Midnight at the Roller Rink: My Friendship with Elvis, with T.G. Sheppard

About this episode

Andy Andrews revisits a conversation with T.G. Sheppard about his friendship with Elvis Presley and the impact it had on his life and career.

On March 3, 1956, "Heartbreak Hotel" cracked Billboard's Top 10 for the first time, and Elvis Presley began reshaping the music world forever. In honor of that date, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations — with a man who knew Elvis not as a legend, but as a friend. In this Encore Episode, Andy sits down with Country Music Legend T.G. Sheppard — a teenager who had run away from home and was literally eating out of garbage cans in Memphis when a chance encounter outside a roller rink at midnight changed the entire trajectory of his life. What followed was a 16-year friendship, seven years living at Graceland, and a front-row seat to one of the greatest careers in entertainment history. Tune in to hear how a homeless 15-year-old ended up playing football on roller skates with the King of Rock and Roll, the advice Elvis gave him that fueled 21 #1 hits, and the moment Elvis finally figured out that "that Sheppard guy on the radio" was actually his old friend Bill Browder. Plus, the most embarrassing moment of T.G.'s career — courtesy of a kid with a water pistol and a white linen suit. See T.G. LIVE on tour with upcoming shows in Tennessee, Florida, Texas and more…

People in this episode

Host: Andy Andrews

Guest: T.G. Sheppard

Topics covered

• friendship
• music history
• Elvis Presley
• country music
• personal transformation

Keywords

• Elvis Presley
• T.G. Sheppard
• Heartbreak Hotel
• music history
• friendship
• Graceland
• country music

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Heartbreak Hotel

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