I grew up in Memphis and just as I became a teenager my family moved to the Graceland subdivision in the Whitehaven area of the city. Having spent my teenage years in the shadow of Graceland, Elvis stories often catch my eye. And in my book, Stories from Applewood Manor, I wrote about Elvis’s 1975 performance in Asheville. The events surrounding that performance were strange to say the least, so I wasn’t surprised to read the following question from a reader just printed in Asheville’s Citizen Times.
“Why won’t the state put up a historical marker honoring Elvis Presley and the motel in Asheville where he shot out a TV in 1975? Or at least honor his visit here that year. I was 8 years old, living in Black Mountain and was a huge Elvis fan in 1975. I was so upset my parents wouldn't take me to the show at the Asheville Civic Center. Somehow we found out where he was staying, the old Rodeway Inn on U.S. 70 that is now the Veterans Restoration Quarters housing place. I remember after Elvis left, the motel took his bedsheets and cut them into small squares and sold them to admirers. There's also news reports Elvis was acting odd that show. He gave away an expensive ring and a guitar to random fans in the audience. I find it odd that the state doesn't consider one of biggest cultural icons of the 20th century, committing an act — shooting a TV — that would become part of his legendary personality, to be of statewide significance.”
The motel referred to by the reader is now run by Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministries. It is a 250-bed facility that helps veterans with a place to stay while they get job training and other life skills. The bed sheet and TV shoot out stories are entranced local lore, and, given Elvis popularity and his apparent state of mind during the Asheville visit, they could certainly be true. For the story of his odd performance in 1975 go to https://www.applewoodmanor.com/stories/elvis.
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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other online bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com. Check out the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor, that explores Asheville, North Carolina’s History, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales.
Published by I-65 North, Inc.