Hitching Post Club Next To 8101 South Main St.

[James V. Roy]

According to the book, "Elvis in Texas - The Undiscovered King 1954-1958", Elvis had Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D.J. Fontana backing him at most of his Texas gigs in 1954-56.

Most of the dates at any of the venues in Houston only featured Elvis, Scotty and Bill. Elvis never performed solo. DJ only played a couple of times with them at the City Auditorium in 56.

[Earlydays]

Most of the dates at any of the venues in Houston only featured Elvis, Scotty and Bill. Elvis never performed solo. DJ only played a couple of times with them at the City Auditorium in 56.

You're right, I double-checked the book and it looks like Scotty and Bill were with him at most all the Texas gigs.....though not DJ. He did appear with Elvis at some venues around the state, though not as often.

[James V. Roy]

I forgot to mention the Sam Houston Coliseum. By then DJ was a regular member of the band and played with them on their last ever show in Houston there. Though they met DJ in 54 when they started at the Hayride he would often play with them from behind the curtain. He would play other dates with them when there was money but didn't start touring regularly with them until almost the fall of 55 when Scotty and Bill to pay for him out of their split. He went on the payroll officially if December after Elvis signed with RCA.

[NotGivinUp]

I asked Tinker whether Elvis was performing solo at the Hitching Post or with Scotty, Bill and D.J. because of this British TV interview I found on YouTube:

PJ Proby: Interview on Elvis Presley

P.J. Proby says in the interview that he had known Elvis since he was 14 when he, Elvis and Tommy Sands all sang at the hillbilly clubs in Houston, the Hitching Post. P.J. Proby (James Marcus Smith) was born November 6, 1938, making him 16 in late November 1954. So at least in that video, he's put Elvis in Houston in 1952 or 1953.

[Earlydays]

.......So at least in that video, he's put Elvis in Houston in 1952 or 1953.

According to the book, "Elvis in Texas - The Undiscovered King 1954-1958", Elvis' first gig in Houston was an afternoon show at Magnolia Gardens on November 21, 1954....on the same day Elvis did an evening show at Cook's Hoedown Club.

[James V. Roy]

According to the book, "Elvis in Texas - The Undiscovered King 1954-1958", Elvis' first gig in Houston was an afternoon show at Magnolia Gardens on November 21, 1954....on the same day Elvis did an evening show at Cook's Hoedown Club.

That's a common belief but probably not true.

I finally got the page together, a lot you'll find familiar already but this covers The Paladium, Cook's Hoedown, Eagles' Hall and Magnolia Gardens.

http://scottymoore.net/houston.html

Thanks for all the input

Jim

[NotGivinUp]

I finally got the page together, a lot you'll find familiar already but this covers The Paladium, Cook's Hoedown, Eagles' Hall and Magnolia Gardens.

http://scottymoore.net/houston.html

Thanks for all the input

Jim

You've gathered a lot of interesting and important facts and it's great you've put them all together for convenient reference. It doesn't look like your research turned up anything about the Hitching Post bar unless I overlooked it. Incidentally, I haven't found the HP mentioned in any books about George Jones either, although P.J. Proby said he was a regular there.

[NotGivinUp]

Here is a video of a 2008 or 2009 interview with P.J. Proby talking about the Hitching Post, Elvis and Tommy Sands.

[brucesw]

Here is a video of a 2008 or 2009 interview with P.J. Proby talking about the Hitching Post, Elvis and Tommy Sands.

Well that was just very special. I think I have reached some new level of astonishment at this guy's claims and the apparent gullibility of the Brits.

James V. Roy - thanks very much for sharing your research. I've put a link to your page on my radio history site as the article includes a lot of fascinating information about venues and djs and stations back then.

I have tried to insert the 1957 Historic Aerials view of the junction of S. Main and OST but I can't get it to work, so, go to Historic Aerials and enter 8100 S. Main, Houston, Texas in the search window and it will automatically pull up the 1957 aerial.

