2nd July 1954, Friday

[Graeme]

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A funeral was held at the Ellis Auditorium for the two members of the Blackwood Brothers. Elvis Presley reportedly was so upset that he and Dixie Locke grieved all night on a bench in Riverside Park by McKeller Lake.

It was the first time that a funeral service had ever been conducted at Ellis Auditorium. The Statesmen sang, and so did the Speers and five other quartets. Governor Frank Clement, who had been present at the Blackwoods' last Memphis concert, delivered a sincere and emotional eulogy.

There were close to five thousand people present, included Elvis Presley, they opened up the North Hall when the South Hall was filled. "A number of negroes called the Auditorium asking if they could attend the funeral, and the galleries were reserved for negroes", Chauncey Barbour, Auditorium manager, said. The Reverend Hamill preached the sermon, and Dr. Robert G. Lee of Bellevue Baptist Church delivered the prayer.