The King and I

The Memories tribute, however, is more than just a musical event in its rawest form Thanks to Charlie Hodge, it offers a study of Presley that harbors elements of a good old-fashioned history lesson. And this retrospective comes from a man who should know what he's talking about when it comes to Elvis. For more than two decades, Hodge was among the privileged few who dwelled in Presley's most private circle and knew him as well as anyone might have hoped to.

How close were they? Consider the fact that Charlie lived in Elvis' home, Graceland, for 17 years, and was part of the so-called Memphis Mafia, the nickname given to Elvis' innermost core of friends and associates. During that time, he performed and recorded music with Presley, saw to his personal affairs, handed The King his legendary scarves on stage, witnessed his will and even drove Elvis and Priscilla to the hospital the day their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born.

His credentials now hammered home, you can imagine the way in which Hodge enhances the Memories salute. While he supports Vuto on vocals and guitar during some of the later segments of the tribute, Hodge begins his portion of the show alone on stage, chatting with the audience, his five-foot-three-inch-tall frame belying the grand presence that fuels each of his reminiscences. From personal insights into an old friend to amusing anecdotes, Hodge shares his Elvis Presley as seen through the unique filter of one who had truly "been there and done that."

At Memories Theatre one afternoon, I'm waiting for Hodge to show up for an interview. I'm looking forward to hear his firsthand accounts in a one-on-one situation, hoping to extract a few tales of the past not normally shared with his audiences. He's a half-hour late. When he finally enters the theatre, he shakes my hand declaring, "I'm not going to apologize for being late." There's already a smile on my face as he explains how he regularly stays up until three or four in the morning and gets by on only a few hours of sleep. "But sometimes my body just takes over and I sleep longer," he huffs with a twinkle in his eye. "But once I get up, I'm alert and ready to operate. The only thing that slowed me down on the way here was the red lights..."

Used to late hours, Hodge's night owl nature dates back to his first days in the music business. Fresh out of high school, he started out touring with various gospel quartets (one of which included a young Bill Gaither). "We would play a school or a church, then head to the next town, and we wouldn't sleep until we got there," Hodge explains as we settle into conversation in his dressing room. "A lot of times you wouldn't go to bed until five or six in the morning and get up about two in the afternoon."

His destiny began to change when he was invited to join the Foggy River Boys, a well known gospel quartet who had been appearing regularly on Red Foley's show, Ozark Jubilee. with Hodge now singing lead for quartet, the stage was set for his and Elvis' paths to forever merge. It happened in 1956 when Elvis played a date in Memphis and later showed up on the set of Ozark Jubilee. "Elvis was already the star in the business," Hodge recalls. "He came backstage to meet Red Foley, then came directly to meet my quartet because his favorite kind of music was gospel."

Hodge's first impressions of Elvis were of a man unaffected by fame and mass adoration. "He was just like one of the guys I grew up with-down to earth," Hodge says. Although their first encounter was brief, the two men would meet again a couple of years later, coincidentally, after joining the Army. While going through basic training together at Fort Hood, Presley recognized Hodge from the Red Foley show. "There was like an instant there because we knew the same people and knew the same gospel songs, so we started out being able to sing together," Hodge says. "It was the most natural friendship that could have happened to either one of us, I believe."

Following the respective tours of service, and throughout much of the '60s, Hodge worked closely with Presley throughout Elvis' years as a film star. He would help Elvis wade through the hundreds of demo songs that were submitted for inclusion in any given Presley film. Strangely, Hodge never saw Elvis perform in a live show until The King began touring in the late '60s. Of course, that was when the famous scarves came into play. "I used to hand Elvis the scarves that he gave out to the audience," Hodge explains. "It started out with him just using a scarf to wipe off the sweat, and a girl in the audience asking for the scarf." Needless to say, the scarf ritual took on a life of its own. Hodge says that at one point they were giving away up to 100 scarves a night, each one costing $100. "That's what Elvis was willing to put into his shows," Hodge says.

Aside from specific times and events, Hodge is quick to reflect on Presley in a more general sense, especially when it comes to his friend's driving motivation. "It was a love of music, period," Hodge relates without hesitation. "He would have loved to have been a member of a gospel quartet because he loved gospel music that much," a character assessment that aligns with Hodge's image of Elvis as a regular man. He says that among the many different roles he played in Presley's life, the most valued was that of friend. "We'd watch tv or eat an occasional meal together," he shares. "But my favorite time with Elvis was when he and Priscilla were married, because it really was like a family then. We had dinner every evening, went on holidays together. I was like the added member of Elvis' family."

But Hodge also acknowledges that there are misconceptions that people have about Elvis. What's the biggest one? "That he's still alive," Hodge says with a hearty chuckle, "Do you think for one moment that if Elvis were alive, I'd be working in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee?!" As our mutual laughter subsides, Hodge fills me in on 22 years since Elvis' death. During that time, he has kept his feet firmly planted on show business soil. Among the many projects in which he's been involved have been various autobiographies, videos and television movies, all of which profile his years of association with Presley.

He's also participated in several other Elvis tribute shows throughout the country, finally winding up at Memories Theatre seven years ago. "It's a joy working this show, especially for someone my age-I'll be 65 in December," Hodge says with the pride of a man who's traveled many roads and lived to tell about it. "The kids here are all enthused about what they do. They're not just coming in and doing their job. They're constantly looking for ways to improve themselves."

One might be tempted to wonder what it's like for Hodge to share the stage every night with Lou Vuto, someone who can be an uncanny incarnation of Elvis. "It's a joy working with Lou," Hodge stresses. "He's only Elvis when he's singing. Between songs he gives Elvis all the credit." Kind words from one of the few men to ever call Graceland "home."

Charlie Hodge then-in concert with Elvis Presley

What's Showing Magazine
Volume 4, Issue 4

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