Page 62 - The Westerner Magazine Halloween 2018

and printed up these certificates with Just jumping back for a moment. How
ribbon that he would give out to the do you feel about Colonel Parker,
people who attended the show. Elvis’ manager and one of the first rock
Anyway, Norman Racusin who was the star managers, looking back from

president of RCA was in the room. He today?
has a little diamond pin and the Colonel
If you look back at his history—he was a
comes up to him and asks what it was.
guy who jumped ship. He was an illegal
“That’s my anniversary pin for twenty-
immigrant. I don’t know if people know
five years with RCA,” Racusin
about the things he did. He was Eddy
explained. “Hey,” the Colonel said. “Me
Arnold’s manager when Eddy was just
and my boy have been here for twenty-
starting, and he was one of the biggest
five years. How come I don’t have a pin,
country and western stars ever. In the
Norman?” Norman explained it was for
1950’s I got to tell you he owned a
employees, but the Colonel was
product called Hadacol. It was an elixir.
insistent. Racusin excused himself, left
Snake oil! He sold it to a big firm and
the room and came back to tell the
they got caught because there was
Colonel that the pin would be with him
alcohol in the thing. You can’t make this
within a few days. I knew then that
up. A barker in the carnival. He had that
rules didn’t matter. It was just great
kind of appeal. He wasn’t kidding
though. History. It was different to
around and the deal with Elvis was a
anything I’d ever witnessed before but
handshake. No paper.
that went on all the time.

The other thing is he had instincts. I
But there was always room for more
went to his home and he had a whole
talent. It wasn’t just a few people at the
war room. He ran Elvis’ career like it
time making the hits and all the
was a war—like he was a general in a
wanna-bes.
war. Finely tuned fan clubs in every
Exactly. There was Elvis Presley and state with a president. He knew each

then there was the next guy coming up. president, as did Elvis. Elvis used to
An even playing field in the 60’s all the stay in their homes, he would buy them

way to 1979. You can mark it with a Cadillacs, they in turn put out the word
stick when it stopped being an even in their states and regions every time
playing field. that Elvis had a movie or a record out. It
was the strongest thing I’ve ever seen.