1956: Elvis Presley made his first appearance at a Las Vegas resort on this day. He was actually booked as the opening act for headlining comedian Shecky Greene. He bombs badly with the middle-age crowd at the Frontier Hotel and is fired only one week into his engagement.
It wasn’t a total loss. While there, Elvis hears a lounge act called Freddie Bell and the Bellboys performing their version of a Big Mama Thornton tune called “Hound Dog.” The rest is rock ‘n’ roll history.
