Express & Star

Bless mah soul! Rare Elvis recording to fetch £12k in Black Country auction

Fans of Elvis Presley are all shook up after the discovery of a rare recording that is due to be auctioned in the Black Country.

Published

An acetate of the legend's Suspicion, dating back to 1961, is due to spark a bidding frenzy when it goes under the hammer on November 3 at Aston's in Dudley.

The 78rpm record, which was made for Memphis radio station WHBQ, could fetch around £12,000.

Amazingly, the A-side of the record is The King singing Suspicion four years before he released it as a single in 1965.

It was not officially recorded as an Elvis track until March 19, 1962, so this acetate precedes that by at least six months – rewriting part of the Elvis canon.

The B-side of the disc features an advert for blind pianist Ray Charles's August 20, 1961, concert at Ellis Auditorium – the first mixed-race show in Memphis.

Film poster and record specialist Steve Kennedy hailed the 'amazing' find and said the record could shine new light on the legend of Elvis, and also highlights an important part of America's civil history.

"Suspicion was one of his personal favourites because he felt it allowed him to show his full range of vocal talent.

"On the back of the acetate is the radio station jingle for the Ray Charles show advertising the ticket sales.

The record was once owned by Julie Wall, who stole £500k to fund her Elvis obsession

"That was a fantastic moment in social history.

"The amazing thing about this record is that on one side you're getting a slice of social history and on the other you've got a rare Elvis acetate.

"Which side are you going to play?"

The haul of Elvis memorabilia has something of a potted history.

While it is being sold by a private Black Country collector, at one point many of the items belonged to Elvis superfan Julie Wall, who stole £500,000 from car park machines in Lincolnshire to fund her obsession.

The North Kesteven Council employee was jailed for three years in 2005, with her hoard confiscated by police and auctioned in 2007 to repay the council.

"I think this discovery is a great thing to happen," Mr Kennedy, of Droitwich, said.

"There's a terrific amount of interest in it already and that's only going to grow.

"The whole story of how the collection got to the auction is fascinating.

"I think it's a miracle."

The auction takes place on November 3 at Aston's Auctioneers in Dudley.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.