An Elvis Story

Backing vocalist Mary Holladay glances at her sister Ginger, smiles, and turns back to the audience who is waiting for the second act of ‘The Original Elvis Tribute 2012’ to begin. All the musicians are back on stage, but Jerome 'Stump' Monroe isn't quite finished adjusting his drums.

“Do you want to hear an Elvis story?” Mary asks, and gets nods from all around the sold out arena, as well as shouts of ‘yes’ and ‘please.’ Encouraged, she starts to tell a story that took place when she recorded with Elvis.

“Christmas is coming and we, of course, we didn't think to take cameras to the session, or anything that would, you know, be smart, like that. But no, we didn't. But I felt at one point I would go to the drugstore nearby and buy a Christmas card and ask him to sign it for our mother.”

Mary looks at Ginger who smiles back.

“So I ran out in a break and I went to the drugstore, got a card, and it was not a really great card, but it was a Christmas card, and took it in and said, ‘Would you mind signing it for our eighty year old mother, Elvis?’ And he said, ‘Sure, I'll sign it.’ And he signed his name on it.”

The Holladay sisters are all smiles now.

“We took it home and gave it to our mother for Christmas, and she framed it in a nice little frame,” Mary Holladay laughs. “And we still have it!”

Mary Holladay shared the above Elvis story with the audience during ‘The Original Elvis Tribute 2012’ opening show in Vara, Sweden, on April 7. Judging by tour manager Arjan Deelen's comments on his Facebook page, the rest of the shows have been every bit as successful as the first one. The tour ended yesterday, with a show in Tilburg, Holland.

Video featuring the Elvis story as told by Mary Holladay: