In October 1954, 19-year-old Elvis Presley made his one and only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage, performing his version of the Bill Monroe bluegrass hit “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” He received a lukewarm reception with many taken aback by his performance.
Priscilla Presley said Elvis loved the Opry and that performance was "his way of getting out there."
"He felt that he needed to tell his story because here he was, you know, at that time when he first came out people thought, 'Who in the heck is this guy?' and 'Oh my God, those movements he’s making!'" Priscilla said during an Aug. 12 segment with Eryn Cooper on Nashville's WSM Radio, the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry. "... That was just natural for him when he was singing or especially
songs that he cared about … it was just what he felt. It wasn’t for anything else. And, boy, he kind of got it in the beginning! Why are you moving like that?"
Priscilla — who met Elvis in 1959 and was married to him from 1967-1973 — said he understood how different his movements and music were.
"He was living the movements because of the songs," she said, noting it was the first time people were seeing someone shaking while singing and they were shocked.
“He was ready to take off," she said of his career. "But he didn’t realize it would be as big as it was."
Priscilla's radio appearance came ahead of her "An Intimate Evening with Priscilla Presley" event on Aug. 15 at The Mulehouse in Columbia. She said she was looking forward to the event and loved telling stories and answering questions about her life. The event also will feature some of her private home movies.
"Losing Elvis was very, very, very difficult for me," Priscilla said. “He was an amazing human being, and I do have some great stories about him.”
Elsewhere in Tennessee on Aug. 15, thousands will gather at Graceland in Memphis for the annual Candlelight Vigil marking the anniversary of Elvis' death on Aug. 16, 1977.
Music writer Bob Mehr contributed to this report.
Erin Munz is the news director at The Commercial Appeal. Contact her at erin.munz@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Priscilla Presley said about Elvis' Grand Ole Opry performance
