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Elvis Presley 1955 "Memphis's Own" Sun Records-Era Concert Poster (AOR-1.1). An

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia Start Price:4,100.00 USD Estimated At:798.40 - 1,197.60 USD
Elvis Presley 1955  Memphis's Own  Sun Records-Era Concert Poster (AOR-1.1). An
Buyer's Premium Per Lot: This auction is subject to a Buyer's Premium of 25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 12.5% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
Elvis Presley 1955 "Memphis's Own" Sun Records-Era Concert Poster (AOR-1.1).An original cardboard window card advertising the future King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, fifth-billed on a country-music concert poster in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday, February 6, 1955.

In many aspects, this is as good as it gets. It's stunning to find one of the most important figures of the 20th century bottom-billed before he had ever touched the Billboardcharts, CW or otherwise. It's the second-earliest Elvis Presley concert poster known to man (by less than a month). To have the hallowed city of Memphis mentioned twice on the poster, to have his third Sun Records single plugged, to have his guitarist and bassist name-checked, and to have the four colors of red, white, blue brown when every other 50's Elvis poster was just three colors at best... this window card is a priceless gem, and we don't say that lightly.

Oh, something else... notice there were two concerts, at 3:00 8:00 PM. Between the shows, Elvis had dinner across the street with no less than Sun Records owner Sam Phillips and his future manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in their first-ever formal meeting. How would you like to have been the fourth person in that booth? What history!

The year before, Sun had put out Elvis' "That's All Right" and "Good Rockin' Tonight" singles to much local fanfare. Then on January 8, Sun released "Milkcow Blues Boogie" b/w "You're a Heartbreaker." It's so terrific to have both the A- and B-sides of Sun 215 plugged on this board, both in abbreviated form.

Heritage has had the pleasure of selling this poster only once before, nine years ago, and it went for almost $12,000 back then. Measures 13 3/4" x 22" and grades to restored Very Good condition. COA from Heritage Auctions.Literature: See Grushkin, Paul, The Art of Rock: Posters from Presley to Punk, Abbeville Press, New York, 1987, p.25 (illus.).