Elvis' former neighbors part of Rhodes College documentary
Shoun A. Hill, Special to The Commercial Appeal
The old Elvis homestead at 1034 Audubon
Before there was Graceland, a cozy home on Audubon Drive served as the King's original palace.
Christine Todd said her driveway was directly across the street from Elvis Presley's at his first home in 1956. Todd said she and other community members watched him evolve into an icon.
"The Elvis years were everybody's favorite to talk about," said Todd in a documentary that was being filmed in his old house off Park Avenue on Sunday.
Students in the Crossroads to Freedom Digital Archives and the Mike Curb Institute fellowship programs at Rhodes College interviewed the former neighbors of Elvis Presley as a way to connect the world with Memphis history in a new way. The interviews will be presented on the Crossroads to Freedom website as a series about Presley's activities, love interests and kindness during his 13-month stay in East Memphis.
Gayle Hughes, Rhodes senior history major, said she was drawn to the project because Elvis is such an icon.
"Whenever you talk about music, especially Memphis music you can't not mention Elvis and the contributions he has made," said Hughes.
Rhodes has overseen Elvis' old estate, which has been owned by the Mike Curb Institute for six years, since the home was purchased on eBay in 2006 by former MGM president Mike Curb and the institute was created by the Nashville music mogul.
John Bass, director of the Mike Curb Institute at Rhodes College, said this is a new set of stories being told about Elvis and his little known East Memphis pre-Graceland home.
"As stewards of the house we look for interesting things to do with the house," said Bass. "It's sorta the history of Elvis without Elvis in it."
At the Sunday documentary filming, guests enjoyed Elvis' favorite peanut butter and banana sandwiches and other staples of Memphis. They stood around reminiscing about the days Natalie Wood came to visit and how they couldn't cross the street without a police escort for most of the 13 months Elvis resided in the quiet neighborhood.
Larry Busby, owner of Front Street Deli, said he began his business endeavors with Elvis' move to the neighborhood.
"We didn't realize the enormity of Elvis Presley, but we figured it out quickly… when you couldn't get through Audubon Drive with a car," said Busby.
He said he began charging fans $1 to park in his driveway and front yard while his father was at work, but was unceremoniously shut down when his dad came home early one day and couldn't park.
Barb Metz-Steiner, former neighbor, said she had the best seat any girl of that time could've asked for — her bedroom faced the home.
"I could lay in my bed, look out my window and keep track of what Elvis was doing," said Metz-Steiner. "He was just the cutest thing and the biggest flirt I've ever known."
About 10 months into his stay, the frenzy became too much for the neighborhood and Busby said his father told him the king apologized to his neighbors and revealed he had bought "a house in the country," now known as Graceland, and that he would be moving soon.
"Sure enough a few months passed, the moving vans pulled up and Elvis was gone," said Busby.
© 2013 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Christine Todd said her driveway was directly across the street from Elvis Presley's at his first home in 1956. Todd said she and other community members watched him evolve into an icon.
The Commercial Appeal files
Clarence Harwell (left), owner of a downtown Memphis filling station where singer Elvis Presley was involved in a fight Thursday, October 18, 1956, showed up at the rock and roll king's home the following Thursday (10/25/56) to apologize for the incident. Presley was cleared in City Court of misconduct, but two station attendants with whom he tangled briefly drew fines for assault and battery. Presley lived at 1034 Audubon Drive at the time.
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Students in the Crossroads to Freedom Digital Archives and the Mike Curb Institute fellowship programs at Rhodes College interviewed the former neighbors of Elvis Presley as a way to connect the world with Memphis history in a new way. The interviews will be presented on the Crossroads to Freedom website as a series about Presley's activities, love interests and kindness during his 13-month stay in East Memphis.
Gayle Hughes, Rhodes senior history major, said she was drawn to the project because Elvis is such an icon.
"Whenever you talk about music, especially Memphis music you can't not mention Elvis and the contributions he has made," said Hughes.
Rhodes has overseen Elvis' old estate, which has been owned by the Mike Curb Institute for six years, since the home was purchased on eBay in 2006 by former MGM president Mike Curb and the institute was created by the Nashville music mogul.
John Bass, director of the Mike Curb Institute at Rhodes College, said this is a new set of stories being told about Elvis and his little known East Memphis pre-Graceland home.
"As stewards of the house we look for interesting things to do with the house," said Bass. "It's sorta the history of Elvis without Elvis in it."
At the Sunday documentary filming, guests enjoyed Elvis' favorite peanut butter and banana sandwiches and other staples of Memphis. They stood around reminiscing about the days Natalie Wood came to visit and how they couldn't cross the street without a police escort for most of the 13 months Elvis resided in the quiet neighborhood.
Larry Busby, owner of Front Street Deli, said he began his business endeavors with Elvis' move to the neighborhood.
"We didn't realize the enormity of Elvis Presley, but we figured it out quickly… when you couldn't get through Audubon Drive with a car," said Busby.
He said he began charging fans $1 to park in his driveway and front yard while his father was at work, but was unceremoniously shut down when his dad came home early one day and couldn't park.
Barb Metz-Steiner, former neighbor, said she had the best seat any girl of that time could've asked for — her bedroom faced the home.
"I could lay in my bed, look out my window and keep track of what Elvis was doing," said Metz-Steiner. "He was just the cutest thing and the biggest flirt I've ever known."
About 10 months into his stay, the frenzy became too much for the neighborhood and Busby said his father told him the king apologized to his neighbors and revealed he had bought "a house in the country," now known as Graceland, and that he would be moving soon.
"Sure enough a few months passed, the moving vans pulled up and Elvis was gone," said Busby.
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