George Smith wrote:My current theory is that he was the bass player with the in-house band.
I'm guessing Elvis' people rang the hotel to say they needed a pianist and two bassists to complete the group.
As musical director of the the hotel, Anselmo would have volunteered his services (hey, who wouldn't want to play with Frank and Elvis) and also invited his own acoustic bass player. They'd have needed an electric bass player to complete the tic-tac sound and that's how Stan got involved.
Although Anselmo was the Fontainebleau's MD, I'm assuming there was also an independent in-house band but I'm struggling to find further information on that.
The nearest I can get is from this website
http://www.austin.com/interviews/scott-rehling which mentions the musician Kristina Kopriva:
Kristina's family has a major music background. Her grandfather played sax with Benny Goodman and was the house band leader at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami back in the 50's and 60's when guys like Frank Sinatra were coming through there. Miles Davis attended her mom's 15th birthday party for god's sake! Everyone in her family is a musician so holidays are one big jam session. It's pretty sweet.
I've searched through every Benny Goodman sax player I can find (and there are lots) to find one with some definite connection to Miami but so far no luck.
Maybe if we can find the sax player then we can identify the house band and maybe if we identify the house band we can name the bass player.
Lots of ifs and maybes in there, I'm afraid.
Interesting information, thanks for the time in your research.
As mentioned previously, another possible direction is the script which after some research - I have found the following article which provide's the details of the owner's (at the time of the auction in 1999). I have attempted to contact a 'Deb McCreedy' from Iowa City with no joy.
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City)
King-size rummage sale
McCreedys are top bidders on Elvis treasure at auction
Elizabeth Kutter
Published: November 3, 1999
ELVis was just out of the Army, and it was unclear whether teen-age girls would still swoon at the sound of his sexy voice or faint dead away at the sight of his dark brooding eyes. After all he'd been gone for two years, an eternity for pop idols.
So when Elvis was asked to do a TV show in Miami with Frank Sinatra in May, 1960, he accepted and traveled by train from Memphis to Miami with lots of hype and hoopla. But he returned to Memphis by Greyhound Bus. His manager, Col. Tom Parker, didn't consider Elvis' future earning power secure enough to waste money on a round-trip train ticket so there was Elvis traveling by Greyhound.
During the show, "Welcome Back Elvis," the king performed for six minutes, even singing a duet with Frank Sinatra and flirting with 20-year-old Nancy Sinatra. It didn't take long to realize the king was back and so were his fans.
The rest, as they say, is history. And John and Deb McCreedy of Iowa City have managed to claim a bit of that history as their own. They bought Elvis' copy of the script from the Sinatra show. It comes complete with doodles and smudges that may or may not be Elvis' handiwork. What is known for sure is that it is Elvis' script. Deb and John have a certificate from Graceland authenticating it.
Earlier this year, John saw an ad announcing an auction in Las Vegas of items that had been stored at Graceland since before Elvis' death. These were the king's personal treasurers, things he wanted to save. "Elvis was a pack rat," John says.
According to the catalog, which served as the sale bill, few of the items had been seen by the public.
Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie, was parting with them to benefit Presley House, a low income transitional housing project in Memphis. The sale was expected to raise about $2 million but when the gavel came down for the last time, Elvis' garage sale tallied more than $5 million, says John.
Col. Parker, who made Elvis take the bus, must be spinning in his grave.
Deb is a huge Elvis fan but it was John who suggested that they go to the auction.
"I thought it was just a ploy to get to go to Las Vegas," Deb says. "John loves Las Vegas."
They jumped through the hoops required in order to become registered bidders. They didn't plan to buy anything but they wanted to be prepared, just in case, John says.
They established a line of credit of $7,500 but had no intention of spending it. However, the more they looked through the catalog, the more they thought maybe, just maybe, there would be something they could buy - as an investment, John says.
Each item in the catalog listed an estimated value. Their script, which came up early in the sale, was estimated at $8,000 to $10,000. When the bidding stalled at $1,500, John gave Deb a look that said, "Should we?" She nodded, silently urging him on. He bid $1,750, and it was over just that quick. "Fair warning," the auctioneer said, then, "Sold to number 486."
As the sale progressed, prices soared. An oil painting of Elvis - no it wasn't on black velvet - went for $40,000. The Timex people were there and bought one of Elvis' watches for $30,000.
The lowest priced item was a letter from Eddie Fisher to Elvis. It went for $150.
Personal items like his clothing or anything with his signature pulled in the most money. A receipt for a jewelry purchase was valued by the auctioneers at $1,500. It went for $6,000 to $8,000, according to John, who had his eye on it.
Elvis was some sort of unofficial Tennessee law enforcement officer, says John, who is a community service officer with the Iowa City Police Department. In his role, Elvis was given a blue flashing light. The story goes that Elvis would slap the blue light on the top of his car and use it to pull over speeders. He'd warn the motorists to slow down, and then he'd give them an autograph. That blue light sold at auction for $27,000.
A TV antenna that Graceland sent to the auction by mistake sold for $1,750.
"It was a fun time," Deb says.
"We went for fun and returned home with an investment," says John. "I'm happy with what we got."
About 800 bidders filled the room at the MGM Grand Hotel for the sale that ran from Oct. 8 to 10. They were mostly regular looking people, says Deb, and a few Elvis impersonators.
One Elvis impersonator spent $8,000 to buy a shirt that Elvis had worn. "He was so happy," Deb says. The white jeweled cape that Elvis wore over that famous jumpsuit was too steep for his budget. It brought $93,000.
Deb saw Elvis in concert once in Ames about a year before he died. "He was heavy but no one cared. He sang for a solid hour. His voice was perfect," she says.
Deb admits to feeling a little sad as the auction progressed to the selling of his clothes, even though she admits she would like to have had a pair of his pajamas. (John rolls his eyes at that remark.)
"It made you realize that here was a real wonderful larger-than-life person, and here we are buying his clothes. It seemed wrong to me to sell them."
John and Deb remained in Las Vegas for an additional day following the sale. The money they spent at the casino wasn't as good an investment as the $1,750 they paid for "Welcome Back Elvis," which they keep in a safety deposit box.
Deb and John McCreedy
Address: Iowa City.
Hometown: he's from Iowa City; she's from Lansing, Mich.
Age: he's 42; she's 48.
Occupation: he's a community service officer with the Iowa City Police Department; she's an advertising representative with the Daily Iowan.
Education: he's a graduate of City High and the University of Alaska; she's a graduate of Charles City High School.
Family: one son, Paul Creekmur; two daughters Dawn MacTavish and Amanda McCreedy, and one grandson, Tommy, 3, all of Iowa City.
Illustration: COLOR PHOTOS
Elizabeth Kutter
Deb and John McCreedy look through the book that holds the script to "Welcome Back Elvis." They bought it as an investment at an auction in Las Vegas last month. Money raised from the auction went to Presley House, a transitional housing project in Memphis.
The script from the May 1960 TV show that featured Elvis' first performance after his return from his tour of duty with the Army belongs to Deb and John McCreedy of Iowa City. They purchased it at an auction of Elvis treasures in Las Vegas last month. Also shown are their bidding number, the catalog and a certificate of authentication. Each of the bidders were given a pair of white gloves for handling their purchase.
With thanks
Davide