, both Andy Kane and Robert Maxwell became part of the organising team. A trip was arranged to the Leicester Convention that year, where Jimmy Savile was a guest, and a large-screen presentation of the (as yet unseen in the UK) 1968 TV Special was obviously the highlight of the event.
1970 saw Elsa Hamilton and Frank Brown resigning. Onto the committee came Margaret Kerr and Robert Henry. After almost two years in the same venue, Langside Halls, Shawlands became the new meeting place for dances and remained the main arena for several years. In December 1970, a capacity crowd attended a convention held at the Coupar Institute. Todd Slaughter & co organised the day in tandem with the Glasgow staff, Dave Kaye and the Dykons provided live music, and two movies (Loving You and Wild In The Country) were screened. The show was a big success. Anne Skinner, though never formally part of the committee, proved to be extremely helpful at functions, and served with the dedication of a staff member. Glasgow Branch members travelled to Luxembourg for the European Convention. MGM cameras filmed there for "Elvis, That's The Way It Is" and in brief glimpses of the completed movie, Andy Kane, Neil Leckenby and Robert Maxwell can be spotted.
1971 saw a special premiere of TTWII at the Royal Festival Hall in London and six or so members travelled down for the event. The film opened nationwide in June, and such was it's success that Charro (at that time unreleased for over two years) was given a limited cinema release in the UK. Margaret Kerr and Robert Henry both resigned from the committee and Linda Kerr was appointed as secretary.
From 1971, and throughout ‘72 and ‘73, trips were organised to various conventions and functions up and down the country. In August 1973, Branch Leader Robert Maxwell met Elvis face to face at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. What an accolade! A newsletter for the Glasgow Branch began in February 1973.
Neil Leckenby and his family left for a new life in Australia in early 1974 and, just prior to this, Gerry McLafferty joined the committee line-up. In this year, the Edinburgh Branch of the Fan Club (the Memphis Mafia) was formed. Regular trips through to Langside Halls were made by several stalwarts from the East coast, including founder members Ian MacKay and Peter Jones.
Elvis turned 40 in 1975, an event that really coincided with the start of the bad press that was to continue up to, and indeed way beyond, his untimely death in August 1977. Locally, dances were still being held regularly with nothing too remarkable occurring throughout the year. In February 1976, Robert Maxwell, Anne Skinner, Linda and Gerry McLafferty met Elvis's band members James Burton and Glenn Hardin in Glasgow. They were touring with Emmylou Harris at the time. The meeting was taped. A two page colour spread on the activities of the Glasgow Branch was featured in the "Daily Record" newspaper on, ironically, 16th August - exactly one year prior to Elvis's death.
Upon Elvis's passing in 1977, the Glasgow Branch sent a telegram to Vernon in Memphis. This was reprinted in the "Evening Times". A decision was made to rename the club "The Elvis Presley Fan Club of Scotland" and play only 100% Elvis (or Elvis-related) music from that period on.
Shortly after, a huge influx of new members emerged, though, as we anticipated, was eventually to reduce to a "core" support. The club moved to larger premises in Dixon Halls, Glasgow to accommodate the large crowds. A number of "tribute" shows emerged - some quite sincere, others plain awful. In 1978/79 many bootleg records appeared on the market, with quite a variance on quality. RCA's policy continued, as it had done throughout Elvis's lifetime, with no particular surprises and no structure/theme of release patterns.
Linda McLafferty resigned in 1978. Secretarial duties were taken up by Linda Hynd and Marion Davies. In 1979, Robert Maxwell resigned from the committee and Andy Kane took over as Branch Leader. In that capacity he attended several Branch Leader meetings - always held somewhere in England. Afer all these years, there has yet to be a Branch Leader meeting held in Scotland.
Around this period, Neil Flanigan and George Davies became very active in helping committee members, and eventually both were invited onto the committee. Dances were still being held at Dixon Halls and the city centre Bath Hotel was also an occasional venue. The crowds began to steadily diminish. 1980 and 1981 were very negative years for club activities and the Elvis world in general. Unbelievably tacky memorabilia became readily available and the spate of ridiculously inaccurate books began - the lowest point of all being the publication of Albert Goldman's "expose" simply titled ELVIS. Apathy was very much in evidence, and late 1981 saw the announcement of impending closure of the Glasgow Branch, after 14 years of existence.
A final dance was arranged in Sloan's, Argyle Street, Glasgow. Blue Hawaii was screened. It was a free night for "regulars" and an entrance charge was made to anyone showing up who was not a regular. With the remaining club funds, albums, posters and other items were purchased and were all given away in free raffles. The small amount left was sent to a charity for the disabled in Paisley - chosen at random. So, the Glasgow Club had come to an end - or had it?
