Elvis & Terry Thornton

[Little Darlin]

Below is something on the Net I found interesting

Copyright Terry Thornton..

1. The first money Terry Thornton ever won in a talent show was his performance of Hound Dog on piano and saxophone (not at the same time!) backed up by his brother Sherman on guitar at Hatley High School, Monroe County, Mississippi, circa 1956. Hound Dog and Don't Be Cruel were on the same record; they were early hits for Elvis. Big Mama Thornton has an earlier recording of Hound Dog --- but there is apparently no connection between the Thorntons Big Mama and Terry.

2. The only time Terry Thornton was ever hissed and booed in a performance was while playing piano at a club at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, December 1957. He started playing Hound Dog and the audience didn't want to hear it!

3. The only time Terry Thornton ever saw Elvis in a concert was for free in Amory, Mississippi, on the evening of March 10, 1955. Elvis shared the stage with Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins (click to see poster of concert). Terry didn't think Elvis much of a performer as recorded in statements he made in an essay published at Hill Country (click to read about the Presley concert).

4. Terry's older son was married at the Methodist Church directly across the street from the birthplace of Elvis Presley in East Tupelo. Some of the out-of-town guests for the wedding were more impressed with being at "the shrine" in Tupelo than at being at the wedding! Several guests left the reception so that could walk across the street to "the birthplace."

5. The first house Terry ever owned was just past where Elvis went to grade school at Lawhorn School, East Tupelo, Mississippi.

6. Terry used to buy all his tools and hardware at Tupelo Hardware when it was a hardware store instead of a tourist stop; Tupelo Hardware is where Elvis' first guitar was bought.

7. The girl Terry married moved from Memphis to Tupelo just about the same time that Elvis moved from Tupelo to Memphis. She was in attendance at Elvis' famous outdoor concert at the Tupelo Fair and Livestock Show at the Fairgrounds in Tupelo, Mississippi.

8. Terry's sister-in-law once worked at Lee County Library where at one time it was not unusual to find signed book checkout cards with the young Elvis Presley's signature on them.

9. Terry's older son attended kindergarten at Lawhorn, the same school Elvis attended.

10. Terry also nearly ran over one of Elvis' co-stars. She darted into the street on a rainy day clutching her raincoat up to her face in downtown Oxford. The lovely Mary Ann Mobley was just back from her one-year reign as Miss America and owes her life to the good brakes on the old 1950 Packard Terry was driving --- he slid to a stop against the tail of her raincoat and motioned for her to go ahead and cross the street. Five years later she was making movies with Elvis; she was in Harum Scarum (considered by some to be Elvis' worse movie) and in Girl Happy. At the time Terry nearly hit Mary Ann, another beauty from Mississippi and from Ole Miss, Lynda Mead, was the reigning Miss America. Terry's sweetie had several English courses with Lynda but that doesn't have anything to do with Terry's connection to Elvis, does it?

11. When the Elvis inspired(?) look in pink and black swept the South in the mid- to late-1950s, Terry was in fashion. He wore a pair of black gabardine trousers with a pink piping/cording down the outside leg seams and the requisite tiny thin pink suede leather belt, white shoes with a black stripe across the toe, and a pink and black shirt. Fortunately for sensitive family members and descendants, no pictures, black and white nor color, survive of that display of fashion.

12. Terry Thornton has never toured the birthplace at Tupelo although he has driven by it over the years and watched it evolve from a small sad little house to a small delightful little house.

13. Terry Thornton has never toured the museum and gift shop at the birthplace at Tupelo.

14. Terry Thornton has never toured Graceland in Memphis although he has driven by it.

15. Terry Thornton's younger son ruptured his eardrum jumping into the Elvis Presley swimming pool in East Tupelo. He had surgery on that ear at Shea Clinic in Memphis which was founded by the husband of Lynda Lee Mead (see number 10).

