This is a picture of WMOB's radio station. It sits over on the causeway right as you come out of the tunnel. It is true that the King himself once spent the night on a couch in this tiny AM station. How does the Meeker know such knowledge?
When I was in high school I had a flat tire coming across the Bayway. I limped off onto the causeway and onto the service road in front of WMOB. I went up and knocked on the door for several minutes until some old man finally opened up. He said he was on the air and that's what took him so long. I asked if I could use the phone and he obliged. While waiting on some help (I had no jack)me and the old man talked. he told me all about the station and that his most memorable time was when a young singer showed up a day early for a radio appearance and a gig at a festival. the man offered the young Elvis the couch in his office for the night. Elvis slept until the next day and thanked the man.
I can just see a young E rolling down the causeway in a junker with the windows down, one suitcase, $2 and a guitar.
This old pink hotel sits about midway across the causeway, right next to R&R seafood (The crawfish are back by the way and GOOOOOD). This old thing is just about gutted now and is one hot pink eyesore. Very few people know that this was the hotel that Elvis always stayed at when he played Mobile. He would rent out the entire top two floors for him and the mafia. They would never stay in town because he did not want all the screaming fans around. I have always wanted to go up to those floors and have a look around. Unfortunately the place was used as a holding site for the Federal government for years and then washed out from the hurricanes. the gate was open today, but it looked really shady inside. How do you know this Jimmy Joe?
Well my source on this one also had first hand knowledge. This story came from an ex Alabama State Trooper (initials JS). He was one of the men in charge of making sure Elvis got to and from the Civic Center. He said that when they rolled out onto the causeway, people just assumed they were leaving town.
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3 comments:
I heard the story about the hotel before but not the radio station. Interseting. I bet that old man loves telling that story.
I tell the radio station story to my kids. Of course when its repeated to you every time you drove that way for two years of your life you tend to not forget a thing like that.
Dear Jimmy Joe, We are Elvis fans in town doing a project on Elvis and would love to talk to you. We are in town until Thursday. If you are interested, please email us at lihietalmor@gmail.com. Thank you for the Elvis-related info and all the great posts!
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