With thoughts of restoring some kind of Elvis events to the folks in Glasgow, Andy Kane and Gerry McLafferty decided that, if there was to be any form of support for regular Elvis dances, then a new approach had to be considered. Gerry suggested a new name, "The Elvis Touch", and expressed the view that meetings should be held in more comfortable surroundings than the clinical halls of the past. A pleasant, relaxing atmosphere should hopefully lend the correct ingredients in creating the necessary ambience. Almost one year after the "closure" of the Branch, a re-launch was successfully held in the Berkeley Suite, Charing Cross, Glasgow. A large screen video disco night started it off, with a buffet supplied for each guest. Media coverage of this event included a newspaper interview/article by Ruth Wishart, Gerry McLafferty on Radio Clyde with Mike Riddoch and again on television being interviewed for "Scotland Today".
Thus began the regrowth of the Branch as it is today...
The build-up was slow. This was intentional, and was very much proportionate to demand. There was absolutely no desire to return to any "basic hall" arrangement. Only two or three dances were held each year during the period 1983-1988. This obviously restricted the opportunity to renew and replace older equipment, but it seemed to be what the folk in Glasgow desired. Dances were held at this time in places like the "Dial Inn" and the "Admiral Bar" in Glasgow's city centre. In April 1987, the "Forever Elvis" tribute show came to Glasgow, which gave us the opportunity to meet Annette Day (Elvis's co-star in Double Trouble). The club made a presentation to her at her hotel and she was genuinely overwhelmed by the gesture. The "10 Years After" promotion seemed to regenerate the Elvis scene and it has never really looked back from that period. The gloom of the early 80s was definitely over. Sydney Burbridge was invited to join the committee that same year.
Andy Kane left for a new life in Ipswich, England in early 1988, and Jeff Clark stepped into the role of Branch Leader. Through an invitation by the staff of Glasgow's Sinatra Music Society we were introduced to the RA Club, near Charing Cross. From mid-1988 the club met regularly once a month. The "core", thankfully, was still there, and made reasonable demands for monthly meetings. The committee complied. In late 1988, the Glasgow Branch threw a "party" night to celebrate it's 21st year - a very successful night, which Andy Kane travelled from Ipswich to attend.
Gerry McLafferty learned of a scheme whereby for the sum of £350, a seat could be dedicated to anyone of your choice (preferably a screen celebrity) in what was proposed as a second cinema within the Glasgow Film Theatre. January 1989 saw the launch of a fund to raise the necessary sum. By September, through the great efforts of supporters, the £350 was raised. A cheque presentation by the club was made to the GFT in November, prior to the screening of two Elvis movies - "Flaming Star" and "Live A Little, Love A Little", selected by Gerry McLafferty as part of an event surrounding the publication of his book out that month. (Click here for Elvis Film Society information).
Now it could be said that Elvis had really "gone public" in Glasgow. The dedication to him in the Glasgow Film Theatre is possibly the only public acknowledgement of Elvis Presley in the entire UK.
The Elvis Exhibition, consisting of hundreds of items shipped over from Graceland, opened in Blackpool in June 1989. In September, a coach trip from Glasgow was organised, and indeed was enjoyed by all. The event was very well presented, although its subsequent "on tour" style of arrangement in early 1990 (which included Glasgow in its itinerary), was definitely not the right platform for such an exhibition.
At this point in time, Stephen Davies joined the Glasgow committee. 1990 saw the club continue to present regular events. In August, a surprise presentation (with accompanying cake and flowers) was made to Gerry McLafferty for his 21 year association with the club, in the form of a book signed by well-wishers in attendance.
In early 1991 the RA Club closed down and a new location had to be found quickly. Different venues, such as the State Bar and the Maltman Bar in the city centre, were used until the end of the year. A new social club was located, the Buffs Club at Fitzroy Place, where monthly events took place for a few months.
In 1992 Jane Boyce became Branch Leader and the club continues to thrive, with more fans than ever attending the monthly dances. By 1995 Paul and Linda Downie formally joined the Committee. Paul is the Club's PR Officer and Linda is the Secretary. The Committee, which does a great job of running the Club, consists of Jane Boyce (Branch Leader), Paul Downie (PR Officer), Linda Downie (Secretary), George Davies and Sid Burbridge.
The current venue is the Queens Club in Queen Street, Glasgow. More information about the club and it's activities can be obtained by contacting Jane or Paul & Linda either by email or snail-mail.