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Australia’s Bob Hayden interviewed Millie Kirkham over 15 years ago. She was a little reluctant at first to do an interview as she had been mis-quoted in the past and had that fear of it happening again. She agreed to the Q & A after she was advised she would not be coming to Australia for the first "Elvis in Concert" tour. Millie answered every question and seemed to be most happy and full of life for her age at that time. She still liked Elvis, and looked forward to doing the Elvis Tribute show with the Jordanaires and Ronnie McDowell. Millie Kirkham born on the 24th June 1923 at Hermitage Tennessee and she passed away on the 14th of December 2014 in Nashville. She was buried on the 17th of December 2014 at Woodlawn Memorial Park Nashville, Davidson County Tennessee.
After Elvis returned from the Army, all the same musical friends got back together again and a number of big hits followed for Elvis. There are too many classic songs to list here but Millie will remember a few during the interview. Millie K: “Thank You” Bob. It has been very nice of you to go to all the trouble. It has taken a little while to get us together, so I will let you get down to the questions you have been waiting years to ask me. Q. Millie your musical career started in what type of music? ( i.e. home singing along with the family and radio?). Millie K: Of course I listened to music on the radio. I took piano lessons as a kid – played clarinet in the High School Band – and sang in the church choir. Q. May I ask you when and where you performed your first professional engagement? Millie K: My first “Paying” job was with a vocal group on Radio Station WSM around 1950. Q. Which artists and bands did you like when you were growing up? Millie K: Well, I grew up with the Big Band era. So I listened to bands like Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman etc, and the singers who worked with them. Q. Did you enjoy the Black Gospel type of music, or weren’t you allowed to listen to that type of music? Millie K: We were allowed to listen to Black Gospel, but there was only one radio station in Nashville that occasionally played it, so I was never really exposed to it. FAMILY Millie K: My Husband, Doug and I met in the music business. He was a drummer and singer. We both sang with the Anita Kerr Singers. We had two children – a boy and a girl, and have one grandson. Our son was killed in automobile accident in 1971, and my husband Doug died in 1986. We were married for 35 years. Our daughter lives in Nashville, and our grandson is in college in California.
Q. Can I ask you to describe the following artists from the rock and roll era, Bob Luman, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, George Jones, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Crash Craddock? Millie K: It’s almost impossible to “Describe” and artist. In that era, they were all different, with their own individual style. When you heard a record you knew immediately who it was. Connie did not sound like Brenda, and George did not sound like Jerry Lee. But all the artists you mentioned were good singers, Q. Please tell me about the Original Bradley Barn? Millie K: It really was a barn out in the country, several miles outside Nashville. Owen Bradley bought it, and remodelled it into a great recording studio, but kept the outside like the original barn. I have pleasant memories of a lot of great sessions done there. EIN Note; The "Bradley Barn" was a Nashville house with army surplus "Quonset Hut" attached, that was converted into a recording studio by brothers Owen Bradley and Harold Bradley in the mid-fifties. It was also used as a TV studio. Classic tracks such as Patsy Cline's "Crazy", Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" and Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" were recorded there. Millie Kirkham and The Jordanaires featured on backing-vocals with all these artists. Q. What about the late Grady Martin? I have a collection of his recordings released here in Australia? Was he as good a guitarist as I was told by Bob Moore? Millie K: Bob Moore was right. Grady was a great guitar player. Most of the time we had no written arrangements for a recording session! They just played a demo and we all did what we felt, and Grady was very inventive. Q. Was Grady and all the musicians’ friends with each other as I have read about over the years? Millie K: YES, we all worked together day after day, so we were good friends. However, we did not have time to socialize outside the studios because of our work schedules.
Q. Did you go on the road with the younger Elvis and the band in the early days? Millie K: No, I did not start working with him until 1957 and his early travelling days were just about over by then, because he went into the army shortly thereafter. Q. Tell us about working with Elvis in the studio? i.e. the Christmas album and others. Millie K: The Christmas album, the one with “Blue Christmas” on it, was done on the session in California. After he came back from the army, he started doing sessions in Nashville at RCA Studio B. He liked to record at night until 5am or 6 am. We usually had the same musicians and singers on each session, and we treated Elvis like one of us – which as the way he wanted it. So it was like a bunch of friends getting together. Q. Did you like most of the songs you sang with Elvis? Was there any you would like to forget about? Millie K: Yes, we liked a lot of songs we did with him. But we did so many over the years, there were naturally some we’d like to forget. Q. Can I ask about the return live performances in Vegas in August - September 1969? Millie K: I did not work with Elvis in Vegas until 1970, Bob! Q. Can I ask your professional thoughts on the members of the TCB Band and The Sweet Inspirations? Millie K: All those guys are great musicians, and of course “The Sweets” are fantastic. We’re all friends, and had a great time touring together on “Elvis – The Concert” recently. It was like a re-union. Q. Millie did you know that the 1968 Comeback TV Special, the opening in Vegas in 1969 and 1970 had fantastic reviews here in Australia? Millie K: No I did not know that, but I not have been surprised! Q. Moving on to the movie “ELVIS THAT’S THE WAY IT IS”. Can I ask for your views and thoughts on the making of this movie? Millie K: It was a thrilling experience. The International was a new luxury Hotel with a gorgeous showroom. We had sold out shows every night. People from all over the world, and stars like Gary Grant and Sammy Davis came to see the show. Opening night we were all a little nervous because we had had to learn about 45 or 50 songs for the 5 or 6 shows they filmed. But once on the stage it was relaxed and spontaneous.
