by Edward Ellis, Special Correspondent
The month before Elvis Presley performed two New Bern shows in May 1955 his then-risqué Baby Let’s Play House had been released by Sun Records. Reaching the Top Five on the country charts, it would be his first hit record but it wouldn’t be enough to keep the Craven County farmers in their seats. The environs of New Bern were still rural and predominantly agricultural. The tobacco farmers and their families had come to see Grand Ole Opry stars Hank Snow and Slim Whitman.
The story is told that when the wriggly-hipped third act thundered onto the stage at the Shriners Auditorium on the corner of Broad and East Front Street many of those folk stood up and headed for the exits. The name of the man destined to become the top music star of his era – and earn the title “The King of Rock and Roll” – didn’t even make the local newspaper.
Things were changing for 20-year-old Elvis when he returned to the “Sudan Temple” as the top bill on September 13. With radio hits and a grueling schedule that saw him playing as many as three shows a day, the dark-eyed, raven-haired heartthrob was well on his way to wealth and international stardom.
In his New Bern shows that year, Elvis was accompanied by the Blue Moon Boys, Scotty Moore on the electric guitar and Bill Black on the double bass. The trio dined after one of their shows at Williams Restaurant, the site of today’s Chelsea. In 1955, Broad Street was U.S. Highway 17, a major thoroughfare, and Williams proudly billed itself as “Known from Maine to Florida.” Some folks say Elvis acquired his life-long affinity for Pepsi-Cola while visiting downtown New Bern.
should the hurricane-ravaged Sudan Shriner building meet the wrecking ball, as we hear, the stage where once stood The King will become another footnote in New Bern’s storied history.