I had looked at this before and concluded that the only structure shown in the vicinity which might hold a thousand people and also have the parking capability for that sized crowd was the building/cluster of buildings in the Y between S. Main and OST, and I believe that is the 1000 block of OST but it doesn't appear to be all under one roof. So was that the Texas Corral/Paladium? The structures just north of there on Main might also be something significant but it's hard to determine and again it doesn't seem to be all under one roof. The address 8100 S. Main should be, I believe, on the west side of Main.

There are a few other buildings along there which do appear to have the parking to indicate they are public venues of some sort, most notably the building set back, south of OST and SSE of the structure in question - a smaller bar/dance hall/beer joint/restaurant? - but they're all too small to be a 1000 seat nitery. Otherwise it looks to me like mostly it's small manufacturing or industrial or storage - large buildings in some cases but inadequate parking.

South of the merge, on the east side of Main, is what I believe was a trailer park that was still there ca. 1980. I had some relatives come through at that time in an RV and they stayed there; at that time it was nicely shaded by large trees. Even further south on the same side is what must have been Playland Park; I was there only once as a young child but I think that's about where it was.

[youbetcha]

Well that was just very special. I think I have reached some new level of astonishment at this guy's claims and the apparent gullibility of the Brits.

I agree.

[James V. Roy]

James V. Roy - thanks very much for sharing your research. I've put a link to your page on my radio history site as the article includes a lot of fascinating information about venues and djs and stations back then.

I saw that. Thank you for the plug and the link.

I wish I could be more help pinpointing the location but all I know I put in the page. As I mentioned the directories didn't list anything and the phonebooks only gave that address. I tried unsuccessfully to get in touch with Tony Sepolio but to no avail. As for Proby, I can't add much. I can't say I ever heard of the guy before this thread, though I'm not that well versed in the peripheral Elvis fan world or have much interest in who impersonates who. There may be some truth to what he said if he was a local but I don't doubt he's overplayed his significance. It's possible Elvis hit on his sister, he hit on just about everything. That's almost no claim to fame. As for a club with that name the best I can say is there was no official venue by that name that Elvis, Scotty and Bill performed in that anyone has ever heard of. It might be time for the OP to change his username.

[NotGivinUp]

It might be time for the OP to change his username.

Perhaps NoHitch would be fitting?

[James V. Roy]

This doesn't add anything to the issue but I saw a video on a friends' friends facebook this morning that had Proby singing something on some show and then in a similar clip on the side I saw one where he's covering a gospel song that Elvis did. He is really copping on elvis for this one but one cool thing I noticed, if it wasn't editied in, was the Beatles in the audience at the beginning of the clip.

http://youtu.be/HWmGkw1Bi2U

[TileIsBetter]

This doesn't add anything to the issue but I saw a video on a friends' friends facebook this morning that had Proby singing something on some show and then in a similar clip on the side I saw one where he's covering a gospel song that Elvis did. He is really copping on elvis for this one but one cool thing I noticed, if it wasn't editied in, was the Beatles in the audience at the beginning of the clip.

James V. Roy, that clip was from a British TV special hosted by the Beatles and produced by Jack Good, the producer of the Shindig! TV show. Good was a P.J. Proby backer who introduced the singer to England and pitched him as both a close associate of and a demo singer for Elvis. P.J. Proby had some hit records over there in 1964 and 1965 amid all that Elvis hype and a record deal that violated a contract he already had with Liberty Records here.

[NotGivinUp]

Some additional information from P.J. Proby has turned up on the internet in the last month. He was interviewed for the Classic Bands website (www.classicbands.com) by Gary James, a prolific celebrity interviewer and contributor to the website. Here's the interview link:

http://www.classicba...yInterview.html

In the interview Mr. Proby (Houstonian James/Jimmy Smith) says that during his summer breaks from school he had his own radio show in Houston with Tommy Sands. He says they were working for Biff Collie singing at various places in Houston including the Hitching Post, and that Elvis was in Houston in 1953 and 1954 singing with them. He said too that Col. Parker was with Elvis at that time. Can anyone confirm any of this?

