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RICHARD DAVIS

I spent many happy hours with Richard Davis on my visits to Memphis with the Elvisly Yours Fan Club. Richard was almost like a Siamese twin to George Klein and they would always be together at DJ functions where George was performing and at Elvis Events. 

Richard was always very accommodating with the fans and was pleased to sign autographs and have his photo taken. He would often come to the hotel to meet our tour group or meet us at Alfred's on Beale Street.

Richard did not produce a book and cash in on his association with Elvis like others in the Memphis Mafia. He would never betray Elvis and Elvis as meant so much to him and he wanted to protect their friendship.

Richard was one of the good guys and he will be missed by his family, friends and many of the fans who had the pleasure to meet him and enjoy his great stories. Fans visiting Memphis for the 70th birthday must go to the Special Tribute in honour of Richard at the Horseshoe Casino and to help his widow and the  2year old triplets he left. 

I invited Richard to England in the 1984 and he was our special guest at Sussex Beach Holiday camp also featuring Screaming Lord Sutch. He enjoyed meeting Sutch and it was a great Event. 

He had a great time in England. I gave him an Elvisly Yours watch where Elvis would appear then disappear on the face of the watch every 15 seconds. He loved the watch and wore it every day. On one visit to Memphis Richard complained to me that the watch stopped working and could I get it fixed. I said, "Richard, did you try changing the battery?". That was typical of Richard. What many fans did not know was Richard was the exact same build as Elvis. Whenever Elvis wanted any new clothes he would send Richard to the store to try on outfits. 

Richard would chose the ones that fitted, looked good and then take them back to Elvis at Graceland. Elvis would make his choice and then return the clothes not needed. Elvis would have been mobbed if he tried to buy clothes at any store and conveniently Richard was the same size so he became a wardrobe manager for Elvis.

Being the same size meant that Richard also appeared as a double for Elvis in a number of Elvis' movies. When the film directors needed stand in shots for Elvis, Richard would be the guy standing in. Richard also did security for Elvis on film sets and concerts. Richard was one of the Memphis Mafia and you can often see photos of him close to Elvis for many years of Elvis' career. 

LANSKY almost in a punch-up

One of Elvisly Yours' customers in Memphis was Bernard Lansky of Lansky Brothers and he used to buy our memorabilia for his store Beale Street store. 

I was told by one of Elvis' friends to be careful, Bernard was a jive man. I did not know the term but I got to know him and enjoyed his company until I started doing business with him. 

Bernard came by our warehouse to look at our Elvis memorabilia as he saw something he liked he took a sample and kept several items, not offering to pay. I said, "I am giving you all these goods, what have you got for me?" and he gave me a sort of joke credit card. 

The front of the card is printed "HEBREW BANKCARD".

The back of the card has the inscription, "We are giving you this credit card out of the goodness of our hearts. Now take some good advice: put it in a drawer and forget about it. Once you start borrowing, there's no end to it. It's true you own the card now and can go out and act like a big shot, spend money all over town, break your poor mother's heart and who knows what trouble you will get into.  Look, don't be a Putz. Save your money, get a good education, become a doctor, marry rich, then buy wholesale and pay cash". 


HEBREW NATIONAL BANK . I still have the card, today and I often recount the story of the "jive man". We started trading with Lansky and gave him a very good deal that I live to regret. I gave him stock on sale or return. Each time I was back in Memphis would check what he sold and he would pay me. 

On a visit in August in 1988 I got a call from Lansky saying he would like more stock. I went by his store with Elvis' cousin Danny Smith who was working for me at the time. He was the son of Billy Smith. After Billy was fired by Graceland I offered him a job to run my office in Memphis and Danny helped. 

We arrived at the store and asked if he had done a stock check so I could be paid. He said he was far too busy and had not done a stock check but he had done well with my goods. He said he needed more stock and he would pay me after Elvis Week. I asked him if I could check the stock with one of his staff but he refused and kept on insisting on more stock. Danny started to get upset because this was clearly unfair and Lansky had several staff who were standing around doing nothing. We started to count the stock ourselves and tempers started to become frayed between Danny and Lansky. I said that unless he would pay me I would take my stock back. The frayed tempers became heated. Within seconds there was Danny Smith with fists raised in the blue corner and Bernard Lansky with fists raised in the red corner. I managed to relieve the tension and just told Lansky I was packing all my goods and taking them back. When I returned to the warehouse I calculated he owed me at least $1,200.00 but since neither he nor his staff had counted the stock it would be difficult to prove without suing Lansky. I have never received one penny in payment to this day from Lansky, the "jive man". All I have to remember is the "Hebrew Bank Card".