Elvis Rocked Omaha With Concerts Spanning Two Decades

Aug 12, 05:07 AM

Current Headlines: By Rhonda Stansberry, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

Aug. 12--ELVIS LIVES -- in memory, at least.

Thirty years since the King's death, Presley fans talk about the early years -- the sideburns, the swivel hips, the sexy moves. He introduced scores of songs, from rockabilly and rock 'n' roll to old-time gospel.

Elvis exploded on the national scene in the 1950s, wooing teens with appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." He kept many of those fans and added another generation or two on tours throughout the United States.

He performed in Omaha, Lincoln and Sioux City, Iowa.

Elvis was heavier, showing signs of declining health, but he was still the King when he appeared onstage at Omaha's Civic Auditorium on June 19, 1977 -- his last concert here and one of his last anywhere. He died Aug. 16, 1977.

Nearly 10,000 tickets were sold for that show, only a few hundred less than a year earlier.

Ever the fan, Omahan Stan Benis was in the audience for Elvis concerts in 1974 and 1976.

Benis, now event operations director at Qwest Center Omaha, was part of the backstage crew on the 1977 show.

"Elvis looked tired, but his voice was still strong," Benis said.

That year, Elvis was heavy, even bloated, recalled Bob Mancuso Sr., CEO with Mid-America Expositions, which handled some of the details for Presley's last Omaha concert.

During rehearsal, Mancuso said, Elvis split his pants.

Darrel Gruber, security director for the auditorium and one of the backstage crew, took Elvis to his jet at Eppley Airfield to change clothes. Gruber, knowing Benis was a fan, invited him along.

Benis said Elvis was "very pleasant, very cordial and forthright."

Benis has a memento of that day. An autographed 8-by-10 glossy hangs on an office wall: "Stan, Best of luck, Elvis Presley."

A front-row seat

Omahan Pauline Burke had just graduated from high school when Elvis came to Omaha for the first time in 1956.

She and a friend snagged seats in the front row.

She remembers an electrifying performance, with kids dancing in the aisles. Back then, that was unusual behavior. Burke didn't dance, but she said she liked the onstage gyrations that generated so much controversy.

After that, she collected Elvis albums, which she since has sold or passed on to her children. And she keeps a memory of being "in seventh heaven" at that concert.

Spanning generations

You didn't have to go to a concert to be a lifelong fan of Elvis.

Joyce Pekula takes a little teasing about her passion for Presley.

Pekula -- executive secretary for noted Creighton University Medical School researcher Dr. Robert Heaney -- was a star-struck teen when she first saw Elvis on TV.

She loved that voice, and over the years, the love didn't wane. She has lots of favorite Elvis tunes, starting with "In the Ghetto," "Don't Be Cruel" and many of his gospel songs.

Pekula has some cherished Elvis collectibles at her desk at work -- an Elvis mouse pad, several commemorative candy boxes and at least three heart-shaped Elvis magnets. She has visited the Presley home -- Graceland -- in Memphis.

Her son, Brett, has been a fan since he was 15. Other than his mom's influence, he can't explain the fascination. He was 3 years old when Elvis made his last appearance in Omaha.

Brett is something of an Elvis trivia king, knowing who first signed him to a recording contract (Sun Records) and how he came to record "That's Alright Mama" (a gift for his mother).

He also has an impressive collection of Presley CDs. He likes the rockabilly tunes best.

At one point, friends took Brett's collection to another level, giving him a life-size cardboard cutout of the King.

That's not on display, Brett said.

"I don't have a shrine."

Milestones

First record contract: Sun Records in Memphis (1954), five singles, soon picked up by RCA Victor (1955)

Managers: Bob Neal in January 1955; Col. Tom Parker, August 1955

Backup group: The Jordanaires, a gospel quartet, joined Elvis at RCA in 1956 and worked and toured with him until the late 1960s

"The Ed Sullivan Show," 1956-57: Elvis receives national exposure

First movie: "Love Me Tender" opened Nov. 16, 1956, in New York City

Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1958; attained the rank of sergeant; stationed in Germany

Number of movies: 33

Musical influences were the pop and country music of the time, the gospel music he heard in church and at all-night gospel sessions he attended, and the black R&B he absorbed on Beale Street in Memphis

Sold more than 1 billion records worldwide

Received gold, platinum or multiplatinum awards for 150 different albums and singles

14 Grammy nominations (three wins) from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36

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