FROM OUR ARCHIVES : (24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY & WINK MARTINDALE

(24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY and WINK MARTINDALE
 from September 11, 2007

United Artists had me touring around the country, playing live on television, radio, and at record hops on a promotional tour for my launch with "Lonesome Love," and "Tiny Spaceman." On my first tour of the Mid South in 1957, I went to Memphis, Tennessee to perform on a couple shows.

One of them was Wink Martindale's version of a dance party show.

At this point I was beginning to become used to the adoration of my fans. I was a teen idol. My name was mentioned in the columns and pictures of me and magazine articles about me were out there. The girls chased me around and even tried to tear my clothes off. Wink had the kids in the audience ready to give me a hearty welcome, but as I sang, I realized I had never caused so much commotion before... HA!

Elvis Presley and his early entourage had burst into the station to see me!

That's what all the commotion was about! Even Elvis wanted to see what "The Next James Dean" really looked like. I was so excited that Mr. Elvis Presley was out there in the audience. Elvis Presley had achieved stardom and had become a millionaire. I was a fan of his and he was an inspiration! But I never dreamed Elvis would be coming round to see me!

After my performance, Elvis asked me to come back to Graceland TM with him to meet his parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley. He had just purchased his own stretch limo and, after I piled in with the guys, Elvis drove us home in it himself. His family was much like mine because of our southern upbringing, and his father Vernon and especially his mother Gladys were welcoming. Gladys had the table spread with food and asked about my family. She said they had relatives in the Smokey Mountains.

That night I met Elvis's best friend from Humes High School in Memphis, George Klein, and funny-man ex-DJ, and recording artist Cliff Gleaves too.

That evening was the beginning of a friendship with Elvis Presley that lasted the 20 years until his death.

HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY to my friend ELVIS PRESLEY

Today would be Elvis' 75th birthday. Of course I can't imagine Elvis old.

I remember Elvis the man, the man who was a star, but the man who became my friend when I was having my own taste of stardom, and who I met when he had just become famous.

We were in our early twenties. So much of life was ahead of us. We wanted success and worked hard at it. We met the night I performed on Wink Martindale's television show in Memphis in 1957.

Our lives crossed paths again and again. Especially in his Los Angeles years.

Elvis inspired me and probably my whole generation of upstart singers, especially those of us from the South.

I will always be an Elvis fan because he was a true friend to me.

Wes Bryan

WES BRYAN ON YOU TUBE ANYONE ?

If anyone has any videos of Wes Bryan performing, we would love to see them. Most likely these would be television performances from 1957 to 1961.

Wes Bryan performed on The Ed Sullivan Show (New York), Dick Clark American Bandstand (Philadelphia), performing "Little Spaceman" in 1957 and about a year or so later, performing "Freeze," Wink Martindale Show (Memphis - and later Los Angeles), Dewey Phillips Dance Party (in Memphis), Milt Grant Show (Washington, DC.),Phil McClain Show (Cleveland, Ohio), co-staring Joann Campbell, Buddy Deane Show (Baltimore), Fran Rattery Show (Saint Petersburg, Florida), Jack Parr Show (New York), WCOP Wink Martindale Show (Los Angeles), Bob Roberts Show (Albany, New York WABY), and many others throughout the United States.

In the late 1950's and into 1960 Wes Bryan performed on many radio programs live, throughout the country, including his hometown of Murphy, North Carolina, as well.

Wes performed live for two years on the road with Rockabilly Star Buddy Knox's road tour, as a separate act. They played in 47 states. He also performed while on Roulette Records with Jimmy Bowen at dance party venues.

Christine Trzyna

ROULETTE - RADIO STATION COPY OF MELODIE D' AMOUR - WES BRYAN

My tour for Roulette to promote Melodie D'Amour took me through many cities including my new home town of Los Angeles in 1961. I performed on the Wink Martindale Show on KCOP and on Alan Freed's Radio Show, as well as the amusement park in Pacific Palisades with the Pacific Ocean view.

Meanwhile I was a staff song writer at American Music, the publishing house owned by Sylvester Cross.

Here's a "Radio Station Copy" of the record that Elvis said was one of his favorites. He put it in his juke box at the house and carried a copy with him to Vegas.

(211) RIDING MOTORCYCLES WITH RICK NELSON

I met Rick Nelson when my Roulette Records tour which had taken me to places as far flung as Santa Fe, New Mexico, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saint Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, landed me in what was becoming my new home town, Los Angeles California. Rick and I both appeared on KCOP - Wink Martindale's local show - the same week.

I don't know how to tell fans this but when you're on a promotions tour and in particular you have to play the same song radio station after radio station, it gets boring. Riding bikes was one of my stress busters!

While Johnny Burnette and Johnny Rivers and me stopped at the hot dog stand across from the Brown Derby in Hollywood, Rick Nelson and I actually went into the Brown Derby.

Use the Google Search feature above to look for our previous postings on Rick Nelson, including some YouTube video!

(114) WINK MARTINDALE - AN OLD FRIEND TO COUNT

Wink Martindale ! He's a truly nice man. Most people know him as a television game show host but he started in radio at the age of 16 in his home town of Jackson, Tennessee.

I met him in 1957 the very night I met Elvis. I was performing on his Dance Party Show in Memphis Tennessee while on a tour for United Artists performing Lonesome Love. In 1961 when I had moved to Los Angeles and was promoting my song "Melodie D' Amour" I was on his KCOP television show, channel 13... Wink was there when Elvis and I met and began our friendship. I haven't seen him in a long, long time but I count him and his wife Sandy as old friends.

Wink has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Link above to his official site WINK MARTINDALE'S WORLD!

(24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY & WINK MARTINDALE

United Artists had me touring around the country, playing live on television, radio, and at record hops on a promotional tour for my launch with "Lonesome Love," and "Tiny Spaceman." On my first tour of the Mid South in 1957, I went to Memphis, Tennessee to perform on a couple shows.

One of them was Wink Martindale's version of a dance party show.

At this point I was beginning to become used to the adoration of my fans. I was a teen idol. My name was mentioned in the columns and pictures of me and magazine articles about me were out there. The girls chased me around and even tried to tear my clothes off. Wink had the kids in the audience ready to give me a hearty welcome, but as I sang, I realized I had never caused so much commotion before... HA!

Elvis Presley and his early entourage had burst into the station to see me!

That's what all the commotion was about! Even Elvis wanted to see what The Next James Dean really looked like. I was so excited that Mr. Elvis Presley was out there in the audience. Elvis Presley had achieved stardom and had become a millionaire. I was a fan of his and he was an inspiration! But I never dreamed Elvis would be coming round to see me!

After my performance, Elvis asked me to come back to Graceland TM with him to meet his parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley. He had just purchased his own stretch limo and, after I piled in with the guys, Elvis drove us home in it himself. His family was much like mine because of our southern upbringing, and his father Vernon and especially his mother Gladys were welcoming. Gladys had the table spread with food and asked about my family. She said they had relatives in the Smokey Mountains.

That night I met Elvis's best friend from Humes High School in Memphis, George Klein, and funny-man ex-DJ, and recording artist Cliff Gleaves too.

That evening was the beginning of a friendship with Elvis Presley that lasted the 20 years until his death.

Link to WINK MARTINDALE'S OFFICIAL SITE above!