Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A Michigan woman said a Powerball ticket found forgotten in the pocket of her husband's coat turned out to be a $1 million winner. Billy is" From an outsiders view she often appears sad, as she has that particular look in the photos after Elvis became famous. Billy was 8 years younger than Elvis and grew up with him in Tupelo. We talked about religion so much. He did lookout for Elvis' interest and his own. After her last conversation with Elvis, Dee Presely said she had a premonition and she warned Elvis' father that something 'terrible' was going to happen to one of her boys or his son. Elvis always looked at the person, not what race he or she was. "The Memphis Mafia" was with Elvis almost twenty-four hours a day, at least one or two of them. Menu. [2] When Smith was five in November of 1948, his family moved along with the Presley family from Tupelo, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee. "There wasn't a crowd then, just a few guys," and she emphasizes that she "had nothing to do with being a yes man for him and obviously he trusted me. The wives also continued to go back and forth after Priscilla was gone. Billy Stanley, her son by a previous marriage, called her and said Elvis was offering $5,000 if she would telephone him, she said. But his movies made money, and Colonel didn't want to change the format. So when he fell and got concussion, I stayed with him day and night. He wanted to know why I didn't come to Graceland (Elvis's Memphis home) anymore. At nearly 800 pages the book is justifiably acclaimed as one of the. [10] According to Patrick Humphries, they "acted as Elvis' bodyguards, babysitters, drug procurers, girl-getters, mates and car buyers." He also had not only one but two facelifts in his lifetime, one in 1957 and the other in 1975. Hes dead. The only thing that brought it to reality was when she said, Hes smothered in the carpet. And when she said that, I just threw the phone because I thought, Ok, hes gone. I'm in terrible pain.' Supposedly some of his characteristics were due to Cherokee Indian being in your side of the family. EIN: What about Gene Smith, he seemed to come & go within the group? Billy Smith grew up with The King and knew him before he was famous. All the crew loved him, and they were always so nice to his boys (us). (2002) Live in Las Vegas is a four-disc box set by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released in July 2001 on RCA Records, catalogue 07863 69354-2. Can you remember how the city move affected Elvis? [6][7], At one point, Elvis wanted to speak to President Jimmy Carter about getting George Klein out of some legal trouble. Among Memphis natives, he was most known for renting out the entire Memphis amusement park Libertyland in order to ride his favorite roller coaster the Zippin Pippin. We were all handpicked by Elvis, and he was very protective of us. Seven sheep escape from New Jersey slaughterhouse, find new sanctuary home. Billy Smith was an administrative aid to Elvis Presley, as well as Elvis' first cousin and part of the Memphis Mafia. Some Elvis Presley fans may find the animated series an insult to the King of Rock and Roll, while many others could find it very interesting. EIN: I know that you were in Nashville for the Guitar Man sessions with Jerry Reed. Billy Smith talks about some of the movies he was in with Elvis. Junior looked like the actor Jack Elam. Billy Smith with his parents Travis & Lorraine Smith, and his brother Bobby on the right. It comprises live recordings from shows given by Presley in Las Vegas through every decade of his career. Copyright Elvis Information Network 2006. Joe Esposito handled money and cross referenced the extensive travel arrangements. We promised each other. I know that Elvis loved Colonel, but he also had resentment toward him for holding him back on certain things that he really wanted to do. Billy: Gene was Elvis' first cousin. Elvis and Gene even worked together at Precision Tool. EIN: Did you ever visit the studios for Elvis recording sessions? Elvis Presleys Cousin Says He Has No Contact With Priscilla, Lisa Marie: Heres Why, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7T7QKcIrE8, Was Elvis at Jo and Billys Wedding? [12], When Graceland reopened to the public in June of 1982, Smith and his family moved back to Memphis and he took a job at Graceland as tour guide. What was his relationship like with Elvis? Travis was reportedly Gladys' favorite brother. I actually remember her as an outgoing and fun loving person. Presley's cousin is eight years younger but spent 34 years of his life in the company of the famous singer before he passed away in 1977. . And Elvis trusted him. Billy Smith was born to Travis and Lorraine Smith on April 6, 1943. Billy Smith said that he knew there was something special about Elvis Presley the first time he watched the King work in the studio. Billy with Elvis before leaving for Germany & the army in 1958. This entourage included first cousins and several of Presley's friends from his boyhood in a poor Memphis housing project plus junior and senior high school friends and early employees from Memphis such as Alan Fortas, nephew of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas. Top. TV Shows. EIN: Did you always travel with Elvis to film the movies? As the years went on, Smith then lived with his wife, Jo, on the same grounds. This article has been curated and verified by, This area provides transparent information about Blasting News, our editorial processes and how we strive for creating trustworthy news. [citation needed], Elvis' expenses were increasing at an alarming rate, and there were complaints and threats of lawsuits about the manner in which the Wests interacted with fans. He lived with us in that house behind Graceland. Billy: Uncle Tracy had a fever when he was a child, and it caused him to be slow. Nobody checked on him.. EIN: After Elvis fall & concussion before Clambake, The Colonel demanded that Elvis burn all his spiritual books. Billy: Elvis did ask me to become foreman, and he talked about getting rid of several people. Another was his father Vernons sister Aunt Delta, who was widowed and actually lived at the mansion until her death in 1993, over a decade after tours began. And, he had unbelievable strength. Occasionally, Travis would give fans a ride and even let them inside the gates of Graceland. He craved the attention of someone who adored