Off topic, but I found another part of the interview amusing. He was talking about his close association with the famous lyricist, Ray Gilbert. He claims in the interview to be the godfather of Gilbert's daughter, Melissa Gilbert of Little House on the Prairie fame. Ray Gilbert's daughter was a different actress, Joanne not Melissa, and she's six years older than Proby. Hardly in need of his services as her godfather.

[TileIsBetter]

I think that classicbands.com interview is very telling. P.J. Proby seems in denial that his accounts of show business figures and events can be refuted. Placing Elvis in Houston during the summer of 1953 or even 1954 is ludicrous.

[FilioScotia]

I couldn't agree more. Old PJ's memory is fading fast and simply cannot be trusted anymore. I say it's time to put this thread to sleep.

And as a retired old radio guy I can testify that in the 1950s, NO RADIO STATION would allow a high school kid to have a radio show.

[tinker]

Hi NotGivinUp,

Sorry to have been away for such a long time. However, the puzzle kept my brain occupied and like you I'm not giving up! I've done a lot more research and had a good brainstorm with P.J. Proby. He certainly has a very good memory and is not making things up. Of course anybody could make a mistake after such a long time, but the picture is rather complete. Walk with me over South Main in 1954 and judge for yourself. This is the picture I'm getting:

 

We're talking Summer 1954. Jimmy Smith is in San Marcos Academy and in the school holidays he lives with his mother in Houston, near South Main. He's 15 years old. Singing is his passion and he hangs around every place where the music is. Tommy Sands is dating Jimmy's stepsister Betty Moers and Betty and Tommy both go to Lamar Highschool. Tommy Sands is already performing a lot in Houston as a “singing dj” and has a record out. Tommy is almost 17. Jimmy Smith follows his friend Tommy as much as he can and is allowed to sing a few songs here and there as well, or play the drums etc. Jimmy is completely unknown.

 

They frequently hang out in The Hitching Post. The Hitching Post is a really small beer bar, that holds maybe 30-50 people. It looks like a wooden cabin. It is right next to Prince’s drive-in on South Main, at the intersection with the Old Spanish Trail, where there is a circle now. The girls at the Prince's drive-in serve you on their roller skates. You could get a beer or a coke, Jimmy went there with his Uncle Dan, who had him order “Two beers for two steers”. One day a little airplane crashes into the roof of Prince’s drive-in, right next to The Hitching Post. The Prince’s Drive in was at 8101 South Main St (later the Taco Cabana).

On the Prince’s website it says: “The Prince's on Main Street was among the hottest hangouts in the city, and when Elvis Presley played a concert here in 1955, he headed to Prince's afterward.” It sounds very likely that Elvis knew this hamburger place for quite a while, 

 

Before Elvis was officially playing in Houston, he was hustling for work and often played in a bar “for the money on the door”.  Elvis was in Houston in the summer of 1954, trying to get in with the dj’s, especially Biff Collie. This was at the time he was just having his first regional hit in The South with That's Alright Mamma" (July 1954).

Tommy Sands remembers Elvis Presley hanging out late at night with local disc jockeys at small hamburger joints in Houston (like the Prince’s drive-in?). “Elvis Presley would eat two or three hamburgers, a double order of fries, and drink half a dozen Cokes. He was the cat”, Tommy Sands chuckled, “We called him that because he purred softly around girls. Elvis had an enormous attraction”, Sands recalled.

 

At the time Tommy and Biff were holding an evening in the Hitching Post, next door to the Prince’s drive-in. Billie introduces Tommy and Jimmy to this new kid Elvis Pressley, who will also do a few songs. This is not an official performance and is not in the Elvis records. Elvis befriended Biff Collie afterwards, who broadcast his radio show from different joints. Biff Collie booked Elvis to come to Houston for a few performances. Colonel Parker was Tommy Sands’ manager at the time. Colonel Parker immediately showed great interest in Elvis.

