Elvis was here. And so was Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. Jim Reeves slept here. These legendary performers and others from the days of the Louisiana Hayride and “rockabilly” music all spent some time either recording, being interviewed or even taking a nap on the couch in the lobby of the iconic KSIJ radio station in Gladewater, Texas.
The radio station and recording studio occupied the top floor of the T.W. Lee Building in Gladewater. T.W. was the owner of the Gladewater Mirror newspaper, and the building, constructed in about 1950, also included offices and apartments. The Texas Historical Commission describes the building as an “Art Moderne-style high-rise apartment building.” The building has its original metal casement windows and wraparound cantilevered balconies with decorative iron railings. The original clock is on the façade above the entrance. The clock no longer keeps time, and stepping into the KSIJ studio, one might conclude that, at least in some ways, time has stood still.
While the exterior of the building sparks some interest about a time gone by, a visit to the former radio station on the fourth floor stirs the imagination with a type of architectural design that is seldom seen. The huge neon “KSIJ” sign that was a beacon atop the building was removed long ago. The radio station’s call letters that were painted on the glass portion of the original door into the station’s lobby have lost the “J,” but once you pass the door, the call letters are prominently inlaid in bright red on the tile floor. In the lobby, you can imagine what the atmosphere might have been like with the room crowded with teenage admirers while Elvis performed behind the glass window separating the lobby from the studio. The Facebook page for the T.W. Lee Building indicates Elvis loved to practice in the sound studio, then stretch out on the floor and read comic books.
The vocal booth is made with the same unique acoustic walls as the main studio. Curved birch panels “barrel down the walls,” as current studio owner, Chad Mauldin, describes them. “It is an amazing acoustic design from the ’50s. We understand that an acoustician from UT Austin designed it. The different depths of the curves in the walls and ceiling create diffusion that is particularly great for drums,” Chad said. “Old meets new in the control room today, as modern technological workflows merge in this old historic space.”
There is an etching scratched into the wall in the solo booth that appears to be a signature by Jerry Lee Lewis. The same signature that is in the solo booth is replicated on the top of the original engineer’s desk that the studio retains and displays prominently in the hallway. However, the story most visitors are enamored by is that of Elvis and his first gig in this small, East Texas town.
While performing with the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport in 1954, Elvis and his two band members at the time needed to make some money to pay for their hotel room in Shreveport and get back to Memphis, Tennessee. A representative of the Hayride called his friend, Tom Perryman, a well-known DJ at KSIJ in Gladewater, and Perryman arranged a gig for Elvis at a local club just out of Gladewater, called The Mint Club. Elvis promoted the gig by singing live from the studio on Tom’s radio show, The Hillbilly Hit Parade. On the website for the Gladewater Museum, or just by searching YouTube, you can find a recording of Elvis promoting the radio station with Tom. The museum also features a lounge chair Elvis used at the radio station, as well as other memorabilia from the studio.
Chad said this was at such an early stage in his career, “Elvis wasn’t Elvis yet. Tom Perryman really believed in young talent.” On another YouTube video, Perryman reflects that Elvis’ first gig in Texas at The Mint Club grossed Elvis $90, which he split with his two band members. Perryman was responsible for booking Elvis around East Texas for the year that followed. Apparently, Elvis and Perryman had a friendship that lasted for many years. Elvis went on to become the Elvis we all remember, and Perryman went on to become an award-winning DJ, eventually being inducted into the Disc Jockey Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Sources:
1. Facebook.com/TW-Lee-Building.
2. Scottymoore.net.
3. Gladewatermuseum.org.
4. Countrymusichalloffame.org.
Written by Bill Smith
You must be logged in to post a comment.