Elvis Is 'Shocked’ At Musicians Quitting
But He Goes Ahead Auditioning To Get Replacements on Team
A Message to the Musicians:
An open message from Elvis Presley to Bill Black and Scotty Moore, the musicians who quit him last week after being with him since before stardom;
"Scotty, I hope you fellows have good luck. I will give you fellows good recommendations. If you had come to me, we would have worked things out. I would have always taken care of you.
"But you went to the papers and tried to make me look bad instead of coming to me so we could work things out. All I can say to you is 'good luck.'"
By BILL E. BURK, Press-Scimitar Staff Writer.
 

Even though he had been warned that some of his group might quit, Elvis Presley said in Memphis last night that he was “shocked“ when the two registered letters came to him in Hollywood announcing the resignations of Bill Black and Scotty Moore, musicians who had been with him since before his sudden rise to the top began.

"'The news of their quitting me came as a shock," Elvis told this reporter in an interview at his home at Graceland. "It is a mystery to me why they didn’t come to me and ask for more money," he said. "They never did, believe me they didn't."
"We've had our problems before-even some arguments- but we always settled them," he continued. "Every time they ever came to me and asked for something, they got it, no matter what. Had they come to me, we would have worked it out and they would have got more money."

Elvis said he had an idea that some outsiders (he didn't know who) had made offers to the boys. He said he talked with Scotty after receiving the letter of resignation and Scotty admitted to him that he had other offers.

"'They expressed to the paper their respect and admiration for me," Elvis said. "If they had that much, why didn‘t they come to me instead of going to the paper?"

Again he repeated that neither of them had ever come to him asking for more money.
In his conversation with Scotty, Elvis said he offered to give him $150 a week while working (representing a $50 a week increase), but that Scotty told him it would take that, plus a sizable sum to get him out of debt.

Elvis said, “Scotty said that I said the more money I made the more he and Black would make. I have a good memory and I don't remember ever telling them that."
Elvis told of the many times he had gone to bat for the boys to get them in his movies. "In our first picture, 20th Century Fox absolutely refused to use them, because they had no place for them."
Paramount didn't want to use the musical group either, Elvis said, but he talked with Hal Wallis, whom Elvis quoted as saying "I need them like I need a hole in my head." "I told Mr. Wallis that I could do a much better job with the boys behind me, that I was used to working with them and he consented against his will," Elvis said.

Elvis told of certain people close to him who have tried to persuade him to drop his musical group during the last two years. He would not name these people, but said he told them he would not because they were good musicians and because of sentimental reasons.
 

"We started out together," he said, "and I didn't want to cut anyone out of anything. I went out of my way several times to get them into things I was doing."
"Those boys could have had a job with me as long as I was making a dime," Elvis said. They have been doing nothing the last 1 1/2 years but laying around, and I've been paying them $100 each every week. People thought I was crazy for doing this. There are a lot of good musicians around. I could have picked a new group every week, but no, I wanted Scotty and Bill."

Elvis said their resignations came at a crucial time. He plays the Tupelo Fair (which he called "my homecoming"), Sept. 27. He said he just received the date of his next tour, which will be in October at a spot not yet named. And then it‘s back to Hollywood for work on two more films.
Elvis said he would immediately begin auditioning for a new guitar and bass player during the two weeks before the Tupelo Fair.

"It might take a while," he said, "but it’s not impossible to find replacements."

 

Musician Denies Elvis' Statement
By ELTON WHISENHUNT, Press-Scimitar Staff Writer.
Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's guitar player, said today no one had hired him and bass player Bill Black "out from under Elvis."
Moore also denied the rock 'n` roll king‘s statement that "they never asked me for a raise—if they had they would have got it."
Moore said numerous times in the last 18 months he and Black had asked Presley for more money. They were not requests for salary increases as such, Moore said, but money from the gate receipts on shows they played.

Promise Claimed
Moore said his and Black's requests for a part of gate receipts ...?????...* garded" by Elvis and they never got any extra money.
Moore said, "Col. Parker once told us, "You've got to be prepared to quit in order to get a raise when you talk to Elvis. Either you will get a raise, or of course, you will be out of a job." He meant, of course, that it would take the most drastic action possible to get a raise out of Elvis.
Q. You mean you don't believe Elvis' statement that you and Black had never asked him for a raise and if you had you would have got it?
A. No, I don't believe it.
Presley has been paying Moore and Black $100 each when they're not on a tour and $200 a week on the road. In addition, Moore's and Black's hotel and travel expenses were paid but they were not on expense account, Moore said.

Entertains Friends
Elvis entertains his friends lavishly. He usually has several traveling with him. In Hollywood recently he spent $1700 a week to put up several Memphis buddies.
Black and Moore sent Elvis letters of resignation last Saturday. A few days later, Moore said, Elvis called Moore and offered him $150 a week while in Memphis and $250 on the road. Moore said he told Elvis if he could "Out of the kindness of his heart give me $10,000 to get out of debt the $50 raise would be fine."
Moore said Elvis wanted to think it over a day or two and he hasn't heard from Elvis yet. He said he doesn't think he will hear from Elvis any more.
Moore said he did not plan to call Presley, either.
"We're both pretty stubborn," Moore said. "I guess he can be stubborn longer because he's got more money."