Captivating vintage glossy 8 x 10 Sun Records promotional photo of a young Presley in a suit and tie, signed in fountain pen, “Yours, Elvis Presley.” Reverse is signed in ballpoint and pencil by five others, including his bass player, Bill Black, and famed country music artist Floyd Cramer, Merle Kilgore, Jimmy Day, and one other. Surface impressions from signatures on reverse, some affecting the facial area, as well as some scattered light creases and surface marks, and two small pieces of mounting remnants on the reverse, otherwise very good condition.
The presence of the autographs of steel guitarist Jimmy Day, pianist Floyd Kramer, and guitarist Merle Kilgore, point to the likelihood that the photograph was procured during one of Elvis’s weekly Saturday night bookings on ‘The Louisiana Hayride,’ broadcast on KWKH from Shreveport’s Municipal Memorial Auditorium. His first year-long contract commenced in November 1954, having made his debut several weeks earlier on the heels of the release of his first Sun Records single, ‘That’s All Right’/‘Blue Moon of Kentucky,’ the previous July. Securing a regular spot on the Hayride was no easy task, and despite a lukewarm reception during the first of two shows on his October 16 debut with his Blue Moon Boys (Scotty Moore and Bill Black), the second house was filled with a younger crowd receptive to the 19-year old’s “new distinctive style,” as described by MC Frank Page. Day, Cramer and Kilgore were members of the Hayride’s house band, backing many of the performers, including giving extra support to the Blue Moon Boys during Elvis tenure in Shreveport. From a historical standpoint, the ability to expose his rockabilly/rhythm & blues style to a vast radio audience, Elvis Presley’s weekly appearances on the Louisiana Hayride was his launch pad to stardom. Pre-certified Roger Epperson/REAL and RR Auction COA.
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