 

Everything goes quickly from here on. Elvis gets different performances in Houston between the Summer of 1954 and the Summer of 1955 in different joints. The joints were getting bigger and Elvis was officially billed by then. In between shows he would visit the other joints he got to know so well and sometimes join in unofficially.

It is save to say that Jimmy saw Elvis on different occasions during this year. Additionally, Elvis was dating Jimmy’s stepsister Betty when he was in town. She was also still going with Tommy Sands, and Jimmy had to make sure they didn’t find out about each other. One night Elvis had dinner with Betty, Jimmy and their mother at their house (when Elvis was already driving a Cadillac). Probably this was during the Christmas holidays 54/55.

PJ’s Mom was a huge fan of Elvis and loved his record “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” .

 

Jimmy saw Elvis making it quickly. From looking for work in Scotty’s old beat-up Chevrolet to a huge star in a pink Cadillac within a year. Jimmy was present when Colonel Parker told Tommy Sands he would manage Elvis from now on and would have to let Tommy go (Christmas holidays 1954/1955).

PJ also mentions being present later at the Eagle's Hall when Elvis and George Jones were on the bill (August 1955?)

 

Location:

Jimmy gets to the Hitching Post walking over the South Main dirt road on bare feet. There was no dual carriage way with a division in the middle in those days. Jimmy has to go past the Shamrock Hotel, that has an enormous swimming pool, where Jimmy is allowed to swim in, because his Daddy is member of the card club. He comes there with his friend Mike Dees and Mike’s sister Melinda. Mike’s father Buster Dees owns another club on South Main, The Troubadour, which has a little swimming pool with coins in it, to attract the drunks and have them fall in the pool to sober up. Jimmy and Mike dive for the coins, but Buster has a go at them.

 

Another joint on the way is Bill Williams Fried Chicken. Bill Williams had the best fried chicken in town, across from the Pony Ride. It was next to the place where college kid Kenny Rogers (stand-up bass) and Mike Dees (on drums) performed with a blind piano player “ The Bobby Doyle Three “ a few years later. (The name of this club across the road from the Shamrock was Rib-eye Supper Club on Holcomb Blvd and Main Street)

 

And of course there was PlayLand Park, where Jimmy cut his first record with his Uncle Dan, when he was very little.

 

If you went past the Hitching Post, to the left on the Old Spanish Trail, you came to the big place that Aunt Bonnie was involved in, where Elvis and Tommy Sands also performed later (This must have been The Paladium, formerly Texas Corral.)

 

There were three theatres on Main Street. The other way, into town, was the Auditorium where Elvis also played later and there was a Rodeo.

 

Conclusion:

The Hitching Post was on the crossing of South Main and Old Spanish Trail. It was just a small wooden beer bar where kids that were unknown got a chance to show their musical abilities and talent was scouted. Nothing fancy. It was next to Prince’s drive-in on 8101 Main St.

.

Are there any old photos known of this spot?

 

Tinker

[TileIsBetter]

Before Elvis was officially playing in Houston, he was hustling for work and often played in a bar “for the money on the door”.  Elvis was in Houston in the summer of 1954, trying to get in with the dj’s, especially Biff Collie. This was at the time he was just having his first regional hit in The South with That's Alright Mamma" (July 1954).

Tommy Sands remembers Elvis Presley hanging out late at night with local disc jockeys at small hamburger joints in Houston (like the Prince’s drive-in?). “Elvis Presley would eat two or three hamburgers, a double order of fries, and drink half a dozen Cokes. He was the cat”, Tommy Sands chuckled, “We called him that because he purred softly around girls. Elvis had an enormous attraction”, Sands recalled.

