July 1, 1956 in NYC outside the Hudson theater for rehearsals for the Steve Allen show
August 7, 1956, St. Petersburg's Florida Theater
Jacksonville, August 10th 1956
ORANGE PARK -- About five years ago, Kathy Campbell Bray and her family were looking through some family photographs. Buried in them were a couple of photos that Kathy had taken of 21 year-old Elvis Presley performing, and a photo of Elvis kissing Kathy's right cheek when she was 15 years old.
Kathy said her daughters, Carol Blalock and Susan Rooney, had quite a reaction to the kiss photo, more so than her son, Jim, and that the lady where she had copies printed "had a fit" when she saw it.
After showing the photo recently to her pastor, Mike Hailey, and him showing it to his congregation, Kathy received numerous requests to share her story.
It was Aug. 10, 1956, when Kathy Campbell's dad dropped her and three friends off to wait in line to see Elvis Presley perform at the Florida Theater in Jacksonville.
"We waited a long time," Kathy says, "But it paid off, because it was first come, first serve and we got front row seats!"
There were six performances on Aug. 10 and 11. She knows that she was there the first day because, "We got to see those hips swiveling."
Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding called Elvis into his chambers and told him to "tone it down." The judge sat in the back of the theater, with an unsigned arrest warrant, if Elvis decided to switch his allowable side-to-side movements to a forbidden front to back direction.
Kathy says, "We heard all the talk about how some in the community didn't approve of Elvis, but as teens, that added to the mystery of him." Elvis behaved himself and the warrant wasn't needed.
Before the concert, a photographer invited her and one of her friends to go backstage and meet Elvis. The photographer took a photo with his own camera of Elvis kissing her cheek and one using Kathy's camera. She doesn't know whatever happened to the photographer's picture, but she is sure glad that she had her camera that day. She remembers that he was "so nice" and laughs when noting, "You can see he was more interested in the photographer getting a picture of him than he was of me." She says, "We wore a lot of make up in those days, but I still didn't wash my face right away."
Kathy said the concert was great fun. She says, "We were all screaming. We were 9th graders, after all!"
Elvis sang some of his early songs like "Hound Dog" and "Don't be cruel." Kathy said her favorite Elvis song to this day is his rendition of "How Great Thou Art."
She says, "It was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I got to meet him. My best friends were with me at the concert and experiencing it with them was what counted."
Kathy says she also liked the Everly Brothers, particularly, "Wake up Little Susie," but her mother would complain, "If you play that one more time!" Her mom, however, never complained when Elvis music was playing.
"Elvis was, and still is, one of my favorites," Kathy says.
In fact, her parents' support of her teen crush on Elvis was unusual since they were very strict and believed, "If you didn't go to church on Sunday, you didn't go out the rest of the week." She says, "My parents were good sports, when so many other parents were not. My friends would come over and we'd sit there screaming whenever Elvis performed on Ed Sullivan."
"Elvis and other performers, like Buddy Holly," Kathy says, "signaled a big change in music. They were new and different, and not all parents felt they were good role models. I recall when one of my daughters had Van Halen posters all over her bedroom – I wasn't crazy about it, but sometimes it's better just to let them get through their phase … and they eventually do."
Kathy still has some Elvis 45's, but "nothing to play them on," she says. In addition, she has a scrapbook "somewhere" with more Elvis memorabilia, but says, "I need to get my son over to look through the attic."
Things haven't died down yet. Sirius radio out of Graceland did a phone interview with her and told her "There aren't that many photos of someone being kissed by Elvis." She thinks that he was more accessible when he performed in Jacksonville, than when his career skyrocketed after appearing on the Ed Sullivan show.
Husband, Dalton, former Clay County Sheriff, and her family members have enjoyed reliving her Elvis moment. Kathy says, "The girls remember their dad singing Elvis songs to them when they were little, and Dalton still likes his music."
Even during her 15 minutes of fame, Kathy says family is the most important thing in her life. Her two daughters, one son, six grandchildren and a new great granddaughter all live in town. In fact, her two daughters both teach 6th grade at Middleburg Elementary right across the hall from each other.
