Getaway: Has Elvis really left the building?Acadiana News - The Daily Advertiser - www.theadvertiser.com
The original rock megastar kicked off his career in this Shreveport landmark.
The 2009 James Burton International Guitar Festival Tribute to Elvis
Louisiana State Fair Grounds, Festival Plaza and Municipal Auditorium, Shreveport
Tickets: (318) 424-5000
Web site: jamesburtonmusic.comLegend has it that a few ghosts inhabit Shreveport’s historic Municipal Auditorium, where Elvis Presley began his career along with numerous country and rock legends.
Plans are in the works to restore one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in Louisiana, but visitors can tour the building and see Elvis’s dressing room and take in Shreveport’s musical history at the Stage of Stars Museum with its rare photos and personal artifacts of the many musicians who have played there. Outside in front are two statues — Elvis and guitarist James Burton, one of Shreveport’s best-known performers.
The Municipal Auditorium opened in 1929, with seating for 3,000 with a 54-foot-high proscenium arch and accented by an art deco design. Mardi Gras balls, circuses and the famous Louisiana Hayride radio show were regular visitors of the building, the latter featuring musicians Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter, Doug Kershaw, George Jones and Huddie Ledbetter.
Elvis joined the lineup on Oct. 16, 1954, when he was paid just $18 per show. On his last performance in 1956, it was said, “Elvis has left the building.”
In 1969, when Elvis returned to touring, he contacted Burton and asked him to form a band. That was 40 years ago this year, a milestone that will be marked at the fourth annual James Burton International Guitar Festival on Aug. 21 and 22 in Shreveport.
Most of the festival takes place at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum at the Louisiana State Fair Grounds with highlights including a guitar showdown and talent competition hosted by Tipitina’s Shreveport Music Office Coop at 9 a.m. Aug. 22, followed by live music at 11:30 a.m. and the attempt at a Guinness World Record featuring the most guitarists performing together at 2 p.m.
There will be a James Burton Birthday Bash featuring local and regional bands from 6 p.m. to midnight Aug. 21, at the Festival Plaza by the Red River in downtown Shreveport and a James Burton & Friends Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Municipal Auditorium with tickets costing $25 to $100.
The festival was created by the James Burton Foundation to raise money for free guitars, technical training and music lessons to young musicians who can’t afford them otherwise.Where to stay
Shreveport is home to several hotels and bed and breakfasts, plus numerous casinos flanking the Red River. The 25-story Horseshoe Casino, for instance, faces downtown on the Bossier City side, next to the new Louisiana Boardwalk, an outdoor outlet, lifestyle and dining mall. Horseshoe offers luxurious rooms with massive Roman bathtubs, a health spa, various dining options and, of course, plenty of gaming tables.