 

At the time Tommy and Biff were holding an evening in the Hitching Post, next door to the Prince’s drive-in. Billie introduces Tommy and Jimmy to this new kid Elvis Pressley, who will also do a few songs. This is not an official performance and is not in the Elvis records. Elvis befriended Biff Collie afterwards, who broadcast his radio show from different joints. Biff Collie booked Elvis to come to Houston for a few performances. Colonel Parker was Tommy Sands’ manager at the time. Colonel Parker immediately showed great interest in Elvis.

 

Everything goes quickly from here on. Elvis gets different performances in Houston between the Summer of 1954 and the Summer of 1955 in different joints. The joints were getting bigger and Elvis was officially billed by then. In between shows he would visit the other joints he got to know so well and sometimes join in unofficially.

It is save to say that Jimmy saw Elvis on different occasions during this year. Additionally, Elvis was dating Jimmy’s stepsister Betty when he was in town. She was also still going with Tommy Sands, and Jimmy had to make sure they didn’t find out about each other. One night Elvis had dinner with Betty, Jimmy and their mother at their house (when Elvis was already driving a Cadillac). Probably this was during the Christmas holidays 54/55.

PJ’s Mom was a huge fan of Elvis and loved his record “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” .

 

Jimmy saw Elvis making it quickly. From looking for work in Scotty’s old beat-up Chevrolet to a huge star in a pink Cadillac within a year. Jimmy was present when Colonel Parker told Tommy Sands he would manage Elvis from now on and would have to let Tommy go (Christmas holidays 1954/1955).

PJ also mentions being present later at the Eagle's Hall when Elvis and George Jones were on the bill (August 1955?)

[TileIsBetter]

Tinker,
Entertaining story but you're ignoring everything that's known about Elvis' whereabouts, band members and other associates, automobiles, livelihood and when he actually connected with Tom Parker. You're also ignoring the fact that P.J. Proby has told many different versions of his story, varying his dates by several years and has even said he and Elvis grew up together. It's too late in the game to be claiming he has a good memory and tells only the truth.

 

I can understand why he's determined to establish there was a Hitching Post bar since he's used the name for years in his stories about knowing Elvis. I wish him luck but the existence of a Hitching Post won't prove Biff Collie broadcast from there or Elvis ever sang there. Could have happened's simply aren't good enough from someone like Mr. Proby who has a reputation for telling tall tales.

[Earlydays]

According to the book, "Elvis in Texas - The Undiscovered King 1954-1958", his first appearance in Houston was on November 21, 1954 for an afternoon show at the Magnolia Gardens and an evening show, the same day, at Cook's Hoedown Club......

[Dave W]

Hi NotGivinUp,

Sorry to have been away for such a long time. However, the puzzle kept my brain occupied and like you I'm not giving up! I've done a lot more research and had a good brainstorm with P.J. Proby. He certainly has a very good memory and is not making things up. Of course anybody could make a mistake after such a long time, but the picture is rather complete. Walk with me over South Main in 1954 and judge for yourself. This is the picture I'm getting:

 

We're talking Summer 1954. Jimmy Smith is in San Marcos Academy and in the school holidays he lives with his mother in Houston, near South Main. He's 15 years old. Singing is his passion and he hangs around every place where the music is. Tommy Sands is dating Jimmy's stepsister Betty Moers and Betty and Tommy both go to Lamar Highschool. Tommy Sands is already performing a lot in Houston as a “singing dj” and has a record out. Tommy is almost 17. Jimmy Smith follows his friend Tommy as much as he can and is allowed to sing a few songs here and there as well, or play the drums etc. Jimmy is completely unknown.

 

They frequently hang out in The Hitching Post. The Hitching Post is a really small beer bar, that holds maybe 30-50 people. It looks like a wooden cabin. It is right next to Prince’s drive-in on South Main, at the intersection with the Old Spanish Trail, where there is a circle now. The girls at the Prince's drive-in serve you on their roller skates. You could get a beer or a coke, Jimmy went there with his Uncle Dan, who had him order “Two beers for two steers”. One day a little airplane crashes into the roof of Prince’s drive-in, right next to The Hitching Post. The Prince’s Drive in was at 8101 South Main St (later the Taco Cabana).

On the Prince’s website it says: “The Prince's on Main Street was among the hottest hangouts in the city, and when Elvis Presley played a concert here in 1955, he headed to Prince's afterward.” It sounds very likely that Elvis knew this hamburger place for quite a while, 

 

Before Elvis was officially playing in Houston, he was hustling for work and often played in a bar “for the money on the door”.  Elvis was in Houston in the summer of 1954, trying to get in with the dj’s, especially Biff Collie. This was at the time he was just having his first regional hit in The South with That's Alright Mamma" (July 1954).

Tommy Sands remembers Elvis Presley hanging out late at night with local disc jockeys at small hamburger joints in Houston (like the Prince’s drive-in?). “Elvis Presley would eat two or three hamburgers, a double order of fries, and drink half a dozen Cokes. He was the cat”, Tommy Sands chuckled, “We called him that because he purred softly around girls. Elvis had an enormous attraction”, Sands recalled.

 

At the time Tommy and Biff were holding an evening in the Hitching Post, next door to the Prince’s drive-in. Billie introduces Tommy and Jimmy to this new kid Elvis Pressley, who will also do a few songs. This is not an official performance and is not in the Elvis records. Elvis befriended Biff Collie afterwards, who broadcast his radio show from different joints. Biff Collie booked Elvis to come to Houston for a few performances. Colonel Parker was Tommy Sands’ manager at the time. Colonel Parker immediately showed great interest in Elvis.

 

Everything goes quickly from here on. Elvis gets different performances in Houston between the Summer of 1954 and the Summer of 1955 in different joints. The joints were getting bigger and Elvis was officially billed by then. In between shows he would visit the other joints he got to know so well and sometimes join in unofficially.

It is save to say that Jimmy saw Elvis on different occasions during this year. Additionally, Elvis was dating Jimmy’s stepsister Betty when he was in town. She was also still going with Tommy Sands, and Jimmy had to make sure they didn’t find out about each other. One night Elvis had dinner with Betty, Jimmy and their mother at their house (when Elvis was already driving a Cadillac). Probably this was during the Christmas holidays 54/55.

PJ’s Mom was a huge fan of Elvis and loved his record “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” .

 

Jimmy saw Elvis making it quickly. From looking for work in Scotty’s old beat-up Chevrolet to a huge star in a pink Cadillac within a year. Jimmy was present when Colonel Parker told Tommy Sands he would manage Elvis from now on and would have to let Tommy go (Christmas holidays 1954/1955).

PJ also mentions being present later at the Eagle's Hall when Elvis and George Jones were on the bill (August 1955?)

 

Location:

Jimmy gets to the Hitching Post walking over the South Main dirt road on bare feet. There was no dual carriage way with a division in the middle in those days. Jimmy has to go past the Shamrock Hotel, that has an enormous swimming pool, where Jimmy is allowed to swim in, because his Daddy is member of the card club. He comes there with his friend Mike Dees and Mike’s sister Melinda. Mike’s father Buster Dees owns another club on South Main, The Troubadour, which has a little swimming pool with coins in it, to attract the drunks and have them fall in the pool to sober up. Jimmy and Mike dive for the coins, but Buster has a go at them.

 

Another joint on the way is Bill Williams Fried Chicken. Bill Williams had the best fried chicken in town, across from the Pony Ride. It was next to the place where college kid Kenny Rogers (stand-up bass) and Mike Dees (on drums) performed with a blind piano player “ The Bobby Doyle Three “ a few years later. (The name of this club across the road from the Shamrock was Rib-eye Supper Club on Holcomb Blvd and Main Street)

 

And of course there was PlayLand Park, where Jimmy cut his first record with his Uncle Dan, when he was very little.

 

If you went past the Hitching Post, to the left on the Old Spanish Trail, you came to the big place that Aunt Bonnie was involved in, where Elvis and Tommy Sands also performed later (This must have been The Paladium, formerly Texas Corral.)

