Collection of letters, photographs, and documents related to Elvis Presley’s memorable performance at the ‘Heart O’ Texas Fair’ held at the Heart of Texas Coliseum in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1956. The collection is highlighted by four photos of Elvis at the concert, including three glossy 8 x 10 photos, two of which were originally taken by noted Waco photographer Jimmie Willis, and one unpublished semi-glossy 4 x 5 photo of Elvis on stage singing into a microphone.
The collection contains five letters and one Western Union telegram between Elvis’s managers and Othel M. Neely, the general manager of the Heart O’ Texas Fair, which contains a TLS from Colonel Parker’s Assistant Tom Diskin, written August 4th on Parker’s illustrated ‘wagon’ letterhead, which reads: “Since the Colonel draws up all contracts on Presley personally it will be about another ten days before you will hear from him as he is now on tour.”
Also of note is the Western Union telegram, dated August 15th and sent to Neely with some distressing news: “Regret Elvis Presley show will be unable to appear for your Heart O Texas Fair on Oct. 5th in Waco due to motion pictures commitments…filming schedule to start letter part of this month.” Given the fair’s eventual date of October 12th, it seems that Neely and the other organizers rescheduled the fair to fit with Presley’s itinerary.
The balance of the correspondence relates to the contract for the canceled October 5th concert (set to pay Elvis $5000), a letter requesting the printing of 6,000 concert tickets, a confirmation letter to radio station KLEN for two radio spots, and an uncommon backstage letter pass dated to the show, which reads: “This to verify that the bearer of this letter is due admission to the backstage area of the Elvis Presley Show. Please allow the person to go to my office on the mezzanine floor.”
The five documents related to the Heart O’ Texas Fair relate to ticket prices for a “Disc Record Shop,” a ramp gate pass for a “Presley Show” signed by Dallas music director Charles R. Meeker, Jr., a list of VIPs admitted to the Fair’s backdoor, and a dressing room assignment list, with Room 6 marked for “Presley.” In overall fine condition.
Accompanied by the front page of The Waco Citizen newspaper from October 18, 1956, which features an article about Presley’s concert and time in the city, entitled “‘Hottest Thing’ Visits Waco.”
Elvis’ show in Waco that October was his third visit to the city. He was still with Sun Records and only regionally known when he first played Waco on a Louisiana Hayride show on April 23, 1955. A year later he was a burgeoning rock n’ roll phenomenon when he drew a crowd of 4,000 to his show in Waco on April 17, 1956. In the six months that passed until his return in October, though, Presley exploded o the national scene with appearances on the Milton Berle, Steve Allen, and Ed Sullivan shows. His recordings of ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ ruled the charts, and his first movie, Love Me Tender, was due out in just a few weeks.
Citing heavy advance ticket sales, Othel Neely of the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum predicted a crowd of about 7,000 to see Presley this time around. In addition to several buses chartered by Kay Wheeler’s Dallas-based fan club, Neely was expecting an influx of Elvis fans from nearby communities, including Temple, Mexia, Austin, and Walnut Springs. Noting how orderly the crowd had been for Presley’s April show, Neely was not expecting a disturbance at the Coliseum. Still, just in case, he said 14 off-duty policemen and two deputy sheriffs would be on hand. There were no reserved seats for Presley’s show, and all tickets were priced at $1.50 in advance and $2 at the door. The Waco Times-Herald noted that ‘there are seats available for Negro Presley fans also.’
Starting at 8 o’clock, the estimated crowd of 5,000 sat patiently through an hour’s worth of opening acts. When Presley took the stage at precisely 9:12 p.m., ‘a deafening roar went up that lasted a full three minutes,’ according to an article in the Waco News-Tribune. The crowd, which sat obediently in their seats until then, rose and moved toward the stage. Elvis was dressed in a green jacket with a matching tie, dark pants, and blue suede shoes. He opened, as usual, with ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and moved quickly through his set, which included ‘I Got a Woman,’ ‘Money Honey,’ ‘Blue Suede Shoes,’ and ‘Don’t Be Cruel.’
