1955 Elvis Presley & Johnny Cash-signed Program
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APPRAISER:
So you brought in this 1950s "Louisiana Hayride" program, but the reason I was really excited when you came to the table was the fact that we have this on the back of it. And what can you tell me about this and how you got it?
GUEST:
Well, when I was in high school, in the '50s, we loved to go to Shreveport, to the "Louisiana Hayride," on the weekends. My sister and I and some more girls would go often, and I was about 16 years old then-- a long time ago. And Elvis was there, and Johnny Cash, and they weren't popular like they are now. So, anyway, Elvis was standing on the steps there by himself, and so I just had this book, and I went up to him and asked him if he'd mind giving me his autograph.
APPRAISER:
Wow, and what did you think of Elvis?
GUEST:
(chuckling): Oh.
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
Really handsome.
APPRAISER:
Yeah?
GUEST:
Really good-looking. He was young, then, too. You know, it was before he married. And I heard he made $18 a performance at that time. So he was making big money, wasn't he?
APPRAISER:
Oh, my goodness. Even with inflation, that's still not a lot of money.
GUEST:
No, it wasn't.
APPRAISER:
And then you also have, I see, another one over here. How did you get the other signature?
GUEST:
Johnny Cash, it was at the same time. He was there, too, and he was just standing in the doorway during intermission, waiting to go back on.
APPRAISER:
What did you think of him?
GUEST:
And went up to him and got his autograph. (chuckling): Another handsome one.
APPRAISER:
We see a lot of autographs here at the Roadshow.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
One, you've procured these firsthand.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And I believe you 100% that you got them. If you had been someone who purchased this at an auction and brought it to the table, I would have looked at these signatures and said, "They're fake."
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Because they looked really weird. They're not the Elvis signature we're used to seeing, and it's not the Johnny Cash signature that we're used to seeing. But we think that this is-- we've tried to nail it down. With more time, we could probably get very specific about the date, but we believe it's 1955. And at that time, these guys weren't really that popular yet.
GUEST:
No, no, they weren't. (chuckling)
APPRAISER:
And I think that really what we have is such early signatures, that they actually hadn't signed enough to develop the signature that we're all used to seeing by now.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
So that is pretty extraordinary, and it really affects the value. And to have these two together...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Because if we set this, the period here, Elvis started doing the "Louisiana Hayride" shows mid-1954.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
He'd taped "That's All Right" at Sun Studios, and that was kind of the song that he led with. Colonel Parker got him a one-year contract. And so he ended up staying until about 1956.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And that's that famous show where Horace Logan says, "Elvis has left the building."
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
That's all happening at the "Louisiana Hayride."
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
So it's a very historic venue. But to also have Johnny Cash there.
GUEST:
Yeah, the two of them.
APPRAISER:
And all of this happens a year before the "Million Dollar Quartet," where you have Johnny Cash, and Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins recording at Sun Studios together. The "Louisiana Hayride" is such a historic venue because it launched the career of so many country artists. I mean, the list really goes on for days.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And it was just the place to be seen. The program itself...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
They sell for about $50, $75 when they come up. And the other interesting thing about this program is, again, because it's, it's pre-fame for Elvis and Johnny Cash...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
They're not even in this program.
GUEST:
No, no, they're not.
APPRAISER:
They were not famous enough yet to even be listed among the performers at the "Louisiana Hayride."
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
So, it's, it's fascinating. Together, having these two guys at that time...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
At auction for the program, I would put between $5,000 and $7,000.
GUEST (gasps): Oh! Really? I had no idea. Really? That's fantastic. I'm glad I kept it all these years. Oh, I was about to run out of my bucket list of getting on the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW. I was hoping I could come some time, so this is wonderful. And at the time, I was wishing I had a piece of paper that I could have had them autograph, but it's probably better that it's on the "Hayride" book. That helps.
APPRAISER:
Way better.
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