Elvis Collector's Gold

The Memphis Mafia

“This is my corporation which travels with me all the time. More than that, all these members of my corporation are my friends”…Elvis Presley

Members of Elvis’ entourage were called “The Memphis Mafia” because of their dark suits and glasses.

Most of the members of the Memphis Mafia were not fellow entertainers but hometown boys from Memphis, family members, or friends Elvis had met in the army. Many of them actually lived with Elvis, whether he was in Memphis or in Hollywood. They accompanied Elvis to the set, drove him to and from the studio, and worked as bodyguards to keep fans and press away from him. The closeness of this group of friends and employees made Elvis feel at home in Hollywood or on the road, but it also isolated him from industry insiders and fellow entertainers who could have been a positive influence on him.

Marty Lacker met Elvis in high school and became his personal aide. He also was Best man at Elvis’ wedding.

Lamar Fike was lightning director on all concerts and tours. He spent many hours with Elvis until his death.

Sonny West was responsible for all security at Elvis concerts. He also appeared in many of the Elvis movies.

Elvis is the most recognizable entertainer on earth, but he was also one of the most private and secretive public figure. In the video tapes mentioned below, you get a close look at Elvis' life.

Red West

Red West was in the seventh or eight grade at Humes High School in 1949 when he met a schoolmate named Elvis Presley. Back then, the school went from the seventh grade through the twelfth grade. Their paths crossed daily in those years, in anything from football to their annual minstrel show when Elvis sang, “Keep Those Cold Icy Fingers Off Of Me”, and Red was featured on the trumpet. Red played football in high school, and it was during those early years that Red stopped some of the other football players from clipping Elvis’ long locks. That was something Elvis never forgot. Red began working for Elvis while still in high school, just finishing his senior year. Red drove Elvis, Scotty and Bill to perform in all the neighboring states. Elvis was performing in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana for the Louisiana Hayride. Even when Red went on to play college football, he continued driving the entourage to places like Florida and to New York for the Dorsey shows. Elvis just loved to play football, and the two of them played whenever they could. They played in parks, yards, studio backlots; on grass, dirt, concrete or blacktop. In Memphis Elvis sponsored the “Elvis Presley Enterprises Football Team, which had jerseys made up with everybody’s name on the back and consisted of some of the roughest and toughest guys. They came from several different housing projects around Memphis to all get together and play the game that Elvis loved. Most of the people think of Red as the rough bodyguard type, protecting and saving the life of his friend, Elvis. But there’s a softer, Red West that most people don’t know. Red is a talented songwriter, having written many beautiful songs for Elvis, such as; “If Everyday Was Like Christmas”, “Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees”, and “Separate Ways”. Red and Elvis together wrote, “That’s Someone You Never Forget”.

Charlie Hodge

In the early days, Elvis fondly remembered tuning in to television every Saturday night to watch Charlie Hodge jam with his number-one-in-the-nation gospel group, “The Froggy River Boys”. Largely through a twist of fate that brought the two together while in service, Charlie Hodge became an irreplaceable part of Elvis’ musical and personal life. The 20 year-old Hodge, who named his group after a nickname for the Cumberland River (which flows through Nashville), met Elvis for the first time in 1950 while singing with Red Foley’s Ozark Jubilee on the ABC Television Network aired from Memphis. Elvis had come backstage to meet Foley, and also introduced himself to the Foggy River Boys. Two years later, when Hodge and Elvis met again, the circumstances were considerably different.

In 1958, Hodge and Elvis were both drafted into the army, and were sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training. The two musical soldiers saw each other from time to time, and reminisced about experiences with mutual friends like George Klein. After the army years, they started singing together and he first sang “His Hand In Mine” as a duet. That was to become the title for Elvis’ first sacred album, recorded in 1960. Charlie relates that he picked out most of the songs that Elvis performed. He had told Elvis that pop artists who make religious albums always recorded the same songs. Charlie looked for gospel songs which were “good old singing songs” that fit Elvis and his style. Throughout Elvis’ career, Hodge helped Elvis pick good music. Elvis also got help picking music from a variety of guys, mainly Red and Charlie. It was Elvis, Red and Charlie who composed the song “You’ll Be Gone” in 1965. The things Charlie did for Elvis can be described as a mixed bag. He played rhythm guitar, sang harmony with Elvis and generally took care of anything Elvis needed when he was on stage. Charlie kept Elvis “pumped up” with his great sense of humor..both on and off stage. Charlie has written a book entitled “Elvis And Me”, and a few years ago the video “The Elvis I Knew” in this video some great unseen footage during Elvis’ concerts

