猫王 - 埃维斯·普里斯利 - 在舞台上使用过的围巾，带有埃尔维斯的妆容和汗渍。 - 1977 - 带画框

ELVIS WORN SCARF WITH SWEAT STAINS, MAKE UP
TCB connection Joe Guercio – Walt Johnson
Letter of authenticity by Walt Johnson

Provenance of the Scarf

In 2008, ElvisMatters organized a major European tour featuring original TCB musicians together with the Joe Guercio Orchestra. Several members of Guercio’s orchestra were musicians who had performed with Elvis during the 1970s. One of them was Walt Johnson, Elvis’ powerful lead trumpeter from 1974 to 1977. The current owner was tourmanager of these concerts.

During that 2008 tour, Walt told him that he still owned an Elvis worn scarf with a remarkable story behind it.
He explained that during one of the shows in 1977, while performing It’s Now or Never, he accidentally played a wrong note. Elvis noticed it immediately, turned around with an irritated look, and angrily threw the scarf he was wearing in Walt’s direction. The scarf did not reach Walt, but Joe Guercio, Elvis’ musical director and conductor, picked it up and handed it to him. Walt kept the scarf at home ever since.

Later that evening, while were having a drink at the hotel bar, Walt asked the current owner if he would like to have the scarf. They agreed to arrange it after he returned home. A few weeks later, Walt mailed it, together with a copy of his backstage pass and a handwritten, signed account of the incident — which serves as the certificate of authenticity.
The scarf is now being offered for auction.

The scarf is professionally framed, but during the process of taking the photographs the glass unfortunately cracked. For safety reasons, it has been left as is and will be offered in its current framed condition.

Walt Johnson (see photo)

Walt Johnson is an American trumpeter with an exceptionally wide-ranging career in both live entertainment and studio recording. He began playing cornet at the age of five under the guidance of his father and later studied for two years at L.A. City College, after which he joined Si Zentner’s band as lead trumpeter. After eleven months he was drafted into military service and spent a year in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal.

Upon returning home, Johnson settled in Las Vegas for seven years, leading the brass section for Elvis Presley during the 1974–1977 shows and tours. His powerful lead trumpet became an essential part of Elvis’s live sound.

In 1979 he contributed to Frank Sinatra’s box set Trilogy, which led to a long-term collaboration. Johnson served as Sinatra’s lead trumpeter from 1984 to 1994, performing worldwide on tours, television specials, and studio sessions. He also spent nearly three decades working with Frank Sinatra Jr., performing the original Sinatra arrangements. (See photo)

He has worked with an impressive list of artists, among them Burt Bacharach, The Commodores, Vic Damone, José Feliciano, Barry Gibb, Lionel Hampton, Gladys Knight, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton, The Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Lalo Schifrin, Mel Tormé, and Dionne Warwick. His work with Manilow, Presley, and Richie earned him multiple gold and platinum records.

Joe Guercio (see photo)

Joe Guercio, born on July 16, 1927 in Buffalo, New York, became one of the most influential musical directors in American entertainment. His career began in Buffalo’s vibrant nightclub scene, where he worked as a pianist at the Town Casino and built a reputation for his phenomenal memory and his ability to play hundreds of standards effortlessly from memory. This early led to his discovery by Patti Page’s manager, after which Guercio became her regular pianist and contributed to her worldwide hit “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?”.

In 1967 he settled in Las Vegas, the heart of American showbusiness, working with major artists including Steve & Eydie, Diahann Carroll, Julius La Rosa, Barbra Streisand and Gladys Knight. His style was defined by a rich, full orchestral sound that perfectly matched the glamour and grandeur of the Vegas stage.

Guercio achieved his greatest fame beginning in 1969, when he became musical director for Elvis Presley during the legendary Las Vegas comeback at the International Hotel. He led the full orchestra during all major residencies and national tours, creating the powerful, dynamic live sound that defined Elvis’s 1970s performances. Guercio also composed the iconic six note fanfare that opened every Elvis show and remains instantly recognizable to fans worldwide.

Joe Guercio passed away on January 4, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, but his musical legacy lives on through the many artists he worked with and the lasting impact of his arrangements and orchestral vision.
For many years Guercio did not perform within the Elvis world. In 2004 he agreed to produce a show for ElvisMatters, under one condition: “Give me an orchestra.” The fan club fulfilled that request, and from that moment on he regularly performed in Europe.