him without the threat of sexual pressure, much as a mother would." Billy: Yes. His cousin, Billy Smith, has revealed the truth behind those ongoing rumors. When it was good, it was very good, and when it was bad, it was awful. See Photos. He left behind an undying legacy. Over the years they were joined on the payroll by Alan Fortas, Richard Davis, Marty Lacker, Jimmy Kingsley, "Chief" Ray Sitton, Jerry Schilling, Mike Keeton, Dave Hebler, Sam Thompson and numerous others. . Billy Smith (ice hockey) William John Smith (born December 12, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Billy Smith was Elvis' first cousin, the son of Gladys Presley's oldest brother. So he decided to have it trimmed down and thats what they didwhich made him lookgod! Kalendar Calendario Calendrier.1, Al View Calendar 2022: Landscape view, USA United States of America Noncontiguous State Nature. Eight years younger than The King, Billy grew up with his own family in a home in. Joe could tolerate Colonel better than some of the others. In fact, there are many new Elvis Presley projects in the works in 2020. He did a lot for me and my family in the early years and for my family in the later years. At the time I knew he was pissed at Colonel about something, but he never said what it was. "Billy Smith, Elvis' cousin and Memphis Mafia member talks candidly to EIN", "LAMAR FIKE DIES AGED 75 (Member of Elvis Presley's entourage, the Memphis Mafia)", article "Billy Smith (Memphis Mafia)" is from Wikipedia, https://en.everybodywiki.com/index.php?title=Billy_Smith_(Memphis_Mafia)&oldid=1915493, Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL, Portal templates with all redlinked portals. They wrote about Presley's years of prescription drug abuse which eventually led to his death. Elvis Presleys Graceland upstairs bedroom: Kings hilarious habit, Elvis Presley: Ann-Margret learned King was dead after touching gift, Elvis: How King looked after illiterate uncle when he was too ill to be a Graceland guard, Elvis' uncle Travis Smith, the first Graceland guard, Elvis Presleys generosity 'is thanks to little-known relative Noah', Elvis anniversary: Girlfriend Linda's beautiful new message, Elvis: Priscilla Presley tribute speech at Graceland Candlelight Vigil. Lamar Fike handled Elvis' stage lighting. Elvis Cousin Billy Smith and his . So, he watched from a distance. Billy shared: Elvis had a lot of confidence in him, so kept him on. EIN: Do you remember when Elvis started complaining about the quality of his movies going downhill? Travis was the brother of Gladys Presley, Elvis's mother, making Billy and Elvis first cousins. Elvis Presleys Cousin Remembers Shocking Sight From the King in the Recording Studio, more than willing to share a little Elvis knowledge with the public, they have some stories to tell about the legendary rocker, Billy Smith opened up about what it was like. I said, What? "[20] Gerald Marzorati says that Elvis "couldn't go anywhere else without a phalanx of boyhood friends. Many people were employed with the group through the years but some of the more prominent members were Joe Esposito, Lamar Fike, Alan Fortas, Marty Lacker, Billy Smith, Richard Davis, Red West, Sonny West, Dave Hebler, Al Strada, Dr. Nick, Larry Geller, Charlie Hodge, Jerry Schilling, Sam Thompson and Gene Smith. Billy was 8 years younger than Elvis and grew up with him in Tupelo. READ MORE:Elvis anniversary: Girlfriend Linda's beautiful new message. Elvis always liked to be the "Main Event." You can hear in his tone, in his measured responses, that he adored Elvis. He talked about it many, many times, and we all looked forward to the day that happened. Elvis and the Memphis Mafia. So did Junior! She adored him. Smith was part of The King's Memphis Mafia entourage for decades. There were two teams, and the object of the game was to knock over as many members of the opposing team as possible by any means." During a recent question and answer session, Smith and his wife Jo opened up about their estranged relationship with the Presley family. Junior was at my house in my bed when he died. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. Enjoy a few stories about Elvis from Billy and Jo Smith. We could talk about anything, and we did! Had Elvis used a trained financial supervisor who knew how to invest then he wouldnt have had to work so hard in his final years. In these cases Presley paid salaries, but most lived off fringe benefits such as gifts, cars, houses and bonuses. Related articles Queen and Adam Lambert cover Elvis, Led Zeppelin: WATCH . I was actually stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something", "No-one, but no-one, is his equal, or ever will be. blue eyes and lighter skin. Being both family, and also a member of the Memphis Mafia, Billy Smith was probably the closest friend that Elvis ever had. Go to the lounges, see Fats Domino, Della Reese, Jackie Wilson, the Four Aces, the Dominoes all the old acts. And it was in 1967 that Elvis suggested they make a personal pledge between the two of them. We all loved him and had a job to do. Priscilla sketched out the design on note paper; positioning the letters and lightning bolt in various ways before they found what they liked. Priscilla Presley said these employees were paid an average of $250 per week during the 1960s, which rose to $425 per week in the 1970s, however one pay stub does exist that showed a weekly pay of only $35 for the '63-65 era. He felt comfortable with me and trusted me. Elvis' grandfather got my father out of jail and left Vernon there when it first happened. Elvis enjoyed the Self Realization Park. Can you imagine how we felt living in a place like that? Elvis: How Lisa Marie's name was chosen and what a boy would be called, Dusty Hill dead: ZZ Top star's mother had inspiring Elvis encounter, Elvis: How King overcame his fear of flying according Memphis Mafia, Elvis ex Linda Thompson on unique language she had with The King. Billy: He was never fond of working. After all, there are several books and documentaries out there that detail large portions of his life and exploits. The Smith family collection includes a toy car from Elvis's childhood that was given to Billy Smith by Gladys Presley, a pair of lamps purchased by Elvis on one of his shopping sprees for the . He was the only member of the Memphis Mafia to last from beginning to end of the group. EIN: Cousin Billy Mann. 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