To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. The Famous Photo Bob Smith took photos at the Elvis concert on April 1, 1957. When Smith developed his film, he found one photo to be particularly striking, capturing Elvis’ unique dance style in action. Hoping to sell the photo, Smith sent a print to Elvis’ manager, “Colonel” Thomas A. Parker. Parker didn’t buy the photo. Parker didn’t even respond. While the negative sat in a drawer at Smith’s house, Elvis went on become the King of Rock and Roll. Smith had all but forgotten about the photo when he met Rich Consola, a local Elvis historian. Smith invited Consola over to see the photos from that concert. When Consola arrived, he saw the photo Smith had sent Parker all those years ago, enlarged and framed. “You didn’t take that photo.” Yes. Yes, he did. “No, you didn’t take THAT photo!” insisted Consola. Consola had always suspected the photo had been taken at The Aud, but couldn’t prove it. He had seen it before, at Graceland. It would have been difficult not to see that photo at Graceland. When Col. Parker sold his entire collection to Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), he failed to mention that he had never purchased the rights to the photo, and EPE went to town. They used it on Christmas ornaments and shot glasses and snow globes and credit cards and T-shirts and posters. And it was on every single paper bag containing every purchase made at Graceland. Yes, that photo. And Smith had no idea it was being used until Consola put it all together. Consola called his contacts at EPE and gave them the bad news. He and Smith went down to Graceland– without lawyers–and negotiated. Smith came away with unprecedented rights to continue to publish his photo of Elvis, and with compensation for both its past and future use. (So, everyone buy that stand-up Elvis at the souvenir store!). See Smith’s photo at a poster store near you, from the Robert L. Smith Collection. 3 1 One of the Elvis concerts at The Aud made a Buffalo man famous. More than forty years later. ROBERT L. SMITH