So he backed up and grabbed the top of his head, pulled the wig off and threw it at Sylvia! Sylvia from the Sweets fell out on the floor laughing! Everyone in the room was laughing so hard, I'll never forget it! Elvis did this just to break the ice. That was my first experience with Elvis Presley. I said to myself, "This guy is going to be fun!"
JK: Did he do that a lot, Bill? Fooling around,playing jokes and pranks?
BB: He did that alot - would tease and pull pranks on people. We where told a story about one prank that Elvis on one of his movie sets. He was out West doing his, well let's call it "Westerns". He had this make-up man that was terrified of snakes, so Elvis sends Red and Sonny out to get a garter snake. So he gets it and throws it into this guy's trailer and locks the door! This guy was in the trailer just yelling "Elvis!", and the guys were outside the trailor just laughing it up! (Laughing)
Another time he was throwing a lot of water on Red and Sonny. So they wanted to get Elvis back, so Elvis is in his trailer for four hours getting make up on for his next scene. So they get on top of his trailor with a bucket of water. As soon as Elvis stepped out of that trailor, they dumped it on him! Then another time JD (Sumner) carried a water pistol up on stage. This was in Vegas at the Hilton. Elvis would introduce us and the rest of the band. He would always have these small cups of water - he would take them and have a sip and then would throw the rest on JD. Stuff like that went on a lot!
JK: How was it working at the International ,Hilton and the Sahara Tahoe?
BB: My experience of all three was, they were all very exciting and enjoyable for me to work . Just being a part of the Elvis Presley show was such an exciting thing for me. I had no idea that it would happen to me when I first started with the Stamps. I figured we would be singing Gospel music and doing concerts in small venues, like a place that would sit 5000 people - small audiences. But the crowds that came in for the show were incredible.
Sahara Tahoe was exciting, but to me, I liked working Vegas better, that was just my personal experience. I just felt that the crowds were a little more excited at Vegas then at Tahoe.
JK: I know you did a lot of shows, but is there one that sticks in your mind?
BB: Yes there is - Madison Square Garden in New York City. That was very exciting because we were taping the show live to be released as an LP. The show turned out to be a near perfect show. Normally you would have to go back and re-do a track because of something not being quite right. But that didn't happen with that show. They had that album out in one week time. That was the most exciting thing I have ever been a part of. I've been in show business since i was seven years old. Ive been in it for many years and that was just so overwhelming to me .
JK: Did you get along with Colonel Parker?
BB: The Colonel didn't hang with us. We would see him at all the shows, but he didn't speak to many of the cast members.
JK: A lot of people I have interviewed say that.
BB: I would go and watch the Colonel in Vegas when he was at the tables gambling. I liked to watch him play, I never gambled myself. He would recognize us and say hello.
JK: Bill was there talk about doing a gospel tour?
BB:There was talk of a gospel tour, Elvis had talked about doing a gospel show.There was even talk about getting a recording effort out of motown and putting together a gospel television special,But sadly that didn't materialize. that show would have evolved the stamps and the sweets and the other singers that were evolved with the show.
JK: He seemed to light up when he sang gospel.
BB: Oh he certainly did.He was a big gospel fan.
JK: Now i've been told you would get done with the show and then have to stay up and sing with elvis most of the night.
BB: It just got to be that we expected that,especially at the hotel in Vegas. Almost every night we would go up to his suite and sing gospel music.He would have a lot of different guests,movie stars and big time singers.They would first come to his show and he would invite them up to the suite. They would sit around and chat for a while and we would entertain them,that was our job. He would sing with us some times or he would ask us to sing certain tunes. there was one song that he asked for a lot was one that I would sing ."when its my time" he asked for that one a lot. Vernon knew this and when elvis passed ,he asked me to sing it at his funeral.
JK: That must have been very hard for you?
BB: It was difficult,very hard. But show business is all about doing hard things.A lot of people don't realize that,but you have to do it when you can do it , and do it when you can't.You do it when you feel bad and you have to do it when you feel good.
JK: How did you hear that elvis had passed away?
BB: Very strange, i was here at my home.I had walked in, i had just come back from the post office. the minute i walked in i got a phone call from one of my wife's best friends, she said i heard that elvis had died, do you know anything about it? I said surly not, I didn't know anything about it .that's has to be just a story someone is telling you. I wouldn't worry about it if i was you. i hung up the phone and went to turn on the tv and there it was.he had died.I had to call her back and tell her i was sorry but it must be true.