Elvis Presley will be “returning” to the C.C. McCray City Auditorium, Saturday, September 26, when award-winning tribute artist Jordan Poole takes the stage for a show to benefit the Okefenokee Heritage Center.
When Presley made his now-famous 1956 stop in Waycross, the world had yet to witness the meteoric rise of the young man from Tupelo, MS, to the pinnacle of pop culture. He was just one of a list of performers on the February show, and there were those at the auditorium who had yet to hear his music.
Nickie Carswell Carter was among the concertgoers that evening, and the young teenager became a lifelong fan.
“I was a silly 14-year-old tag-along with my older sister, Rita,” Carter recently recalled. “I had no idea I was going to see Elvis. Until then, I had no idea who he was. Boy, was I surprised! Hundreds of other teenage girls were clapping and falling over chairs! On stage was the wiggling, dancing, singing, one-of-a-kind Elvis Presley!”
Managed by Col. Tom Parker, Presley was just 21 when he signed a national touring contract January 31, 1956, that led to the visit to Waycross. The show was near the beginning of a 110stop schedule covering 26 states over the rest of the year. At the time of his local visit, Presley was less than a month removed from his TV debut on CBS’s Stage Show, hosted by the Dorsey Brothers.
Carter recalled that although Elvis was famous for his dancing, it was his “delicious ear-catching voice” that pierced the large auditorium and caught her attention.“I was whisked away with his guitar excellence and songs during his performance,” Carter said.
She also was lucky enough to meet the rock icon. “The best part of the evening was after the concert, we drove to the back of the building to watch Elvis exit. To our surprise, he came to our car and popped his head in the front window and extended his arm into the back seat where I was sitting. “I didn’t touch his hand, but admired the large, bulky ring on his finger. His wavy hair was solid black and slicked back. I was too young to care or notice, but he had a sexy, inviting expression on his handsome face.”
Carter said she still especially enjoys Presley’s Gospel music. Although the rock-and-roll icon was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, each of his Grammys came in the Gospel category.
“In my years of admiring Elvis, I came to appreciate not only his music, but the love and care he held for his dear mother,” Carter said. 'Today, I’m in my 80s and still enjoy the songs of Elvis, the ‘King of Rock -n-Roll.’” Carter visited Presley’s Graceland home in Memphis, TN, in 2007. The Pierce County resident is donating several items of Elvis memorabilia to the Okefenokee Heritage Center to help establish an ongoing Elvis Presley exhibit to honor the 1956 performance.
Another tag-along to the Elvis performance was nine-year-old Elmer Thrift, whom many locals know now as the Ware County Commission Chairman. Thrift was also unfamiliar with Presley when he attended the event, and said “ he wasn’t particularly interested in him.”
However, his three older sisters were big fans, and he said he went along to see what all the hoopla was all about. Once inside the packed auditorium, Thrift recalled he thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
“There were a lot of girls all showing out,” laughed Thrift. “I thought it was hilarious! I’ve never seen anyone like him since. He was sharp, dressed really neat, and was really nice looking. And, boy! That joker could dance!”
Unlike Carter and Thrift, Joanne Parker Lipp was already an Elvis fan when she attended the concert.
“I’d hear his music, and I’d be dancing all over the house with my brothers making fun of me,” Lipp recalled, laughing. “I was just so excited about going.”
She attended the show by herself, she said, her brothers dropping her off at the auditorium.
“The thing I remember most is girls fainting and falling out of the chairs,” she said. “When Elvis started singing, all these girls started screaming and falling on the floor. I was embarrassed by it. I thought, ‘What in the world? Why are they doing that?’ I thought, ‘should I leave?’” Lipp remained at the show, however, and now fondly remembers the concert, contemplating how much life has changed since that February evening in 1956.
The “Elvis Returns” tribute concert begins at 6 p.m. with a performance by The County Line Ramblers with Poole’s tribute show starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in advance on the OHC website for $30 or at the door for $40. Just go to okefenokeeheritagecente r.org to purchase in advance.
Doors at the auditorium, 865 Pendleton Street, open at 5 p.m.
SPECIAL PHOTO
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