Reply With Quotehey, Aug 31st is another important day, my birthday....lol....except I wasn't born until 1967!
The night Elvis put Red in handcuffs
Legendary DJ fondly recalls rock 'n' roll king's concert in Vancouver
Kate Webb, The Province
Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Article tools
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Font: * * * * Fifty years ago, a 22-year-old superstar burst out from under the stage at Empire Stadium and jumped into a shiny blue convertible.
Elvis Presley drove slowly through the stadium's fevered throng of 22,000 fans, who one newspaper later said were transformed into "writhing, frenzied *****s of delight by the savage jungle beat music."
That was Aug. 31, 1957, and 50 years later the Pacific National Exhibition is getting ready to host an anniversary tribute to the first of only three performances the king of rock ever gave outside the U.S.
Local broadcasting legend Red Robinson was there that night, and spent the better part of an hour backstage with Presley before the show. Credited as the first DJ ever to spin Elvis' hits in Canada, he remembers the king as a "caring guy" and a practical joker.
Robinson recounted how, about an hour before the performance, he became the butt of an Elvis prank.
"He's bored, he's out of his mind, he's walking around like a cat on a hot tin roof," said Robinson, who was 20 at the time.
"He goes to the door, there's a police officer, he says, 'Can I have your hat and your badge and your handcuffs?' Comes back in, says, 'Red, we're going to do a scene from [his new movie] Jailhouse Rock,' which hadn't come out yet.
"So he's talking gibberish, and he says, 'Put your arms up over that shower rod.' We're in the dressing room of the B.C. Lions, just the two of us. I do. He locks me in [the] handcuffs, throws the key into the shower and says, 'Red, I guess I'll have to go out and introduce myself -- I see you're all tied up.' "
Robinson somehow managed to free himself in time for the 8 p.m. show. He still chuckles thinking about the days when Elvis' hip-shaking act was condemned as "the devil's music," but remains amazed by the undying devotion of his fans.
"This man has left such an impact on all of us," he said. "The PNE recognizes that Aug. 31 is a benchmark date -- the 50th anniversary -- so what we're going to do is, we've got two of the finest tribute artists up there. We're going to start out with a young Elvis, who's Steven Elliott . . . then we're going to bring on Wally Tiemer and the concert-tour Elvis."
At intermission, Robinson will be joined on stage by Joe Esposito,
who was Elvis' best friend and
bodyguard, and the two will give away a VIP trip for two to Graceland, the Elvis mansion near Memphis, as part of a prize package put together by The Province and the PNE.
To enter, readers need to clip the entry form running in The Province Aug. 26, 28 and 30 and drop it off at the PNE Elvis Booth at the Rogers Amphitheatre between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 31.
kwebb@png.canwest.com
? The Vancouver Province 2007
hey, Aug 31st is another important day, my birthday....lol....except I wasn't born until 1967!
Thanks, nolvis that was a fun read!
franny
Great story, and it reminds me of a great CD...
The LP was originally released in 1978 with its tracklisting built on songs that were written by Canadian artists and those that Elvis performed in his Canada '57 shows. The CD was released in 1999 and had a number of tracks added to it; both make for a great listen.
Side A:
Intro...Jailhouse Rock
Intro...(Let me be your) Teddy Bear
Loving You
Until It's Time For You To Go
Early Morning Rain
Vancouver Press Conference
Side B:
I'm Movin' On
Snowbird
(That's what you get) For Loving Me
Put Your Hand in the Hand
Little Darlin'
My Way
I didn't realize that the CD was rare; I found my copy a couple years ago in a record store that presumably priced it with the same ignorance I had.
- Intro/Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley, Red Robinson
- Intro/ (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
- All Shook Up
- Loving You
- Until It's Time for You to Go
- Early Morning Rain
- I'm Movin' On
- Snowbird
- (That's What You Get) for Lovin' Me
- Put Your Hand in the Hand
- Little Darlin'
- Beyond the Reef
- My Heart Cries for You
- Tumblin' Tumbleweeds
- My Way
- Vancouver Press Conference
- CBC Ottawa Interview
- CBC Toronto Interview/Heartbreak Hotel
It was used but in perfect condition.
I love my gold vinyl though--see below (not mine).
Anyway, to keep this relevant, Red Robinson can be heard on both releases. Get a hold of one if you can.
...you won't forget me when I go.
I'm really glad that you liked this story and thank's alot for the xtra info Lonnie!!!!!I had the lp in Gold when it first came out and was just reminded of the insert or the pictures that you show as i have'nt seen those in a long time due to my mostly playing the heck out of my records and not having the proper knowledge of record handling!My insert or disc case has got to be somewhere!(lol)The cd with the xtra material look's awesome ,i'll have to get it!I'm hoping that i can go to the Special nite!!!I'd just also like to say that the cover for the lp/cd is absolutely beautiful!!!
Of course you must take in Graceland when visiting Memphis. I have been there five times and become quite emotional every time I enter the former racquetball court, which has been converted to a gold and platinum record display with the glitter from the discs and CDs piled on all four walls up to 10 metres high. The King sold over one billion records and this display is overwhelming.
When I first discovered my album Elvis: A Canadian Tribute displayed on the wall I choked. This was a project I worked on shortly after Elvis's death in 1977. The then vice-president of RCA, Ed Preston, commissioned me to work on it. I supplied photos and interviews. Every song on the album was written by a Canadian. It went double platinum in Canada and gold in the U.S. In the 1990s RCA-BMG brought it out on compact disc.
Last edited by nolvis; 08-28-2007 at 12:22 PM.
Thanks you for posting this article Nolvis, it was interesting and a fun read.
Lonnie, I also have the Canadian Tribute LP in the gold vinyl.....I treasure my vinyls above all.
Diane
Diane, I pretty much feel the same about my records as well, and I have only had a majority of them for 2 to 3 years. There is just something magical about the old vinyl and certainly being the medium of Elvis' day adds to their appeal.
nolvis, you're welcome and thank you for the story and the followup comments from Red. That's very nice. And I agree about the cover--in fact every aspect of that package is top-notch.
...you won't forget me when I go.
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