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Legends Show at The Cannon Center
Red Robinson emceed The Legends Show at the Cannon Center on August 13. While still in high school in Vancouver in 1954 Red was one of the first DJ's to play rock 'n roll music on a regular basis in Canada.
While Scotty and the band tuned up backstage preparing to go on Red and Darwin introduced some of the special guests in the audience that night. Among them were two of Bill Black's children, Louis Black and Nancy (Black) Shockley. Bill's younger brother John was also there with his daughter. He knew Elvis first while they were growing up in Lauderdale Courts and like his older brother; John was also a bass player. In the '50s he would eventually played bass with the Johnny Burnette Trio.
Famed Elvis photographer Al Wertheimer was also a guest that night. He first met Elvis and the band in 1956 when hired by RCA to shoot pictures of the "new act" when they first appeared on the Dorsey Bros' stage show, Elvis' first TV appearance. Later that year he would arrange on his own to spend 3 days following the band from Virginia to NY to Memphis and capture some of the most famous candid and intimate photographs of Elvis' career at just the time he went from an area attraction to international fame (some even used here on the site with his permission).
The show began and during the course of the first few songs Ronnie McDowell introduced the members of the band to the audience and again mentioned John Black in the audience. This time, not getting a good enough look, the crowd requested that he stand again and turn around. He looks very much like his brother Bill.
Bob Moore played one of his vintage upright basses. He used to have several that he would keep in each of the studios around Nashville. In addition to saving the trouble of transporting them from session to session it was better for the basses not to undergo the extreme temperature changes since they were older European made solid carved top instruments and not the more common less expensive plywood type. The one he played that night could've in fact been the one borrowed by Bill Black on a session in 56 to cut "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" or one on any number of the countless hits Bob played on with Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Eddie Arnold, Brenda Lee or Marty Robbins, to name but a few.
Lee Rocker then came out and took over for Ronnie on lead vocals going through a number of the early rocking Elvis classics. He also shared bass duties at times that night with Bob Moore. Influenced by people like Bill Black in playing style, he, along with the Stray Cats helped resurrect Rock-a-billy and the roots rock sound of the '50s in the early '80s. Lee had just returned from a European tour of the recently reunioned Stray Cats and also plays and records regularly with his own band. Friends since 1993, Scotty in recent years has toured with them and enjoys it very much.
Billy Swan then came out and sang and was accompanied by Boots Randolph on Saxophone. A friend since the early '70s and getting his start writing for Bill Black's Combo, Billy most recently performed with Scotty and DJ a week earlier in Tunica and even earlier still in July at the Sun Artist Commemorative Concert. Boots, a Nashville A-teamer and legend in his own right, was the first saxophone player to record with Elvis in the studio and the only one to play solo with him. He also played on the soundtracks to 8 of his movies.
Stan Perkins, Carl's son, then came out and performed the song that his father wrote and recorded and later covered by Elvis, "Blue Suede Shoes". Stan played drums in his father's band and on record for 22 years and also appears on the sessions Carl did with Scotty in the '90s. He now plays lead guitar, touring and helping keep his fathers music alive performing many of his hits. He too recently performed at the Sun Commemorative concert in Memphis in July.
Eddie Miles then came out and performed several numbers backed by Millie Kirkham and the Jordanaires. Eddie is one of the leading Elvis Tribute Artists and performed his own show there at the Cannon Center the following evening.
The Jordanaires then took the stage, shared a few Elvis stories about his love for Gospel music and performed a short set Acapella. Elvis had initially seen them perform in Memphis and said if ever made enough money would have them perform with him. Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires was the first of the band to record with Elvis in '56 at his first session for RCA in Nashville having been brought in alone by Chet Atkins to accompany two members of the Spears family as backup. By the second session there Elvis was not satisfied with this arrangement and saw to it that the full band was brought in from then on.
They were soon joined again by Ronnie, Millie and the band for several numbers.
As the show was finishing all the artists of the evening took the stage for the closing number.
The crowd gave the performers a standing ovation and as the curtains closed exited the auditorium to line up outside in the lobby for autographs. They would be out there for quite some time signed and greeting people which allowed the stage to be struck and setup for the TCB Band show that would commence at 10:00. Many of the attendees of the Legends show would also be attending the TCB Band show that followed.
October 10, 2004
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