Music fans can buy a “piece of rock and roll history” when Elvis Presley’s first music agency contract is sold at auction, where it is expected to fetch up to £30,000. Elvis signed the contract, with the William Morris Agency, in New York on January 31 1956. He also initialed a rider authorizing certain people to act on his behalf, except for “fairs, one-nighters and engagements” handled by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The contract will go on sale at Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, on Saturday, where it is expected to fetch between £25,000 and £30,000.Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “The contract represents the genesis for Elvis collectors. It helped take Elvis´s career to a new level and was a factor in him becoming the global phenomenon we know today. “This contact is quite literally a piece of rock and roll history.” The contract is signed by Elvis, then aged 21, in three places – two full signatures and one set of the initials EP – as well as a William Morris Agency representative. Elvis and the representative also initialed the rider.
On the day before the signing, Elvis recorded his version of Blue Suede Shoes at RCA Studio 1 in New York. The contract is sold with copies of two photographs taken at the signing. The relationship between the agency and Elvis continued throughout his career.
(Source: DailyMail)