When 15-year-old Jimmy Tennant went to see country icon Hank Snow at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 13, 1955, the young musical hopeful had no way of knowing his life was about to change. While wandering backstage, Tennant bumped into another upstart preparing for his opening act performance. “Hi, I’m Elvis Presley,” the handsome singer introduced himself.
What followed was a 22-year friendship, during which Presley would skyrocket to singular worldwide fame, and Tennant would enjoy his own rock ‘n’ roll success, a career he eventually abandoned to pay eternal tribute to his legendary pal.