RON BRANDON was the 17 year-old radio engineer for Tupelo's WTUP station who actually recorded the interviews and the famous performance.
Our Elvis legacy would be less rich had he not done so - and he even sent Elvis a personal copy!
It was back in 2009 that EIN first connected with Ron Brandon and years later he would publish his fascinating book 'Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis'.
It's great to know that Ron Brandon is alive and well - and presumably now the only person still alive who was technically involved in Elvis' stunning 1956 Tupelo concert.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of this historic event EIN's Piers Beagley recently spoke to him to see how things are going for him in 2026.
(Right: Elvis performing at the state fair while being recorded by Ron Brandon!)
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Ron Brandon was the WTUP radio engineer; Charlie Watts was the announcer that did the interviews with Elvis, his Father and Mother, with Nick Adams, and with "a fan". They were recorded alongside the outdoor stage, on a one-track Magnecord recorder. Without the foresight of Ron Brandon Elvis' Tupelo concert would never have been put on tape.
This week is the 70th anniversary of Elvis' historic 1956 Tupelo concert - so EIN's Piers Beagley gave Ron Brandon a call to see how things are going...
Go here to read Ron Brandon's in-depth 2009 EIN interview
September 2026 INTERVIEW -
EIN: Ron, it's great to be back in touch with you, I cannot believe that it is over 15 years since our first interview. As one of the few remaining witnesses of Elvis' stunning 1956 return to Tupelo, how are you holding up? Is life still treating you well?
Ron Brandon: Hello Piers and great to speak with you and your readers again!
All considering, life has treated me very well. As I approach my 88th birthday in a couple of weeks, I feel very well.. still active, play golf, and follow news of the day, including the world of Elvis.
EIN: Can you believe that what you managed to record for posterity, and has become a crucial part of Elvis' legacy, is now 70 years ago? How well do you still remember it?
Ron B: Seventy years is a very long time when you phrase it that bluntly. Had you asked me at any point in my life, I would have forecast a lifespan for myself as possibly 70 years.. Never 80 or... as seems possible now... 90 years. I have no explanation for it. I never paid much attention to health or lifespan, so I'm pretty much as surprised as anyone else.
It is interesting, in reference to the 1956 Elvis Tupelo concert, there seems little doubt that I am the lone survivor of anyone who had a direct involvement with the event. In doing research for my book Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis, my memories of the events of that day remain fairly fresh. In particular, seeing the old photos keeps the memories accurate. Describing the details of that day and evening in Tupelo seems fresh and clear because of the impressions made on me at the time. For a teenager, it was the most important event in my brief lifetime, so it's no surprise today that it all still feels very much in the foreground of 88 years of thoughts and memories. I regret that much has changed in my life. The radio and disc jockey industry I pursued for all those decades has sadly pretty much disappeared. I regret that with today's technology, much of what I see and hear today regarding Elvis and Tupelo is totally fake and inaccurate.
It fascinates me to face the realization that my unplanned, spontaneous acts of that day in 1956 are the only surviving hands-on record of those two concerts.
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Elvis with MC Jim Reese on stage
My being in the career of disc jockey and radio was totally an accident, as related in my book. Being at the concerts with a recorder was another happenstance, at the direction of Jim Reese, who was my manager and my boss at WTUP. How Jim became the Master of Ceremonies for the shows is unknown to me. My guess is that WTUP played what in a few years would become known as Rock & Roll music, and that WELO, the only other station in town, did not. Perhaps Jim knew someone personally and that opened the door to his MCing the concerts. How he was chosen for the role I do not know, but it opened the door... totally by random accident, for my being stage-side at the concerts, with a then-rare tape recorder, was unplanned, unforeseen, a total culmination that resulted in my spur-of-the-moment decision to record the concerts.. not to mention the interviews that my fellow WTUP employee Charlie Watts, voiced with Elvis, Elvis' parents, Nick Adams, and the young girl who climbed on stage that afternoon.
Sending a copy of the recordings to Elvis was a spur-of-the-moment thought, again totally unplanned.. another accident. To hope or even have the remote thought that Elvis might save the recordings in his closet at Graceland all those years, that they would be discovered by RCA's Joan Deary after Elvis' death, and be released publicly by RCA... all unplanned. In retrospect, looking at the chain of events, all totally without rhyme or reason, stretches the bounds of possibility. Yet that's exactly what happened, and that's why.. today.. you can see and hear the concerts and interviews on the net on many sites.
EIN: Did you see the Baz Luhrmann movie? What did you think?
And are you not amazed that Elvis still has the impact and media attention after all these years?
Ron B: I did see the Baz biopic movie but have yet to see his new doco 'EPiC'. The ELVIS biopic was certainly above average by showbiz standards. However, knowing the real stories as reflected in the movie was a disappointment. I don't fault Hollywood. There are a couple of unsurmountable problems in making a movie about Elvis. No actor can portray him. The image of Elvis is simply too well known. No actor can portray him properly.