16. The high hill at East Tupelo behind where Elvis Presley was born is one of the best sites to collect fossilized shark teeth in Lee County. The last time Terry Thornton was there collecting fossils was with Dr. Douglas and the Historical Geology graduate class from Ole Miss.

17. Terry Thornton knows the name of one of the girls who said she was backstage kissing Elvis when he was in Amory on March 10, 1955 --- but he is not naming names at this point.

18. Terry Thornton teased his wife about her scrapbook on Elvis so much that she eventually got rid of it. She gave it to her youngest sister who threw away the Elvis stuff (including ticket stubs to the Tupelo concert) and replaced it with Beatles stuff. Then her children threw away the Beatles stuff and filled the old scrapbook full of whoever. . . what a mistake Terry made! He should have told his sweetie to put that scrapbook in a safety-deposit box so they could make a fortune off of it in their old age.

19. Terry Thornton sold his copy of the 1956 sheet music to Hound Dog for 50 cents at a yard sale in a fit of getting rid of stuff.

20. Terry's wife's cousin Billy Ray went to Humes High School in Memphis with Elvis and knew him well.

21. Terry Thornton used to ride the Pippin at the Memphis Fairground's Amusement Park; the Pippin was Elvis' favorite rides.

22. Terry enjoys eating the macaroni salad that Elvis is said to have liked so much that whenever his cook made it, Elvis would tip her $100. Terry does not tip his sweetie who has modified the recipe by reducing the number of eggs in the dish from twelve to two!

23. And speaking of eating, Terry has also eaten his share of banana and peanut butter sandwiches said to be a treat for Elvis. Terry makes his banana sandwiches from two thin slices of white bread, one banana smashed up in a huge glob of peanut butter with a tablespoon of sugar. (Smash and mix the ingredients and spread thickly on one slice of bread; cap with the other slice and cut into halves. Hold with both hands to eat.) And the best drink to wash all this down is Cherry Kool Aid --- Terry's drink of choice to go with banana sandwiches. He doesn't know what Elvis had to drink with his banana-peanut butter sandwiches.

24. Terry has watched only one of the thirty-three movies Elvis made, the first one, Love Me Tender and thinks Elvis' recording of Love Me Tender one of his best. Love Me Tender is Terry's favorite song to sing in the shower, thankyouverymuch.

25. But Terry agrees with Elvis completely that deams do come true for folks lucky enough to be born in the Hill Country. And he uses the 1971 words of Presley to illustrate this agreement:
"...When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed, has come true a hundred times...I'd like to say that I learned very early in life that 'Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song.' So I keep singing a song..."

[KiwiAlan]

One might well ask "who the hell is Terry Thonrton"?

One might well ask "Is he related to Alice?'

One might conclude that Terry Thornton is an ass!

[nigel]

OK, you've hooked me...who is Terry Thornton? Or does the net posting not answer that?

[Little Darlin]

Ok here goes.

I like to read Blogs that include Elvis and I came across this one a couple of days ago on Google. It contained a great review of Elvis playing at the Amory

http://hillcountryofmonroecountry.blogspot.com/2007/05/elvis-presley-in-hill-country-concert.html

I enjoyed it so much I flagged the Blog and when he wrote the latest piece I posted it here because it was all about Elvis basically.

[Memphis]

Ok here goes.

I like to read Blogs that include Elvis and I came across this one a couple of days ago on Google. It contained a great review of Elvis playing at the Amory

http://hillcountryofmonroecountry.blogspot.com/2007/05/elvis-presley-in-hill-country-concert.html

I enjoyed it so much I flagged the Blog and when he wrote the latest piece I posted it here because it was all about Elvis basically.

I also monitor Blogs and sites that include Elvis, and enjoy coming across first person accounts like this. Although sometimes memories may not be completely accurate, some of these gems help keep the Elvis phenom in perspective, Thanks for posting this Little Darlin.

[Little Darlin]

You're welcome Memphis..please post any you find too.

[nigel]

Thanks...an interesting thread.