Category: Songwriting

Happy birthday, Elvis! In honor of the day, I posted this short on YouTube from “Vegas Nights” on the Carnival Mardi Gras. I’m also going to highlight an excerpt from “Elvis, Tom Jones, and my BFFs.”

Carol’s parents drove their Buick Riviera through the desert from southern California to Las Vegas every August and would stay at the Tropicana. And when Carol reached a certain age – 13 or 14 – she was allowed to invite a friend along. The first friend to go was our friend, Beverly. And I still remember my excitement over the postcard they sent me with a picture of the Folies Bergere.

Carol invited me to go to Vegas with her the next year to see Elvis at the International, but I had to turn her down because my family moved to Oregon. But Beverly got to take my place and I eventually saw Elvis in Portland. And, later, as an adult, I stayed at the Tropicana several times and saw the Folies Bergere several times as well.

I also saw Tom Jones a couple of times, too. Anyway, here’s the Tom Jones story Beverly shared with me.

I think it was at the Desert Inn and we saw it two years in a row.  It was Pizazz.  It was like a Broadway review.  Lots of dancing and singing.  I don’t remember it being a story, more like different acts somehow put together.  Probably a typical Las Vegas show at that time, very flashy.  We always sat in a booth (Carol’s Dad tipped big) and of course those were in the back.  Tom Jones was in the booth next to us. Carol says she doesn’t remember much but she does remember putting a hole in her dress with her thumb trying to rearrange herself to get a better look at Tom.  She remembers her dress was the one she wore to the Willard graduation.

Oh, Carol, I can just see you doing that right now. I so remember us squealing over Tom Jones when he first came out. And how my mother, more of an Elvis fan, said, “He walks like a horse.” lol!

Her comment didn’t stop us from thinking he was pretty exciting.