Elvis Presley is why Jeff first wanted to sing! After first hearing Elvis on a television interview say, "Sometimes I do my own harmonies in the studio because your own voice blends best with itself" Jeff made up his mind to try and sound like Elvis. The hope was of course that one day he could tour with Elvis singing in Elvis' voice so he have that same effect live. But before that he needed to see Elvis' show. Well on June 23rd, 1977 that happened. The story below is in Jeff's own words describing his becoming a fan of Elvis Presley and where it took him. Enjoy!

The show of course was phenomenal! I was a relativley new Elvis fan at the time. I had never seen him in concert before. Being 14 at the time I was more into KISS and Aerosmith then. I had helped my mother one day clean out the garage and she offered to buy me an album for helping. So of course I ran right for the KISS section to get the newest album. She stopped me and said, no I offered to buy it, but I get to pick it. She got me and Elvis album. I was so embarrassed! I said Mom I cant play this for any of my friends, they'll laugh at me. Well in the privacy of my room I decided to listen to it and couldnt believe how much I liked it. Still couldnt tell my friends though. Ha! About a year later the TV said Elvis was coming to Des Moines. I couldnt believe my eyes, I said Mom!! We have to go!! The next day she picked me up from school and we had the radio on with the announcer saying all the Elvis tickets were gone......SOLD OUT in 3 hours. I was so depressed then. Mom asked me to get her cough drops from her purse for her, so I did. Under the plastic wrapper sat two tickets to see Elvis! She had gone down that morning after dropping me off and stood in line and was one of the few to get them.

I was beside myself with excitement! I had started doing Elvis shows about 6 months before that on our back porch for kids around the nieghborhood. I was no longer ashamed of my liking Elvis Presley. In July of 77 I did my first paid Elvis show for a local event in Des Moines, but thats a whole other story. The days were fast approaching to see Elvis and I couldnt wait. My Grandmother had been living with us at the time due to her declining health, and the day before the concert she was admitted to the hospital. My mother had said to my grandma that she would stay with her at the hospital till she was feeling better. My grandma said oh no you wont! If Jeff misses that concert he'll never forgive me. I of course would have stayed with her as well, disappointed, but she was my grandma and I loved her dearly.

Well the night finally came! June 23rd, 1977, and here we were standing out in front of Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines ready to see the King! My add and my other brother went to see the new hit movie, Young Frankenstien. (Has it really been that long ago?) The whole front walkway area to the auditorium was crawling with people! Some wearing Elvis T-shirts and pins, of course the usual scalpers, and people of all ages! I even saw some my age and it made me feel better! Ha! As we walked in all you could hear were the sounds of people scrambling for thier seats, some were even crying they were so excited. The sound of people shouting, " Elvis Super Souvineers! Get your Elvis Super Souvineers!! Everybody loves Elvis, get em while you can!!" was everywhere. The entire building just seemed like it was wired with electricity, you could just feel it in the air! He was there, you could just feel it, he was in the building!

The lights went down, and you could hear the band getting ready to start, like the opening of an orchestra concert. Instruments tuning, people saying check one two, one two, on the microphones. Then it started, the lights came up and the band started playing. I was shaking, not sure why but I was shaking bad. I was so excited and I couldnt believe I was there to see this. We had been teasing my Mom about having a crush on Elvis when she was in High School and that she would probably attack him on stage when he came out. This being a ridiculous idea as my mother could not have been and more quiet and shy or she would have been asleep. A very devoted worker in the church and in our perocial school which we attended. She kept saying to us, you guys are crazy and acted embarrassed. For the first hour or so we were treated to the comedy of Jackie Kahane, who also informed us that Elvis looked great, he felt great and couldnt wait to get out here and start the show. He also told several Elvis related jokes that I do somewhat remember. Something about a guys wife always telling him to slow down when he is driving unless they were on theyre way to an Elvis show and then she would tell him, "STEP ON IT SUCKER". We heard the music of the Sweet Inspirations, as well as JD and the Stamps, Kathy Westmoreland and of course the TCB Band and the Joe Guercio Orchestra! (spelling?)

Since this was our first concert we kept wondering when does Elvis come out? Then we heard some screaming to the left of the stage. Elvis had stuck his head out to look at the crowd I guess I was spotted. The whole corner was screaming hysterically! Then we here the announcement that we were taking a 30 minute intermission. So I took the oppurtunity to get myself calmed down, mom seemed fine and calm as well, so we went to the concession stands and bought everything I could with the paper route money I had been saving. A poster of Elvis in a blue suit, a T-shirt, and a button.

We're back in our seats now. The lights once again drop and the band starts playing 2001 space oddessy. I was really shaking now! I heard this song on a live album of Elvis' and I knew this was his entrance. I couldnt stand it, mom was still very calm. I am sure I drove her nuts with my constant, "I think this is it mom, I think he is coming out now." I had never noticed until them just how long 2001 space oddessy can be! Ha! Then I hear the drum start for CC Rider and I knew this was it! Spotlights were swinging all over the room, huge flashes of light were exploding from all sides, the stage lighting was at full bright and in one fell swoop, all the spots came together at stage left and there he was walking out across the stage. He was wearing a white jumpsuit with an Aztec Sundial on it and the entire room exploded into a frenzy. Then the strangest thing of the evening happened, my mother started screaming! I thought she had been stabbed from someone behind us! I looked over and she was standing up and screaming! My mom! I had never seen her act that way and never saw it again. She had gone mad I was sure. None the less it was a sound I would get used to during the course of the show. Ha!

Elvis was fantastic and very funny which surprised me. I didnt think he would tell jokes and laugh and so forth. Now in retrospect I think he may have been a little more at ease since they had stopped the filming for the In Concert special. Although they did have cameras set up. He talked with people in the crowd, shook hands, and of course threw scarves. I remember one instance in particular where he was leaning down and talking to someone at the edge of the stage but you couldnt really hear what he was saying. A bunch of people started yelling "We cant hear you", he looked up and said, "I aint said nothing yet". The whole place started laughing. I watched one lady get strangled.....true! She had taken her blouse off, (by the way had nothing on under it! That was fun for a 14 year old boy...HA!) She threw it to Elvis, he picked it up and looked at her and said "is this yours?" She just kept screaming Elvis, Elvis!! He wiped his face off with it and threw it back to her. She put it back on and was immediatley jumped by 4 or 5 other ladies that ripped it back off her and the one peice that wouldnt rip off became like a noose that was strangling her as they pulled it. I wondered how she would explain being topless when she got home! Elvis introduced his father and his girlfriend Ginger Alden and several from her family in the show, featured almost everyone on stage, did the guitar toss, and the usual bantering with Charlie Hodge which was funny.

The show was awesome. Elvis sang everything I wanted to hear and then some. I am sure my mouth was hanging open the entire show. One other point of interest I might mention. Elvis introduced us to his new song Moody Blue that night. On all the websites I have looked at where they show Elvis song lists for concerts not one says he sang Moody Blue. I know he sang the song, because my mom and I went to our record store the next day to look for the album because we liked the song he sang from it so much. We wouldnt have looked for the song if he hadnt sang it.

I cant say enough about what a wonderful experience this was and how fortunate I feel to have been able to him in concert. Elvis was a very big influence in my life and truly helped me in a long distance sort of way, achieve the goals that have brought me to where I am today. I am a singer and impressionist now and currently working for a dear friend of Elvis' Wayne Newton here in Las Vegas. I sing bass for Wayne's show and do about 20 minutes of impressions in it. One of which is of course......ELVIS.

Here's a great Elvis site Jeff found on the net. Really fun people there! Click on the banner to visit this great site.

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