The number 5 seems to keep cropping up in Kathy's life. She was 15 when 55 years ago in August she saw Elvis perform at the Florida Theater. The performance tickets cost $1.25 at the door and $1.50 in advance. But for Kathy, her most important date is in August when she and Dalton will celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
Kathy said her daughters, Carol Blalock and Susan Rooney, had quite a reaction to the kiss photo, more so than her son, Jim, and that the lady where she had copies printed "had a fit" when she saw it.
After showing the photo recently to her pastor, Mike Hailey, and him showing it to his congregation, Kathy received numerous requests to share her story.
It was Aug. 10, 1956, when Kathy Campbell's dad dropped her and three friends off to wait in line to see Elvis Presley perform at the Florida Theater in Jacksonville.
"We waited a long time," Kathy says, "But it paid off, because it was first come, first serve and we got front row seats!"
There were six performances on Aug. 10 and 11. She knows that she was there the first day because, "We got to see those hips swiveling."
Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding called Elvis into his chambers and told him to "tone it down." The judge sat in the back of the theater, with an unsigned arrest warrant, if Elvis decided to switch his allowable side-to-side movements to a forbidden front to back direction.
Kathy says, "We heard all the talk about how some in the community didn't approve of Elvis, but as teens, that added to the mystery of him." Elvis behaved himself and the warrant wasn't needed.
Before the concert, a photographer invited her and one of her friends to go backstage and meet Elvis. The photographer took a photo with his own camera of Elvis kissing her cheek and one using Kathy's camera. She doesn't know whatever happened to the photographer's picture, but she is sure glad that she had her camera that day. She remembers that he was "so nice" and laughs when noting, "You can see he was more interested in the photographer getting a picture of him than he was of me." She says, "We wore a lot of make up in those days, but I still didn't wash my face right away."
Kathy said the concert was great fun. She says, "We were all screaming. We were 9th graders, after all!"
Elvis sang some of his early songs like "Hound Dog" and "Don't be cruel." Kathy said her favorite Elvis song to this day is his rendition of "How Great Thou Art."
She says, "It was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I got to meet him. My best friends were with me at the concert and experiencing it with them was what counted."
Kathy says she also liked the Everly Brothers, particularly, "Wake up Little Susie," but her mother would complain, "If you play that one more time!" Her mom, however, never complained when Elvis music was playing.
"Elvis was, and still is, one of my favorites," Kathy says.
In fact, her parents' support of her teen crush on Elvis was unusual since they were very strict and believed, "If you didn't go to church on Sunday, you didn't go out the rest of the week." She says, "My parents were good sports, when so many other parents were not. My friends would come over and we'd sit there screaming whenever Elvis performed on Ed Sullivan."
"Elvis and other performers, like Buddy Holly," Kathy says, "signaled a big change in music. They were new and different, and not all parents felt they were good role models. I recall when one of my daughters had Van Halen posters all over her bedroom – I wasn't crazy about it, but sometimes it's better just to let them get through their phase … and they eventually do."
Kathy still has some Elvis 45's, but "nothing to play them on," she says. In addition, she has a scrapbook "somewhere" with more Elvis memorabilia, but says, "I need to get my son over to look through the attic."
Things haven't died down yet. Sirius radio out of Graceland did a phone interview with her and told her "There aren't that many photos of someone being kissed by Elvis." She thinks that he was more accessible when he performed in Jacksonville, than when his career skyrocketed after appearing on the Ed Sullivan show.
Husband, Dalton, former Clay County Sheriff, and her family members have enjoyed reliving her Elvis moment. Kathy says, "The girls remember their dad singing Elvis songs to them when they were little, and Dalton still likes his music."
Even during her 15 minutes of fame, Kathy says family is the most important thing in her life. Her two daughters, one son, six grandchildren and a new great granddaughter all live in town. In fact, her two daughters both teach 6th grade at Middleburg Elementary right across the hall from each other.
The number 5 seems to keep cropping up in Kathy's life. She was 15 when 55 years ago in August she saw Elvis perform at the Florida Theater. The performance tickets cost $1.25 at the door and $1.50 in advance. But for Kathy, her most important date is in August when she and Dalton will celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
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