Q. Was Elvis that good looking? Bob Luman that Elvis was so stunning in looks and dress in the 1950’s, so what was so different this time about Elvis that made him look so fantastic for you ladies? Millie K: People are always asking me if I thought Elvis was a handsome man and my answer is “I am not blind you know”! When I started working with him in 1957 he was in his early 20’s, and his style of clothes was different to the later years. By the 1970’s he had evolved into the elegant white jump suits – and “YES” he was stunning! Q. Have you seen any other performer come close to matching Elvis? If so please mention? Millie K: No, cannot think of one! Q. Could Elvis take a joke? Or was he the joker all the time? Millie K: As I have said we were all friends. So we kidded him as much as he kidded us. He loved to do silly things and try to break us up while we were singing. Q. Did he respect other performers, and mention them during his shows that you were on? Millie K: Yes, he definitely respected other performers, but I do not remember him mentioning them on stage.
Millie Kirkham on-stage during the filming of 1970's 'That's The Way It Is'
Q. For those who never saw him perform live on stage please tell them what they all missed? Millie K: Well, you missed a lot! Elvis was not only a good singer, but he was a great performer. He had that unique ability of reaching to an audience no matter how big it was. When he sang, each person felt he was singing directly to them. Q. About “Elvis the Concert”. Did you enjoy coming back and doing a show with Elvis on the big screen behind you all? Millie K: Oh yes, it was great. It was like a reunion working with the band and the “Sweets”, the Stamps and the Imperials again. At first it was a little eerie, we almost felt like Elvis was there, especially when we did a week in Vegas on the same stage we had done “That’s The Way It Is”. Q. How come you never made it to Australia with “Elvis the Concert”? Joan Tillitzki and I were looking forward to meeting you and taking you up on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge? Millie K: After we did the European tour, Graceland turned the show over to the producer, and he cut expenses and decided he did not need me on the show. Guess he thought nobody would miss me. I’m glad to know somebody did! Actually, I was sort of glad to stay home and rest for awhile. Touring is exciting, but 3 weeks of one nighters was exhausting for this old girl!
Millie Kirkham still performing on stage in 2004 with The Jordanaires - and note in the background far left the late, great Scotty Moore.
Q. Will we ever see you in Australia? Millie K: I doubt it Bob. I would like to see Australia, but don’t guess I will have the opportunity Q. What was it like for the recent 25th Anniversary show in Memphis? Millie K: A once in a lifetime experience, because most of the people who ever worked with Elvis through the years were there. Of course Memphis was packed with Elvis fans from all over the world who still come to celebrate. Q. Could I ask to name the songs you remember the most that you have sang with Elvis? Millie K: Well I remember “Blue Christmas”, because it was the first song I recorded with him, and I remember all of the big hits. But there were a few that you don’t hear a lot that I personally like, such as “Just Pretend”, “Stranger in the Crowd”, “Love Letters” and in the religious field “Stand By Me”. Q. Before closing can I ask you, have you enjoyed your musical career? Millie K: I certainly have Bob. Most people can’t wait to retire, so they can what they enjoy. I was very fortunate that I spent my career doing what I enjoy, so I’m not looking forward to retirement. Q. Would you do anything different if you had to do it all over again? Millie K: Absolutely not. The following is my biography that was used in the program for “Elvis the Concert”. It will give you an idea of why I wouldn’t do anything different. Conclusion: - Millie thank you for all the time you have allowed for this interview, and I am ever so happy that I have finally got the interview with you completed. Millie K: Bob it was a delight and I hope that this was the type of interview you had in mind. I tried to keep the answers short and to the point, so I wouldn’t be rambling. That was a big interview and I realise you might want to shorten it. However, I assume the portion you use will be printed without being edited. I hope so, because in the past I’ve been burnt by some interviews where I was misquoted or things were taken out of context. Bob: I assured Millie the interview would be published in full with no editing.
Interview by Bob Hayden.
Interview by Bob Hayden. Click here to comment on this interview
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