How did Elvis spend the day leading up to his Jaycees Award? We visit the Memphis sites of Holiday Inn, Four Flames and Ellis Auditorium. Also visit RCA Studio B in Nashville.
TIMESTAMP
0:00 Early Jan 1971
0:20 Holiday Inn, Rivermont. Memphis
1:42 Four Flames Restaurant
3:25 Site of Ellis Auditorium, Memphis
6:07 RCA Studio B, Nashville
7:58 June - Dec 1971 overview
9:10 Outro
Elvis Presley 1971 Elvis Jaycees award, last Elvis Nashville recordings & Elvis and Priscilla split up. This is the latest edition of my potted history of Elvis Presley's life and career - an Elvis biography. Wherever possible I've used video clips compiled from our 2017 and 2019 trips to Memphis and surrounding areas. The year started well for Elvis was named one of the Jaycees 10 Outstanding Young Men Of America. Even better, the ceremony was in Elvis hometown of Memphis. Elvis stayed in the Holiday Inn Rivermont alongside the Mississippi River with the other recipients rather than Graceland. Elvis gave them a private tour of Graceland later in the day before hosting dinner at the Four Flames Restaurant on Poplar Ave. The ceremony itself took place in the evening of January 16th 1971 at the Ellis Auditorium - another venue that had played such a large part in Elvis' life. Soon after this Elvis completed his first ever season at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe quickly followed by his by-now regular month-long Las Vegas winter season at the newly-renamed Hilton Hotel (from International Hotel). In March, May and June Elvis recorded for the last time in Nashville (at RCA Studio B recording studios) which produced amongst others, Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, the Grammy winning gospel Elvis LP He Touched Me and the wonderful Elvis single I'm Leavin. Then it was another Elvis summer season at the Hilton in Las Vegas. He rounded out the year with his one and only tour of the year. December was a strange time - Elvis as usual attending the Memphian and Crosstown theaters regularly when home, but only the close circle of his entourage invited rather than including the usual fans who gathered at Graceland gates regularly and were known to Elvis and the group. The reason may have been trouble in Elvis and Priscilla's marriage. Priscilla left Elvis in Memphis the day before New Year's Eve. NYE was celebrated with a more muted gathering at Graceland rather than a nightclub which had been the norm for the last few years.
Sources of information include books by Peter Guralnick, Ernst Jorgensen, Pal Granlund, David English, Erik Lorentzen, Alan Hanson, Paul Richardson and Keith Flynn. Websites include elvisinfonet.com, elvis.com/au, historic-memphis.com, elvisconcerts.com and the fascinating stories and information contributed by so many to the sites, and magazines Elvis The Man and His Music and Essential Elvis. Also the Elvis Memphis locations books Elvis - Memphis Style by Mike Freeman and Follow Me To Memphis by Andrew Hearn.
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8 January 1971 Elvis spends birthday screening movies at the Memphian
January 15 1971, Elvis here on Riverside at Holiday Inn Rivermont.
January 16 1971, Elvis to receive his award as one of the 'Ten Outstanding Young Men of America', the Jaycees award at Ellis Auditorium. Elvis took them for a personal tour of Graceland. Just come up here on Poplar It was opened by a Lessie Gates in 1958 as the 'Coach House' the new name of the restaurant, 'The Four Flames' restaurant.
Elvis came here on January 16 1971.
This was the site of the Ellis Auditorium Elvis was here at the Ellis on January 16 1971. Elvis recipient of the Jaycees award for the '10 Outstanding Young Men of America' was held here at the Ellis Auditorium on January 16 1971.
8 March 1971 Elvis in Memphis and returns to the Ellis TV showing of the Ali - Frazier fight.
So May 1971 Elvis was back at RCA Studio B where most of the tracks for the 'Elvis Sings Wonderful World of Christmas', 'He Touched Me', the Grammy-winning gospel album was recorded here as well. Also recorded are tracks for 'Elvis Now' LP and the singles 'I'm Leavin', 'It's Only Love' and 'Until It's Time For You To Go'. He came back in June of 1971 which would mark the last time that Elvis actually recorded anything in Nashville.
29 June 1971 Approval is made today by Memphis City Council for a stretch of Highway 51 South to be renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. Predictably, Elvis spends most nights at the Memphian or Crosstown. 5 November 1971 Elvis begins his only tour of 1971, This tour is the first Elvis tour with the backing singers JD Sumner & The Stamps replacing The Imperials. The times Elvis was home in Memphis in the last few weeks, he has rented out the Memphian and Crosstown, 30 December 1971 Priscilla leaves Elvis