It’s July eighth, and on this day in 1954… Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips played Elvis Presley’s debut single, “That’s All Right,” for the very first time on WHBQ radio. The song instantly caught the ears of local listeners, prompting a flood of phone calls to the station. Meanwhile, Elvis—too nervous to listen—was at the movies. When Dewey decided to interview him live on air, Elvis’s parents had to track him down and bring him to the station. Still unaware he was already on the microphone, Elvis casually chatted with Dewey, marking his first public broadcast appearance—and the moment his rise to stardom truly began.