Joe Esposito

Joe Esposito was Elvis’ high right-hand man and road manager from 1960 to 1977. Joe and Elvis took basic training in the army at Fort Hood, Texas but didn’t meet there. They met each other in Germany, in a union that was sparked largely by chance. Army photographer Wes Daniels had been assigned to capture Elvis’ military life on film. On assignment to shoot Elvis at his off-base home at Goethstrasse 14 in Bad Neuheim, Daniels allowed Esposito to tag along. Joe recalls this meeting as follows; “it was quite a jolt seeing Elvis Presley in the flesh”. His first impression of Elvis was guided by Elvis’ looks; Elvis’ chiseled features and charismatic personality left quite an impact on Joe, who has never forgotten that first meeting. Elvis worked and played hard in Germany, mixing military regimen with nightly parties. On Sunday there was football, and throughout the week, there were “Girls, Girls and even more Girls”. Elvis and Joe took the show live on the road, spending time in Frankfurt and Paris. For Joe, military life with the privileged Elvis was far from typical. After the army, Joe drew his first pay check in 1960. Joe’s responsibilities were varied, interesting, and all-consuming. Almost instantly, Esposito became caught up in the whirlwind life that was Elvis’, with international traveling, recording sessions, movies, personal appearances, and the like interspersed with continual partying. The money, power, and fun was on full flow, all the time. The two things Joe remembers Elvis best are his kindness and generosity. Elvis throughout the years, even as a child, was known for being kind to anybody that he came in contact with. Joe wrote a book about Elvis titled “Good Rockin’ Tonight”. The book is done tastefully and does have some very revealing and interesting facts about Elvis. The stories told are not found in other places which makes it a worthwhile read for people that want to know more about Elvis!.

Cliff Gleaves

Cliff Gleaves knew the first time he saw Elvis perform at the Cisco Hotel in Memphis that Elvis would be the greatest entertainer show business had known, and he told Elvis so. That constituted the first meeting between the up and coming disc jockey, who was working for WDXI in Jackson, Tennessee at the time, and Elvis. Shortly after that first meeting outside the hotel, as Elvis awaited a ride from Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana and Bill Black, Gleaves and Elvis met up over a game of pool at Dewey Phillip’s place. That night, Elvis invited Gleaves to New York that weekend, where he was to perform on the Milton Berle Show. A few weeks later Gleaves accepted Elvis’ invitation to his home to meet his folks, and that evening, Elvis offered him a job traveling with himself and the band. Gleaves reluctantly turned down the offer for full-time touring and explained that financially he needed to get full time employment. Elvis said, “no problem” and that night, to the delight of Elvis and family, Gleaves moved into the Audubon Drive home, where he lived as part of the family, not as an employee. Gleaves left Graceland when Elvis went into the service, but made it clear he would forever be available “on call” to Elvis. Only once, at Miami’s Fountanbleau Hilton in 1972, shortly after Priscilla had left Elvis, did Gleaves ever refuse a request from Elvis. Elvis asked him to move back into Graceland, a request Gleaves refused. By that time he just had a solid job at a top radio station, and was on a positive track with his life..a direction he didn’t want to change. That was the last time Gleaves saw Elvis, and he remains haunted by a final piece of advice proffered by Elvis. “Don’t put too much faith in things”. Elvis told him. “When you get them, they’re never what you thought they were going to be. Stay detached, not involved”.

Richard Davis

Richard Davis is one of the Memphis “in crowd” that is proud of his long-time association with Elvis, a bond that was strengthened by an assortment of responsibilities that included wardrobe assistant, valet, and bodyguard. Davis doubled for Elvis in 23 movies and has credits in over 100 films. Like all of the members of Elvis’ entourage, Davis was first and foremost a friend to Elvis. Davis was on hand for one particularly significant event in Elvis’ life; his first meeting with the Beatles in August of 1965. Davis and Elvis were at the famed Bel Air house for the meeting, which had been set up by Colonel Parker and the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein. The Beatles rolled up in two limousines: the Colonel, Brian, John and Paul in the first one, and Malcolm Evans, George, and Ringo in the second. Hundreds of fans lined the perimeter of the house’s outside gate that night, all hoping to catch a glimpse of Elvis with the Beatles. “At first, everyone just sat around, listening to music”. Later that night Elvis got some guitars, and he, John, and Paul played and sang. Brian and Ringo occupied themselves with Elvis’ roulette wheel along with the Colonel. If only someone had flicked a tape recorder on, history could have been captured that night!!!!!!!.

Alan Fortas

An all-star Memphis football player, he was a long-timer in the Memphis Mafia, on the team as a bodyguard and assistant from 1958 to 1969. One of Elvis’ closest comrades and confidants, he was a trusted and loyal employee, Fortas made sure that travel between concerts was smooth and seamless. He would occasionally join Elvis on stage playing the tambourine during concerts and was seen in the 1968 NBC Comeback special.

Lamar Fike was on the dizzy, wild, marvelous ride that was Elvis Presley’s life. He met Elvis in the summer of 1954, when Elvis was nineteen years old. Lamar was his friend/employee/confidant/partner for 23 years, until the day Elvis died.

Elvis enjoyed poking fun at him, calling him “Buddha” or “The Great Speckled Bird,” When Elvis was drafted, Fike tried to enlist, but was turned down because of his weight.

I spoke to Lamar in the spring of 1999, when he visited my close friend Andylon Lensen from the Netherlands. This is a part of the conversation I had with him; “We were Southerners, born and bred, used to a certain pace and rhythm, something Yankees might call sleepy. But when we left that world, everything accelerated. Elvis lived a life on fast forward. That will age you, and it did him. That life will wear you out, which it did him.

It was fun to be around Elvis, it’s as simple as that. He had a quality that I’d never seen before, and I don’t think I’ll ever get that feeling again. They call it charisma now. People wanted to be around him. People wanted to see and hear him perform, even wanted to be him.

Elvis had a remarkable gift. He asked himself the question why the good Lord had picked him, how could a boy with so little all of a sudden have so much? Elvis was a very religious person and took care of his family, his friends, and made millions and millions of people. On the day he died, a little piece of me died too. But mostly, I’ll remember the good times.”