His looks and demeanor cannot be duplicated by an imitator. There is no greater "rags to riches" story than that of Elvis. There is no greater tragedy than the story of Elvis. Ladies of the world have voted him, without question, the most handsome male ever. The music that he personally created has never been duplicated.
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EIN: Your recordings of Elvis' two Tupelo concerts have been released by RCA, MRS and FTD plus various others.
The 2014 FTD 'Love Me Tender' classic soundtrack album featured the two concerts you recorded on the second CD. However there was no mention of any kind about the Tupelo performances, nor why they took place, in the accompanying booklet - no photos - and no mention of you at all or how your recordings survived. To me this seemed very remiss.
Ron B: There have been so many releases and re-releases of the concerts over the years by multiple sources other than RCA, I have long lost track (and interest) in them. I gave up on RCA many years ago. They never even simply acknowledge my existence, despite my sending all the info to them on two separate occasions.
My book "Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis" did help to tell the story of what actually happened, and the sequence of events. I have, over the many years, been continually amazed at the lack of interest by the various media in the real story.
Elvis was so close to me - what was he saying?!
EIN is the one source that actually acknowledged the real story, and I thank you. I don't understand why others have not been curious or shown any interest whatsoever.
In reading the multitude of Elvis books I continue to see tales of authors bemoaning the fact that they had not been able to ferit out real stories of what actually happened, yet I could count on one hand the number of curiosity seekers who have contacted me regarding the concerts and interviews.
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I'm not familiar with the FTD release you mention. I likely saw or heard it at the time but have forgotten. They certainly made no effort to contact me. A simple search on the net will turn up all the details, but I suppose most just don't consider it important. It does irritate me that most of the "fans" appear content with the generated stories and pictures without digging for the real details.
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EIN: It was back in 2022 you first published your fascinating book 'Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis', I have heard that an expanded hard-back version is now available. When did you update the original volume and what extras are in the hard-back version?
Ron B: Yes, I did publish an updated "hardback" edition of my book a year or so ago. And, I admit, it was simply an ego trip on my part. I knew that the photos were much improved in color, and I personally wanted a version of the book with all the photos in full color. That's the whole reason for the hardcover. I know it's a bit expensive, but the quality of the paper and color is worth it. And a couple of the stories were updated with the later publication (both Al Wertheimer and Barbara Gray had died). All of the photos of the Elvis events were originally in black & white. Seeing them in color is a vast improvement!
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EIN: That sounds excellent, there is no doubt that collectors do value hard-back volumes. You seem to have known so many people from the industry.
As you said Elvis' "mystery kisser" Barbara Gray, passed away in 2023 - (March 1, 2023).
Similarly with you being a DJ in the southern states I thought of you when the sad news of Dolly Parton's recent death was announced...
Ron B: Being a disc jockey on major radio stations during the years of Elvis was certainly an interesting career. And yes, it did open the door to many well-known personalities. During those years, radio and the art of DJing was a rewarding occupation. In those decades, everyone listened to the radio every day. One of the major reasons was the music - and Elvis in the lead role - supplied by the ever-present disc jockeys. Being a DJ opened many doors, including often greeting the stars who created the music, including Dolly Parton.
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I met Dolly on several occasions over the years. Her recent death and the surrounding media attention attested to her importance to the fans. Many, probably most, were the same fans who followed Elvis. There were many similarities. Both Elvis and Dolly descended from the same ancestry background, through Appalachia and back to northern Europe. Yep, that's where those blue eyes came from.
An interesting statistic that I stumbled on in my personal ancestry pursuit is the fact that Elvis, the world's #1 entertainer (born in Tupelo), Tennessee Williams (world's greatest playwright) born in Columbus, Mississippi, a few miles south of Tupelo, and William Faulkner (world's greatest author) born in New Alabany, Mississippi, a few miles west of Tupelo. All three of these "most famous" personalities were born within a small number of miles in that small patch of ground in northeast Mississippi. Now that's an amazing coincidence that will make you stop and think. And Dolly was born not far up the road.
I give Dolly the title of the "hardest working woman in show biz." She never failed to take the time and effort to visit with and acknowledge the help of the disc jockeys. A truly lovely lady who deserves every ounce of the acclaim given her.
The era of radio stations and the disc jockeys they employed is now rapidly fading into the history books. It seems I read almost daily of another radio station giving up and signing off the air, abandoning itself to vandals or a wrecking ball. Sad.
EIN: Have Graceland ever contacted you to appear at Elvis Week? You would be the perfect guest.
Ron B: No, I have never had any contact with Graceland. I have never visited. Even though I lived within a few blocks of the Presley family in Memphis, saw him perform from the back of a flatbed truck at the grand opening of the Lamar-Airways shopping center, and traced other footsteps with Elvis in the 50s in Memphis, plus my later Elvis stories.. no contact at all with the Memphis Elvis crowd.
I knew both Marty Lacker and George Klein personally through my radio pursuits but never pursued the Elvis side of the relationships. I was issued an invitation from Roy Turner GM at the Elvis museum in East Tupelo and planned to attend the 70th anniversary of the concerts this weekend, but unfortunately the plans were thwarted by an illness with Roy. I haven't been back to Tupelo or Memphis in many years now.
