ergaenzend dazu einen bericht der dortigen lokalpresse, mit dem man dieses auftrittes vor 50 jahren gedenkt:

Posted on Sun, Feb. 19, 2006

Serving The King in Sarasota

WADE TATANGELO / Herald Staff Writer

Fifty years ago this week, the usual crowd of mostly businessmen and retirees ate, conversed and read newspapers at the Waffle Shop in Sarasota.

Waitresses took orders and returned with bacon, eggs and coffee at the popular diner on Washington Boulevard. Owner Jimmy Jones hustled alongside his employees. His daughter, Edith Barr Dunn, worked behind the counter that day.

People discussed attending "The Big Show in the Making" at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus' nearby winter quarters. But there was little chatter about the hillbilly kid who would play the theater on Pineapple Avenue that night.

Customers at the Waffle Shop (now the Waffle Stop) didn't even recognize Elvis Aaron Presley when he and band mates Scotty Moore and Bill Black pulled up in a pink convertible Cadillac. Yet within a month Elvis' meteoric rise as the King of Rock 'n' Roll would be launched with "Heartbreak Hotel" - the first of an amazing string of six No. 1 singles in 1956.

Elvis wasn't a household name yet, but the confident 21-year-old knew how to make an entrance.
"They jumped over the doors instead of opening them," Barr Dunn recalls. "That got everyone's attention right away. That was something people didn't do back then. Plus, they were young and there weren't many young people around here in those days.

"And they were looking sharp."

Elvis sat down at a counter stool and was joined by Moore and Black. Barr Dunn's father instructed Edith to serve the singer. Those chaps have a show tonight at the Florida Theatre, her father said.

"My name is Elvis Presley," the handsome young man announced when Barr Dunn approached. "And if you give me good service, I'll give you a good tip."

Elvis sported slim-fitting black slacks and a white shirt with the cuffs turned up. His black hair shone. He displayed proper Southern etiquette and was quite the charmer.

"Ma'am, your skirt should be shorter because your gams are too pretty," Elvis told Barr Dunn.

"Ma'am, you have a nice smile," he continued.

Elvis tried to impress the 35-year-old Welsh-born waitress by handing her promotional pictures of himself. Barr Dunn thought the young man was conceited - but very polite.

The singer with the little waist surprised her with how much food he ate. Elvis ordered three eggs over light, three pieces of crispy bacon, pan-fried potatoes and two sides of toast. He washed it all down with three glasses of milk.

"That's good service," Elvis told Barr Dunn as he finished.

Then he left her a 50-cent tip.

"Oh, yeah, that was big," remembers Barr Dunn, who was accustomed to smiling at a 10-cent tip.
The diner will celebrate Elvis' historic visit on Tuesday with specials and prizes for customers wearing 1950s apparel.

The musician from Tupelo, Miss., did four shows at the Florida Theatre - now the Sarasota Opera House - that Feb. 21 a half-century ago, accompanied by lead guitarist Moore and bassist Black. Col. Thomas Parker most likely watched the performances from the wings.

The show times were 2:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:35 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. The two afternoon gigs cost 76 cents per ticket and the evening shows were $1. Between each show a "B" Western movie was screened.
The lineup that day included country music acts the Louvin Brothers, the Carter Sisters, Justin Tubb and Benny Martin.

Each Elvis performance was likely no longer than 20 minutes. But audience members got plenty of bang for their buck. A doctor once told Elvis that four performances were equal to a full eight-hour workday. The singer probably came off stage dripping sweat every time.

Barr Dunn wasn't able to attend the concert, but her parents were there and told their daughter the place was packed and that she missed something special.

The crowds at the Florida Theatre likely witnessed Elvis perform "Blue Suede Shoes," "Tutti Frutti," "Baby, Let's Play House," "Shake, Rattle And Roll," and perhaps "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," "Good Rockin' Tonight," "Mystery Train," and "That's All Right."

The highlight of the show might have been his newest single, "Heartbreak Hotel."

"It was just about to debut on the pop charts and had been steadily gaining attention in Billboard, particularly in its country and western 'Best Buys' column . . . ," writes Peter Guralnick in the definitive biography "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley."

"Sales had snowballed rapidly in the past two weeks, with pop and R&B customers joining Presley's hillbilly fans in demanding the disc."

Elvis made his first national TV appearance on "Stage Show" on Jan. 28, 1956. The program was co-hosted by big band stalwarts Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Shortly before performing in Sarasota, Elvis was in New York to tape his third appearance on "Stage Show." That date marked the first time he sang "Heartbreak Hotel."
But local viewers who watched the broadcast were probably not impressed. The performance was "something of a disaster," writes Guralnick. Moore and Black were pushed aside in favor of the Dorsey brothers' orchestra, and Elvis appeared stilted.

It's doubtful Elvis appeared stiff in Sarasota, though. He had Moore and Black by his side, and it sounds like he might have had something to prove.

Elvis' ambition in those days is said to have been amazing, as were the results.

"Heartbreak Hotel" hit No. 1 on March 3, 1956. The other No. 1 singles that year were "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"; "Hound Dog"; "Don't Be Cruel"; "Love Me Tender" and "Too Much."

Elvis' self-titled debut album, which was released several weeks after his performance in Sarasota, also shot to No. 1. The famed "you can see his tonsils" picture that adorns the original LP cover was taken in Tampa at a Hesterly Armory show on July 31, 1955, by William Robertson, according to The Tampa Tribune.

Elvis' infamous "The Ed Sullivan Show" appearances were in 1956. And so was his silver screen debut in the hit feature film "Love Me Tender."

Elvis never played Sarasota again. In fact, after 1956 he didn't return to perform in the area until 1970, when he sang in front of a sold-out crowd at the old Curtis Hixon Hall in downtown Tampa.

The singer reportedly wore a low-cut white jumpsuit, a huge belt and a long scarf that night.

The morning after Elvis' show at the Florida Theatre, he returned to the Waffle Shop, sat down at the counter and smiled.

"You chaps were great last night," Jones said to the three musicians.

Elvis humbly thanked the man for the compliment. Barr Dunn was standing behind the counter again in the white uniform that showed off her legs.

"If you remember what I ordered yesterday, I will give you another big tip," Elvis said.

Barr Dunn has remembered that order for 50 years.

Elvis' visit is something of a local legend. Just look for the storefront that says "Elvis Ate Here" and plop down on a stool and check out the memorabilia. Or look for Barr Dunn and her trademark white cowboy hat. Though she no longer owns the restaurant, she's a regular customer.

Sources: In-person and phone interviews, "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" by Peter Guralnick, Presley CD liner notes, www.allmusic.com., www.IMDB.com (The International Movie Database), www.Wikipedia.com, TBO.com (The Tampa Tribune), the Sarasota-based www.WorldWideElvis.com and the online version of the "The Elvis Presley Diary" were used in this story.

HeraldToday.com. His blog, "In Tune with Wade," can be found at http://blogs.bradenton.com.

quelle: www.heraldtoday.com