The summer of 1956 was a watershed period for Elvis Presley — marking his final season of freedom before being catapulted into superstardom.
“He was able to relax, spend time with friends and simply be himself before the full weight of global fame set in,” says Chelsea Prince, outreach coordinator with the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area. “It was a pivotal time in Elvis history that is often overlooked.”
The King of Rock and Roll, who was just 21 at the time, spent that last summer of normalcy in a place he loved: the Mississippi Gulf Coast — renting a house in Gulf Hills where he would return between performances. Seven decades later, the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Arts Center and the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area are commemorating that milestone in music and local history with “Summer of ’56: Elvis on the Coast,” an exhibition coming to the Mary C. from June 4 – Aug. 27.
“With the 70th anniversary of the summer of 1956 approaching, it felt like the perfect opportunity to bring those stories to life in a larger, more immersive way,” Prince says.
NOT JUST LEARNING ABOUT THE PAST – FEELING IT
Prince says the National Heritage Area has been exploring Elvis’s Coast connection for the past couple of years. The story became such a focus that its publication, Embrace, presented a full picture of the icon’s time here through archival research, photographs and firsthand accounts. Vincent Creel, a longtime journalist and historian who has documented Elvis’s visits through interviews and articles, played a key role.
“(Vincent’s) background in public relations and experience helping organize major exhibits, such as the Hurricane Katrina exhibit in 2015, has made him an invaluable creative consultant in the process,” Prince says.
Creel suggested turning that research into an exhibit — which is now shaping up to be a full-blown coastwide event. Fans can expect immersive displays, a speaker series and much more. Restaurants and bars are encouraged to offer Elvis-inspired specials.
“It’s not about Elvis; it’s about our time with Elvis, who had such a dramatic impact on music, movies, style and, indeed, our culture in general,” Creel says. “It’s a celebration.”
Prince adds that the atmosphere will capture the era’s cool, carefree energy, with a blend of classic 1950s charm and a little edge.
“There is a balance between nostalgia and excitement,” she says. “We are inviting people not just to learn about the past, but to feel it.”
IMMERSED IN ELVIS’S WORLD
Sarah Qarqish, director of the Mary C. Cultural Arts Center and the exhibit’s curator, says the display exudes “a fresh, yet timeless aesthetic” — showcasing striking black-and-white imagery. Vintage photos capture many of Elvis’s most memorable moments on the Coast, from water skiing on Fort Bayou to angling aboard the Aunt Jennie with captain “Bull” Thornton.
“They spent hours in the sun, catching fish, and it is said Elvis enjoyed drinking Barq’s root beer along the way,” Prince says. “He enjoyed it so much that he invited his parents to come down, and they did it all over again.”
Fans can delve even deeper into Elvis’s Coast adventures and early career through a lecture series on June 4 and 25 and July 30. Speakers will include Martha Ebberman, who performed with Elvis in 1955 and sang at the Grand Ole Opry; Joey Kent, music historian and owner of the Louisiana Hayride archives; Jeff Cole, executive director of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame Museum and a former Gulfport resident; and Trey Miller, host of the Globetrotting with Trey YouTube Channel, who will explore Elvis’s life through the places he lived, performed and visited and share exclusive interviews of Elvis’s girlfriend June Juanico, friend Pat Napier and others who were close to him during his time on the Coast.
The series also will include a screening of the “Elvis: Summer of 56” documentary, featuring rare footage of Elvis enjoying his favorite water activities in Biloxi and Ocean Springs.
“We expect this exhibit to be for everyone, from children to senior citizens,” Prince says. “There is a unique opportunity here to bring together generations.”
THE IMPACT LIVES ON
Above all, Prince wants history to come alive through the Summer of ’56 celebration — and to inspire visitors to preserve and share their stories.
“This exhibit is just one piece of a much larger narrative,” she says. “The Mississippi Gulf Coast is rich with history, from music to seafood to the many cultures and communities that have shaped it over time.”
What made Elvis so remarkable, according to Prince, was how distinct he was — from the clothes he wore to cars he drove to the way he moved on stage. He didn’t fit the mold, she adds. and the very things that made him unusual are the very things the define his legacy.
“He went from poverty to being ‘the King’; that is what made him so unique, and it is what keeps his story relevant,” she says. “His life is a reminder that being different is not something to hide. It is often the very thing that can change everything.”
IF YOU GO
Summer of ‘56: Elvis on the Coast
June 4 – Aug. 27
Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Local Creatives Art Gallery, Mary C. O’Keefe
Cultural Arts Center, Ocean Springs
Exhibit is free and open to the public
For more info: facebook.com/mscoastnha
msgulfcoastheritage.ms.gov