The Day Elvis Died

On Aug. 16, 1977, Elvis Presley's death rocked the world and jammed the phone lines in Pine Bluff

Elvis Presley (Stock photo from Canva Pro)

[Editor's Note: We originally planned to publish this story on Aug. 16, but life got in the way. A day late, a dollar short, as Suzi's mom always said.]

School hadn't started yet in Pine Bluff that August day Elvis died in 1977.

I know a newscaster broke into regular afternoon programming because I remember my mom being shocked and crying — before the six o'clock news. My mom loved Elvis.

I remember Mom trying to call my cousin Brenda in South Carolina who loved Elvis, too. The phone lines were jammed with busy signals. She couldn't get through immediately.

We stood on our driveway at East 10th and Ashley Streets in Belmont and talked to our across-the-street neighbor, Janet. She loved Elvis, too.

Elvis’ death was the biggest breaking news event I had experienced at that point in life. I was only eight years old but nothing that big — except President Richard Nixon resigning from office — had occurred. His resignation was more or less expected considering the Watergate hearings. Elvis’ sudden death was not.

Here's what was on the evening news that night 47 years ago.

Elvis played two concerts at the Pine Bluff Convention Center on Sept. 7-8, 1976. The Convention Center had just been built, and having a modern venue of that kind was a very big deal in Pine Bluff.

Here is a playlist for one of Elvis’ shows in Pine Bluff.

My mom didn't get to see Elvis in concert in Pine Bluff. Our neighbor, Sean's mom (I can't recall his last name or his mom's name) wanted my mom to go with her. My dad had to work — although he was self-employed— and said he couldn't get off work to keep me. My mom was livid. At that time the Elvis concert was the biggest fight my parents had ever had in front of me. (Later, I thought they would divorce over a wallpaper project. Story for another time.)

It was a huge regret of my mom’s that she never saw Elvis. Anytime an Elvis movie came on television we would watch it. I've seen them all.

Soon after Elvis died, Mom ordered an Elvis double album from a TV commercial. We played that A LOT. This may be my favorite Elvis song. I used to sing it into a jump rope in the den.

A close second is this one.

I never loved Elvis quite like my mom, but I have always enjoyed his music and movies, however cheesy they are. Pure escapism. Long music videos long before MTV existed.

The women in my neighborhood gathered and cried that August day in 1977. They seemed lost as if a family member had died. In a way, Elvis was family.

His historic rise into rock stardom was an integral part of their hopes and dreams in the 1950s and ‘60s.

On that driveway, listening to those women, I realized the power of celebrity and that music transcended more than a song through a radio in a Buick or an album on a record player. Music hits your soul, marks milestones, so listen carefully.

My mom never really got over Elvis' death. She often mentioned the hazards of drug abuse, using Elvis as an example.

And she definitely never got over missing Elvis in concert.

She always told me from that moment on, if you want to do something, like go to a rock concert, find a way to do it. No guarantee on second chances. A solid life lesson.

Did you attend Elvis’ Pine Bluff shows? I'd love to hear from you.