Elvis
neighbor coached King, saw rise and fall
'Scrawny'
teen Presley unimpressive; mom was joy
By
June Robertson Special to Whitehaven Appea,l December 5, 2004
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As
Whitehaven resident Jesse Lee Denson stood in front
of the two-story, red-brick building at 227 E. Winchester
St. that was part of Lauderdale Courts (pictured right)
where his family lived from 1947 to 1969, the memories
came flooding back. "My parents had a mission nearby
called the Poplar Street Mission," recalls Denson, whose
parents, Jesse James and Mattie, were Pentecostal evangelists.
"This
is where my mother struck up a friendship with Gladys
Presley. The Presleys were staying in a cramped rooming
house and mother helped them to get a better place in
Lauderdale Courts."
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Recently refurbished and now known as Uptown Square, the original
Lauderdale Courts were built in 1936 and used as public housing
for lower-income families in need. When Denson met a 14-year-old
Elvis Presley for the first time, he was not impressed.
"He
was different from all of the other kids," said Denson. "A
bit of a misfit and scrawny with a bad complexion. He was
a good kid, very shy and never got in trouble." Denson was
good at singing and playing a guitar but was reluctant to
assist Elvis when asked.
"I
gave in because of Mrs. Presley," said Denson. "She was so
sweet, we all liked her." Practice took place after school
several times a week in Presley's and Denson's apartment or
the basement laundry area.
"One
day when we were inside the Presley apartment (185 Winchester,
Apt. 328), Mrs. Presley told me that my name meant 'gift from
God,' " recounts Denson. "She told me God had sent me to her
and from then on she called me her special son."
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According
to Denson, Elvis had a huge crush on his sister Virginia,
who had no time for Elvis. "Elvis would hide behind
these bushes and watch for Virginia to come home from
school," said Denson. "Most of us went to L.C. Humes
High (pictured right) in those days. We would walk up
Jackson Street until we hit Manassas, quite a good walk."
When
Denson left school he sang in Eastern clubs and occasionally
saw the Presleys on visits home. "I kept in touch after
the family moved," said Denson. "Elvis's success took
everyone by surprise but we were so glad for him."
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Denson
was devastated after learning of Mrs. Presley's death in August
1958. "It was a tremendous blow," said Denson. "I sure did love
that woman, she was an angel. We had visited with her only months
before in her new home on Audubon Drive. She had looked tired
and was not happy that Colonel (Tom) Parker (Elvis's manager)
was keeping Elvis away so much. It just broke her heart."
When
Elvis died in 1977, Denson was not as surprised. "I knew what
his lifestyle was like and he worked too hard, but what a
tragedy," said Denson. "All I could think about at the time
was that Mrs. Presley got her boy back."
Denson,
a successful singer-songwriter, has written several songs
about Elvis and Gladys (his mother) including "The Mississippi
Kid" and "Mrs. Presley" and Elvis recorded one of Denson's
most well-known religious songs, "The Miracle of the Rosary,"
in 1972. "If Mrs. Presley had lived longer, we might have
seen a different ending for Elvis," said Denson. "They really
loved each other."
(News,
Source: The Commercial Appeal)
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