Blue Moon of Kentucky

Chapter 23

Looking back neither of them even knew whose idea it was anymore. But at some point it was decided that they would save money not for their own house but to be able to go out on the road to promote Elvis' music.

But the time passed and numerous reasons lead to them postponing their plans. Hope that they would ever make it began to dwindle as the time dragged on.

Then one day, after Elvis had gotten them a used car he came home from work and declared, "We're gonna go out on the road now."

At first Loretta stood, pondering the new development with a shock that was turning rapidly into endeared delight. "We are for real now?"

"That's what I'm sayin', Loretty. We're goin' out on the road and we're gonna cut me one of them records like we talked about. Have it played in the juke boxes and on the radio."

"I thought maybe we was never gonna go."

"We're gonna go soon as your birthday's over. Spring and summer's a good time to, ain't too cold. I'm gonna wear that suit you made me."

Upon deciding that her husband would be out there trying to get his music played, Loretta figured that he would have to make a good impression by wearing something nice. It was a western style suit, of course, nothing else would do in her eyes. It took her many hours and a lot of nerve to get it right and now he would finally wear it. The widest grin spread over Loretta's face as Elvis scooped her up and spun her around.

None of their parents were quite as pleased though, Gladys Presley least of all.

It was raining that day they left, April 20th 1956; one of those dates they would forever keep in their memory.

The drizzle caused Loretta's hair to curl gently around her face, which was illuminated by drops of sunlight filtering out behind the insistent clouds.

Gladys stood beside Vernon, fretting as she pulled Elvis into her arms and urged him once again to be careful.

"We'll be fine, Mama," Elvis said. "Right, Loretta?"

"We'll be lookin' out for each other," she assured her mother-in-law.

"I worry about you too," Gladys said with a sigh. "You ain't never even been outside of Paintsville."

"I've been to Prestonsburg for our honeymoon," Loretta protested. "And I'm just gonna stay real close to Elvis anyhow."

"Don't sleep in the car. And come home 'for you run out of money."

"Yes, Mama," Elvis kissed her cheek before climbing into the car. "Come on, Loretty. Let's go."

Loretta stared out the back window from her place in the front seat until the figures of Gladys and Vernon disappeared from sight.

"We'll have to call Mama as soon as we make it to Tennessee," Elvis said. "She won't have no sleep or nothin' till she heard from me, I reckon."

The plan was to work on the road when they could to replenish their dwindling money resources. They didn't even know how much it would be exactly to make a real record as opposed to the single disks Elvis recorded for his wife and mother on special occasions.

The back of the car was loaded with suitcases stuffed full of clothes, two guitars (Elvis had gotten Loretta one for her birthday but she understandably hadn't had much time to practice her playing in six days) and a picnic basket Gladys had fixed for them.

"You wanna see if the radio works right now?" Elvis asked. The radio indeed worked only some of the time.

When Loretta turned it on this time it seemed as though it couldn't make up its mind. A mixture of static and music poured out, causing Elvis to wrinkle his nose.