Red Foxx TCB
mr.T
(Red West) "When I gave my original one to Red Foxx , Elvis turned around
and gave me another. I do believe Travis Tritt has my second TCB pendant
now".
What's the story on this, Marty? Why would West give his TCB to Foxx?
I understand from Billy Smith in the "Revelations" that Foxx was a friend of
Parker, the Colonel even inviting Foxx to Elvis' wedding reception. Foxx
also got a brief mention in "A to Z" as the only entertainer being invited
to the reception, but neither of the books says if Elvis even knew him, did
he?
Las Vegas SUN (Jeff Rice), May 2, 1967:
"During the press conference, the bride's parents, her brother Don, 17, and
her 13-year-old sister Michelle, sat with Elvis' parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Vernon Presley.
Also on hand were Presley's close friends and business associates, Jay
Esposito and Marty Lacker.
When a newsman commented, "Snap him (Elvis) smiling. He doesn't smile much
lately," Presley joked, "How can you look happy when you're scared?" The
Presley smile was very much in evidence when he laughed and yelled, "Daddy,
help!"
Presley's father, seated across the crowded room, said: "Can't do it, son.
You're on your own."
Comedian Redd Foxx, also on hand for the festivities, said, "It's the best
thing that happened.....to me."
Also, how did Travis Tritt ended up with Red's second TCB? I know Billy Idol
used to wear a TCB as well, but I don't think this was authentic, I might be
wrong but I think I read somewhere that Idol bought his TCB from Hays later
on.
Thanks,
--
T.
ImT...@aol.com
I think when Elvis wanted to give a TCB to a new friend or someone he
didn't see often, if he didn't have any handy he would take the
necklace from somebody else and then replace it later.
It must have sucked for the few who had originals to have to give them
up just to get a less desireable one as a replacement. Not that I
wouldn't have loved to get one, but I always thought the whole TCB
thing was kind of silly, especially after he started giving them out
to everybody and his brother.
I always thought it was rude and unlike Elvis to refuse to replace one
that was stolen from or lost by the Sweet Inspirations' bass player,
which led Ronnie Tutt to give him his.
Garry
mr.T
Yes, I am familiar with this happening occasionally. But as I understand the
quote above, this time it was Red who gave away his TCB. Not Elvis asking
for his necklace to give to Foxx. But perhaps I got it wrong.
I believe Marty has told us before that Elvis asked for, and gave his TCB to
James Caughley, aka Hamburger James, when he first joined the entourage.
Someone else had to part with their TCB when Elvis needed one to give to
some random security guard or police man, or so I've read.
> It must have sucked for the few who had originals to have to give them
> up just to get a less desireable one as a replacement. Not that I
> wouldn't have loved to get one, but I always thought the whole TCB
> thing was kind of silly, especially after he started giving them out
> to everybody and his brother.
I don't know if anyone thought about a replacement as less desirable at the
time. That is with the exception of Sonny West perhaps. In some documentary
Sonny explains that Elvis once asked for his TCB to give to someone else,
but Sonny refused to give it to him. Elvis told him he'd replace the TCB,
but Sonny still refused explaining that the TCB he had was very special to
him because it was from the first set ever made. He said to Elvis, if he
didn't wanted him to have the TCB he'd give it back to him. Sonny kept his
TCB.
> I always thought it was rude and unlike Elvis to refuse to replace one
> that was stolen from or lost by the Sweet Inspirations' bass player,
> which led Ronnie Tutt to give him his.
Not sure I am familiar with this incident, do you have some more information
on this?
Duke Bardwell allegedly throw away his TCB when he quit playing bass for
Elvis, but I've also read that he gave the necklace to Ronny Tutt when he
left. Don't know which, if either, story is the correct one. I believe Tutt
and Bardwell were friends and that it was Tutt who recommended Bardwell to
Elvis. Bardwell and Elvis never got along very well I believe.
--
T.
marty
"mr.T" <mail....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:L9CdnbbG5bp...@telenor.com...
Red gave Foxx his first one because Elvis asked him to at that moment
because Elvis didn't have anymore with him.
Tritt got Red's because he either bought it from Red or someone else who Red
sold it to.
Yes, Elvis and Foxx knew each other from Vegas. He liked Foxx and his
humor. Most of us were surprised to see him at the reception especially at
the head table but I think, I know, that was Parker's doing not Elvis'.
Elvis really had nothing to do with anyone being there. Parker had taken
the wedding plans over from the beginning. That's why some people's
feelings were hurt. Elvis really didn't want to be there himself.
Marty
>
>
mr.T
Thanks. About the wedding, according to the Las Vegas SUN, the newspaper's
own publisher, Hank Greenspun and his wife, attended the reception as well.
Did Elvis knew Greenspun or was he just acquainted with the Colonel?
The owner of the hotel, Milton Prell was there as well, a close friend of
the Colonel if I remember correctly. But I take it both Elvis and you guys
knew Prell fairly good as well?
--
T.
lillyma...@yahoo.co.uk
Marty why was Elvis there if he really didn't want to get married?
marty
Didn't know that Greenspun was there, the colonel invited him not Elvis.
We didn't know who three quarters of the people were, they were invited by
Parker and I'm sure he invited them because they were people he could use in
one fashion or another for favors or money.
We were away from all those people on a separate floor when we got to the
hotel in the early morning and we left Vegas right after the reception so we
had no idea who was going to be there.