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EIN: If I had met Elvis I am sure I would dream of him every night. Do you still dream of that fabulous day in Tupelo?
Ron B: I don't recall that I've dreamed of that day in Tupelo, but I certainly think of it often. Most of my musings relate to "If I had only known." The most often thought with me is, "I wonder what really happened to my original tapes." For years I saved and guarded them very carefully. There were several 30-minute reels of tape. In my many moves to various cities as I pursued my disc jockey career, I either took the tapes with me or left them with my Mom for safekeeping. Honestly, I never attached that much value to them. I have racked my tired old brain a thousand times trying to remember when, where, whatever... the last time I had the tapes? I think I remember loaning them to a fan, but I'm not certain.
Maybe one day I'll bump into a psychic who, in a trance, can force me to remember what I did with those tapes. I know that the original tapes contained more than you hear today on the net and other sources. Does someone have those tapes today? Who knows. Could I identify them if they were found? Yes. Is that likely? No. But what a great story. All by accident. One, maybe followed by a what-if. It could keep you awake at night.
EIN: Ron, as always it has been a real joy talking with you and nice to know you are a true survivor. You would be the perfect special guest at Elvis Week 2027. I will give them a nudge!
'Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis' |
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Interview by Piers Beagley
-Copyright EIN, October 2009
EIN spotlight 'Elvis Tupelo Homecoming 1956': Seventy years ago today - 26 September 1956 - one of the key performances in Elvis' historic legacy when he returned to his hometown.
On September 23 1956, with the filming of 'Love Me Tender' completed, Elvis returned to Memphis. On Wednesday 26 September 1956 Elvis, along with friends Nick Adams and Barbara Hearn, drove down to Tupelo for a home-town appearance at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy show.
Elvis performed two special concerts that day - luckily recorded by WTUP engineer Ron Brandon - there was an official proclamation of 'Elvis Presley Day' and for the evening concert the Mississippi National Guard was called in to help keep fans in order.
Check out our special 70th anniversary Tupelo spotlight with plenty of delicious Elvis photos
(Spotlight, Source;ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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Ron Brandon - Elvis In Tupelo Interview: Ron Brandon was the 17 year-old radio engineer for Tupelo's WTUP station who actually recorded the interviews and Elvis' famous performance.
After reading an EIN review, radio personality Ron Brandon contacted us asking is we knew the whereabouts of Charlie Watts who conducted the Elvis interviews at Tupelo Fair in 1956. Thanks to EIN contributor Pamela Decker we managed to reunite him with his friend Charlie Watts after 53 years!
EIN's Piers Beagley spoke to Ron Brandon to find out more of the incredible story of how this historic Elvis performance happened to be recorded for posterity.
Go here to our detailed 2009 interview
(Interviews, Source:EIN)
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(Book Review) 'Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis': From author /DJ Ron Brandon 'Disc Jockeys, Preachers, and Elvis' is a self-published biography.
Ron Brandon was the person who recorded Elvis' 1956 live performance in Tupelo and our Elvis legacy would be less rich had he not done so and then sent Elvis a personal copy!
The book details "55 years of Behind The Scenes stories of Disc Jockeys, Rock & Roll, and Elvis.. as told by the author that lived them"
It includes 23 chapters, 96 pages, 150 photos many in color, A4 size with large type easy-to-read, excellent quality.
Chapters include sections on radio stations WTUP Tupelo 1956, WMOC Chattanooga 1962, WNOE and Marty Lacker New Orleans 1963, 'Radio Music Report' magazine, Sex Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll, as well as the story of 'Elvis comes home to Tupelo'. Brandon tells the stories of hard work, meeting loads of radio personalities and getting a successful time slot in multiple radio stations. He meets plenty of interesting characters along the way, both good and bad! He also was the person who tracked down Elvis' 'Mystery Kisser'!
Packed full of stories EIN's Piers Beagley enjoyed this look into a very interesting life well-lived! go here to find out more
(Book Review, Source;ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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Roy Turner, Elvis historian, talks about Elvis In Tupelo: Roy Turner is an Elvis Historian who is well-known in the Elvis world for his amazing research into this all-important period of Elvis' past. He was the major source of research behind Elaine Dundy's book 'Elvis and Gladys', has been involved in multiple Elvis projects and was the author of the recent MRS book 'Tupelo's Own; Elvis Presley'. Roy has intimate information about Elvis' early days and became good friends with Brother Frank Smith and Elvis' Aunt Lillian. In 2006 Roy Turner & Jim Palmer produced a documentary about Elvis' 1956 triumphant Tupelo return 'Homecoming: Tupelo Welcomes Elvis' which was premiered at the Tupelo Elvis Festival. The recently updated edit of Roy Turner's documentary is soon to be shown on nationwide TV. In this fascinating interview EIN's Piers Beagley recently talked with Roy Turner about Elvis' past and the relevance of Tupelo to his career.
(Interviews, Source;EIN) |
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