 

There were three theatres on Main Street. The other way, into town, was the Auditorium where Elvis also played later and there was a Rodeo.

 

Conclusion:

The Hitching Post was on the crossing of South Main and Old Spanish Trail. It was just a small wooden beer bar where kids that were unknown got a chance to show their musical abilities and talent was scouted. Nothing fancy. It was next to Prince’s drive-in on 8101 Main St.

.

Are there any old photos known of this spot?

 

Tinker

 

Tinker,

 

In 1950, we moved right off 9600 South Main, and I'm quite familiar with the South Main/OST junction in 1954 and well beyond. There was not a bar called the Hitching Post at South Main and OST; not next door to Prince's, not across the street from Prince's. It wasn't there. Period. Prince's only next door neighbor was its competitor Stuart's Drive In directly to the north.  The Palladium  fronted on OST, across the street from the OST side of Stuart's.  Across South Main  there was  a drive-in grocery/cafe, the Ace Trailer Park and Lee's Den Chinese restaurant.  There was no building of any kind there that looked like a wooden cabin.

Jimmy/PJ's memories of South Main St. are confused at best. South Main was certainly not a dirt road; it was paved throughout its length. Don't know why you mention that "there was no dual carriage way with a division in the middle in those days" but there was an esplanade  in  the section  that bordered Rice University, and there were four lanes divided by a wide grass esplanade all the way from the OST junction south to just past Stella Link. More important, if Jimmy's mother lived near South Main, and he had to pass Bill Williams Fried Chicken on his way to South Main at OST, then she must have lived north of Rice University, a good three miles or more from Prince's. That's a long walk, barefoot or not. And if she lived in the Lamar attendance zone, chances are she lived a good bit futher away than that. Bill Williams  was in the 6500 block, a half mile north of the Shamrock. Kiddie Wonderland (the "pony rides") was more than half a mile south of the Shamrock. Playland Park was in the 9200 block, more than a mile south of Prince's.

Keep in mind that Prince's most famous location was in the 4500 block, near Sears.  It's possible that PJ is remembering a bar or a building near that Prince's.

That brings us to Elvis.  There's simply no evidence that Elvis ever hung around Houston hustling for gigs. His whereabouts and his gigs are known and pretty well documented.

[NotGivinUp]

Thanks Dave W, that's just the kind of details I'm looking for! It's great to find someone who was in the S. Main/OST area in 1954 and can describe what was there at that time.

Surely no one else believes a main thoroughfare in mid 20th century Houston was a dirt road. Or that popular 'drive-in' restaurants were located on a road that hadn't been paved, as described in Mr. Proby's latest story posted by Tinker.
 

[vgxroute]

Jimmy saw Elvis making it quickly. From looking for work in Scotty’s old beat-up Chevrolet to a huge star in a pink Cadillac within a year. Jimmy was present when Colonel Parker told Tommy Sands he would manage Elvis from now on and would have to let Tommy go (Christmas holidays 1954/1955).

 

Tinker,

P.J. Proby has talked about his connection to Elvis in both print and recorded interviews for nearly 50 years. I've probably read or heard them all at one time or another. Never once in any of those interviews has he mentioned Scotty Moore being with Elvis in Houston.

 

Does the reference to Scotty's Chevrolet mean that Proby is now adding Scotty to his stories? Documenting rock 'n' roll history is difficult enough without having to plod through conflicting information like Proby's various bios and interviews. 

[TileIsBetter]

Another installment in P.J. Proby's version of Houston history has shown up on the internet today.

Kevin Cooper in conversation with a true living legend Mr P.J. Proby
http://www.regionalmag.com/article.php?id=84

A short excerpt from the lengthy interview is below:
 

What was the first record that you bought?

I’m pretty sure that it was Laverne Baker something like "Bop-Ting-a-Ling" or "Jim Daddy" something like that. It would have been what they called a race-record in the 50’s. You couldn’t buy them in the white section at Woolworths; you had to go over to the coloured section. Whites weren’t allowed in the coloured section so I paid a little coloured boy 50 cents to go in and buy my race-records. He would buy them, bring them out of the store and drop them on the ground. I would shout after him “hey little coloured boy you have dropped your records”. I had already told him not to turn around and not to say anything to me; I would just go over and pick them up. That’s how I would get them. If anyone had seen me talking to the little coloured boy, I would have had a fight on my hands because white boys just didn’t talk to coloured people. So that is how I got my first blues records.

 

I've lived in the South since the early 1940's and spent a lot of time in Woolworth stores wherever I lived. I remember when their lunch counters served whites only but I have no memory of segregated departments for their merchandise or shopping customers. Certainly not anything called a "colored section" where whites weren't allowed.

Proby mentioned two song titles that were popular in 1955/56 so I assume that is the general time frame he is describing. Can anyone corroborate his story about Woolworth stores in the Houston area?

[acamarillo]

don't know about the early fifties but in the very early sixties -ca 61,62- the downtown Woolworths had a white lunch counter on the street level and the "colored" lunch counter on the basement level. The toy department was in the basement, and household goods iirc. I don't remember there being segregated shopping areas in the store, it seems we went all over

[FilioScotia]

This is stupid. To say big stores like Woolworth's had different shopping areas for whites and blacks is just preposterous. At the same time, it is possible and probable that some southern racists would intimidate blacks out on the shopping aisles, but that was because the shopping aisles were not segregated.

 

In the 50s and to some extent in the early 60s the lunch counters were segregated, but not the merchandise areas. Even the segregated lunch counters started disappearing in the early 60s, coincidental with the advent of the Civil Rights movement.

 

They were history in most places by the mid and late 60s.

[FilioScotia]

deleted

[TileIsBetter]

.... I don't remember there being segregated shopping areas in the store, it seems we went all over

 

 

This is stupid. To say big stores like Woolworth's had different shopping areas for whites and blacks is just preposterous. At the same time, it is possible and probable that some southern racists would intimidate blacks out on the shopping aisles, but that was because the shopping aisles were not segregated.....

 

Thanks for your replies. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't completely oblivious to the world around me back then.

 

The P.J. Proby RegionalMag article is pretty typical of a lot of his interviews on the internet. Proby appears to be popular on the British interview circuit. I don't know whether the British public thinks he's good for a laugh or if they actually believe his stories about Elvis and life in Houston. Maybe it's 50-50.

 

[FilioScotia]

Speaking just for myself I really wish everybody here would just let this dumb thread die from neglect. It is painfully clear to all that PJ Proby's memory is not to be trusted on any level, and he just doesn't know what he's talking about. Maybe he really believes what he's saying, or maybe he's just lying through his teeth to get attention. Who knows.

 

Back in 2007 I ran into a really old guy who claimed he was an ace fighter pilot who flew with the Flying Tigers in China and later on the Doolittle Raid over Japan. He was going to WWIi veterans events around the country telling that story, and I saw him at an event in Old Town Spring. He was telling everybody who would listen what it was like flying for General Chennault and the Flying Tigers, and the hell he went through on the famous Doolittle Raid.

 

I know a lot about both those things, and there is no way he could have done both -- because they happened at more or less the same time in the same time frame. It wasn't possible for someone to have done both, but he claimed he did it and is alive to tell about it.

 

I think he is one of those people who -- like PJ Proby -- have told a story so many times they come to really believe it, even though it can't possibly be true. I've read that there is a point in the aging process where real memories and wishful fantasies become indistinguishable.

 

I didn't have the heart to tell the event sponsors of my suspicions, so I just kept my counsel and let the old guy enjoy being in the spotlight. I did share this story here on the HAIF, and it generated a lengthy discussion with lots of contributors. Here's a link to it:

 

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/12630-attention-wwii-history-buffs/?hl=%2Bflying+%2Btigers