Nearly unknown, Elvis shook his hips at Arena in '55

Editor's note: This story originally was published in the Southeast Missourian Feb. 28, 1999.

Almost a year to the day after recording his first hit song but a few months before he became an international sensation, Elvis Presley came to Cape Girardeau.

On July 20, 1955, Presley performed at the A.C. Brase Arena building in Cape Girardeau as a part of a "dance and stage show," a benefit sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Chapter of United Cerebral Palsy.

Presley, then 20, was right on the verge of stardom when he came to Cape Girardeau as the headliner for the show. But to many he was still an unknown. About 300 people attended the benefit.

The show began at 8:30 p.m. with dancing, "both square and round," on the floor of the arena. At 10 p.m., the variety show began on stage and featured not only Presley, but several other acts, most notably a group called "Johnny Daume and the Ozark Ridge Runners."

An article in advance of Presley's performance described his music as a combination of "country music with modern-day bop." Among his listed hits were "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Good Rockin' Tonight" and "That's All Right, Mama."

In October 1954, Presley appeared for the first time on "Louisiana Hayride," a Saturday night country music show from Shreveport. In November, Presley signed a one-year contract to appear on the show. During the next year, Presley began touring with other members of "Louisiana Hayride," including country star Hank Snow.

Elvis auditioned for the television show "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" in the spring, but he failed to be accepted. He continued to tour which led him to Cape Girardeau in the summer of that year.

On the day of the performance in Cape Girardeau, the Southeast Missourian referred to Presley as "the fireball from the Louisiana Hayride." The next day the paper said that his performance was "well received by the audience." Nothing else was said.

Four months later, Presley signed his first contract with RCA Victor Records, the label on which he would record for the rest of his life. Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, negotiated the sale of Presley's Sun contract to RCA for an unprecedented $40,000 with a $5,000 bonus for Presley.

In January 1956, Presley recorded his first single for RCA, "Heartbreak Hotel." The song went to No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

Within a year from the time he appeared in Cape Girardeau, he appeared twice on "The Milton Berle Show" and once on "The Steve Allen Show." By August he appeared for the first time on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and began filming his first movie, "Love Me Tender."