Up to a point the country can withstand the impact of Elvis Presley as a familiar and acceptable phenomenon. Wherever the lean, 21-year-old Tennessean goes to howl out his combination of hillbilly and rock and roll, he is beset by teenage girls yelling for him. They dote on his sideburns and pegged pants, cherish cups of water dipped from his swimming pool, covet strands of his hair, boycott disc jockeys who dislike his records (they have sold some six million copies). All this the country has seen before - with Ray, Sinatra and all the way back to Rudy Vallee.
But with Elvis Presley the daffiness has been deeply disturbing to civic leaders, clergymen, some parents. He does not just bounce to accent his heavy beat. He uses a bump and grind routine usually seen only in burlesque. His young audiences, unexposed to such goings-on, do not just shout their approval. They get set off by shock waves of hysteria, going into frenzies of screeching and wailing, ending up in tears.
In Miami, one newspaper columnist called Presley's performance "obscene." In Jacksonville, he was threatened with jail. His impact had brought Presley a welcome taste of wealth and fame. But now it was bringing him some unwelcome attention. - LIFE magazine, August 1956
| Y/M/D | Description | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1955/07/28 | Elvis performs in Jacksonville at the Gator Stadium Baseball Park with Andy Griffith and The Louvin Brothers, July 28 and 29. At some point, female fans rise-up and relieve Elvis of most of his clothing. | Jacksonville, Florida |
| 1956/08/00 | During a prayer meeting at Trinity Baptist Church, Pastor Robert Gray tells his teenage flock that Elvis Presley had "achieved a new low in spiritual degeneracy. If he were offered his salvation tonight, he would probably say 'No Thanks'." | |
| 1956/08/10 | After Elvis arrives in Jacksonville, scheduled to play 6 shows over a 2 day period at the Florida Theater. Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding meets him with unsigned warrants prepared to charge the singer with impairing the morals of minors. | Jacksonville, Florida |
| 1956/08/10 | Elvis performs at the Florida Theatre. Judge Gooding warns Elvis in chambers after the first show to tone down his act. Keeping his feet on the floor, Elvis curls his lip and wiggles his little finger instead of his hips, but still drives the fans wild. | Florida Theater, Jacksonville |
| 1956/08/27 | In "The Impact of Elvis Presley", Life Magazine reports that Elvis does not just bounce to accent his heavy beat, but he uses a bump and grind routine usually seen only in burlesque. The article includes a picture of Bob Gray preaching against the singer. |
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