Offered are a total of nine original, unpublished photographs of Elvis Presley from the early days of his career, taken by a fan. The seven black and white photos, on period “VELOX” paper, capture Elvis, Scotty Moore, Bill Black and DJ Fontana on stage at The Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, LA. The photos are taken from two different angles very close to the stage, with the four to Elvis' right some of the sharpest photos we have ever seen from the period! The two color photos show Elvis and fan at his Audobon Drive home in Memphis in May 1956. The printed processing date on the reverse of both reads “June 2, 1956”, and the handwritten notation reads “Elvis' house – May – 1956.” They capture our lucky fan in a loving embrace with Elvis and next to his 1954 Cadillac Series 62! Color photography of Elvis from the period is extremely scarce.
In the concert photos, Scotty Moore is seen playing his 1954 Gibson LE 5 CESN, which he didn't acquire until July 7, 1955—consequently, the photos can be no earlier than this date. Elvis is playing his 1955 Martin D-28, which he bought in June of 1955, but interestingly he is NOT using the custom leather cover so often seen on this guitar. It's possible this photo is from the brief period between getting the guitar and getting the leather cover during the summer of 1955. Most photos of Elvis playing this guitar AFTER July 1955, the guitar is covered by the custom leather. However, the band members' striped shirts are seen in other photographs from early 1956. There's always a chance Elvis played a show here and there with the cover off of the guitar. All this said, these are certainly no later than early 1956 and could be as early as July 1955 when Elvis played two shows on The Louisiana Hayride stage in Shreveport, LA. Each photo measures 3 ½ x 3 ½ inches. Several of the photos exhibit some damage on the bottom portions from being stored on top of each other and sticking together. Most of the performance photos are in the best shape. Excellent condition overall, with a couple lesser due to damage.