Yes, we knew prell fwhen he ran the Sahara where we normally stayed and he
and Parker were good friends. That's why the wedding was at The Aladdin
because Prell had left the Sahara and bought The Aladdin.
Marty
>
>
marty
<lillyma...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1170103611....@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Marty why was Elvis there if he really didn't want to get married?
He was forced to by threats of a breach of promise lawsuit by Priscilla's
father.
Marty
>
mr.T
Thanks. Perhaps I'm wrong, but didn't Prell pay for the whole thing as well?
That is, the hotel didn't charge Elvis nor the Colonel, not even for the
champagne breakfast?
Also, do you happen to know if Frank Sinatra was invited? I believe that the
newly weds was using Sinatra's plane for free on their return to Palm
Springs. I've read somewhere that Sinatra lent them the plane for free as a
wedding gift, and if this is true I guess he must've known about the wedding
in advance. Or perhaps Sinatra just didn't charge them when he found out
afterwards about the occasion Elvis rented the plane? Or last alternative,
what I've read is BS.
Speaking of Sinatra and planes, didn't Sinatra a few years later got
involved with Elias Ghanem (sp?) starting up a small airline company? Why
did Ghanem function as a doctor anyway, wasn't he a multi-millionaire?
--
T.
marty
I'm not sure whether Parker told Sinatra why Elvis was flying to Vegas.
I don't know about Ghanem and Frank and an airline. I didn't think much of
Ghanem anyway, he was a user.
Marty
"mr.T" <mail....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:BaudnRqlPIu...@telenor.com...
mr.T
> Parker might have invited Sinatra but once again, we didn't know
> about it.
>
> I'm not sure whether Parker told Sinatra why Elvis was flying to
> Vegas.
>
> I don't know about Ghanem and Frank and an airline. I didn't think
> much of Ghanem anyway, he was a user.
>
> Marty
Thank you. About the common airline, I believe I got this one wrong.
According to Lamar Fike (Revelations), Ghanem had an interest in an air
service, not with Sinatra, but with some LV heart surgeon. The air service
was called Jet Avia. The only Sinatra connection I could find was that
Frank's mother was killed when a Jet Avia plane went into a mountain in
1976.
Elias Ghanem was also friends with billionaire Saudi arms-dealer and
businessman, Adnan Khashoggi. This is the same Adnan Khashoggi that made the
$10 million offer for to Elvis to play at the pyramids at Giza, in (most
probably) 1975.
Did perhaps Ghanem have anything to do with this offer one way or another,
or try to convince Elvis (or the Colonel) to do it?
Also, did Elvis ever meet with Khashoggi?
Here's a picture of Khashoggi on the cover of TIME:
http://tinyurl.com/2oeuy9
Last year, Khashoggi was named in the News Of The World as a client of
Heather Mills McCartney when she allegedly worked as an escort. His sister
Samira Khashoggi Fayed was the mother of Dodi Fayed, who died with Princess
Diana.
From Wikipedia: "Khashoggi was well known for leading an extravagant and
wild lifestyle that was legendary in its time. This was commemorated on rock
band Queen's album The Miracle, on which the second song is titled
"Khashoggi's Ship". The song mentions his super yacht "Nabila" built by
Benetti and appearing in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again. The
yacht was later acquired by Donald Trump who added a 50 meter extension to
the yacht and renamed it "Trump Princess" for Ivana Trump. (..)
In his 50th birthday party, held in Marbella in Spain in 1985, said to have
cost millions of dollars, he entertained celebrity guests such as Sean
Connery, Shirley Bassey, porn star Olinka Hardiman, Brooke Shields,Michael
Caine, and George Hamilton IV."
Here's a picture of Ghanem: http://tinyurl.com/3d9un2.
Ghanem was the chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, and the picture
was taken in 1997 when Ghanem listens to Nevada assistant attorney general
Don Haight during the during the disciplinary hearing for Mike Tyson.
If I remember correctly, Ghanem died a few years back.
I believe Elvis gave Ghanem a white Stutz, and according to Fike, the doctor
also got a Mercedes from Elvis.
http://www.tcb.no/elvis/stutz3.htm
--
T.
marty
do with the Gaza offer.
Marty
"mr.T" <mail....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:CfSdndD3zIK...@telenor.com...
mr.T
> I don't know whether Elvis met Khashoggi or whether Ghanem had
> anything to do with the Gaza offer.
>
> Marty
Thanks.
>> Thank you. About the common airline, I believe I got this one wrong.
>> According to Lamar Fike (Revelations), Ghanem had an interest in an
>> air service, not with Sinatra, but with some LV heart surgeon. The
>> air service was called Jet Avia. The only Sinatra connection I could
>> find was that Frank's mother was killed when a Jet Avia plane went
>> into a mountain in 1976.
That's January 06, 1977, not 1976.
Jet Avia Charter
AC Type: Gates Learjet 24B
Location: Near Palm Springs, California
Aboard: 4 (passengers:2 crew:2)
"The plane took off from Palm Springs Municipal Airport in light rain, bound
for Las Vegas Nevada. The plane climbed to 9,000 feet but never changed its
runway heading and flew directly into a mountain at an altitude of 9,700
feet. Flight crew's misinterpretation of an IFR clearance issued by the Palm
Springs Departure Control and subsequent ATC instructions. Natalie "Dolly"
Sinatra, 82, mother of entertainer Frank Sinatra and her traveling companion
were killed."
--
T.