On March 8, 1961 Elvis drove his Rolls Royce to Nashville, Tennessee. He was
accompanied by personal entourage members Joe Esposito, Sonny West, and Alan
Fortas. That day, Elvis was the special guest of a joint session of both houses
of the Tennessee State Legislature. They had invited him to come in late
February, but due to his schedule he was unable to come until March. The purpose
of the visit was so they could honor Tennessee's favorite son.
Governor Buford Ellington introduced the Jordanaires and then in his
introduction of Elvis said, "Elvis Presley, the greatest honor.. that the
governor of Tennessee can bestow upon a man is to ask you and present to you
this certificate of Colonelship on the governor's staff. I do it with pride and
with pleasure and tell you that not only the governor of the state, but every
citizen of Tennessee is very, very proud of you."
Elvis thanked the governor and addressed those present in the senate chamber
(including the young people who had skipped school for the occasion) saying,
"...this is one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me in my entire
career... and I'd like to say that I'm very proud to be from the state of
Tennessee and I'll always... I will always call this my home...."
Governor Ellington went on to say that, even though Elvis' manager Colonel Tom
Parker could not be there, he wanted to announce that "...Colonel Parker is no
longer the number one Colonel - it's Colonel Presley."
Shelby County Senator J. Lewis Taliaferro was recognized by the senate chairman
and he introduced Alan Fortas, Joe Esposito and Sonny West. He then presented
Elvis with a framed copy of the Senate Joint Resolution Number
Fifty-Two, which recognized Elvis for his having brought fame to Memphis and
Tennessee as a successful entertainer, for having served his country in the
armed forces and for his humanitarian efforts.
After the Sergeant of Arms made way for Elvis to leave the chamber, Elvis then
toured the governor's mansion with Governor Ellington's daughter Ann.