Tom Jones International

We’ve all seen this now-iconic photo of Elvis watching Tom perform in Las Vegas. But an Elvis blog has another story to add.

Quoting from the book Elvis: Word for Word by Jerry Osborne, the site founder and moderator says:

“You are probably familiar with the way Johnny Cash opened his concerts. He would walk out on stage, go to the mike, and say, ‘Hello, my name is Johnny Cash.’ Elvis Presley was obviously aware of this mannerism, because he opened several of his live shows a very similar way. That’s right. Elvis walked on stage and announced, ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Johnny Cash.’ I guess he found it a good way to break the ice and get beyond pre-show jitters.”

Osborne notes others as whom Elvis introduced himself, including Wayne Newton (who, Elvis said, has a “brother fig”) 12 times. Then, he notes:

“As far as is known, only one other performer received more than two mentions by Elvis. His friend Tom Jones inspired at least four funky introductions. On August 28, 1974, Elvis introduced Jones who was sitting in the audience at the Vegas Hilton. Elvis told everyone to catch Jones’ show opening at Caesars Palace the next night. The ones who did, received a special treat when Elvis surprised Jones and came out on stage, too. For the next three nights, Elvis opened his own show by saying, ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tom Jones. You came to the wrong place.’ Near the end of 1975, Elvis said, ‘Welcome to the show. You know who you are…and I think you know who I am…Tom Jones, you’re right.’”