I had just started working for Elvis… We were in L.A. getting ready for Vegas… Joe and I flew ahead to make sure all the arrangements were done… Elvis and everyone else would fly in the next day… That night Joe said, get some rest because tomorrow morning you have to do some things for Col. Parker… I didn’t think much about what Joe said, so I replied… Okay… I got up around 10am, got ready then went to see Col. Parker… I walked into his suite, it had Elvis posters covering the walls… He was sitting behind his desk smoking his cigar, barking out orders to someone over the phone… He looked at me, then motioned me to sit down… I didn’t, I just stood there… When he hung up, he started telling me what he expected from me, while we were in Vegas… I said, Mr. Parker, I work for Elvis, I know what he wants and what he expects from me… Besides, my brothers gave me the run down on my duties while we were flying to L.A. from Memphis… He looked at me kind of strangely, I guess he wasn’t use to someone telling him, his advice wasn’t needed… I just stood there with a smile on my face… Then he said, well I need you to start hanging those posters over there, he pointed to several large boxes in the corner, in the lobby… I looked over, and noticed some of the hotel staff were unloading the boxes and taking the posters out of his suite… I looked back at him, then said… Mr. Parker, I told you, I work for Elvis… If he wants me to hang posters, I will… But, you have all of this hotel’s staff doing this for you, you don’t need me… I could see, this didn’t set to well with him… He stood up, then said… You better start hanging those posters, if you know what’s good for you, you little (blank)… Now, he got me fired up… I looked at him, then I smiled… I said, I’m gone… I turned around and walked out… He was yelling… I’M GOING TO TELL ELVIS ABOUT THIS!!! I didn’t look back, I simply said… Go ahead…
Later that night, after Elvis had dinner, he said… I had a talk with the Colonel this afternoon, Billy… Let’s go in the den and talk about this… I said, okay boss… As we were walking to the den, I thought to myself… Boy, you really did it this time… You haven’t been working for Elvis for 2 weeks yet, and you’ve already made him mad, at you… We both sat down on the couch… Elvis looked at me, then smiled… He said, I’m proud of you Billy… That blow hard always tries to bully everyone who works for me… He thinks he’s the boss around here… I’m glad you stood your ground… A sudden since of relieve came over me… I said, thank you boss… I only did what you taught me… Never bow down or kiss anyone’s butt… Elvis smiled at that… Then he said, now if the Colonel asks you do anything for him again, I’ll telling you to do it… Okay??? I said, sure Elvis I get it… I promise I will… Then he said, don’t tell this to anyone, okay… I said, sure thing boss…
The Colonel never asked me to do anything for him, again…
A side note, I never really cared for Mr. Parker to began with, but that’s another story…
Billy Stanley
