Introduction:
It was 1955, a time when a small town like Biloxi, Mississippi, felt like the center of the world to its residents. For June Juanico, it was just home until a rising star, already a sensation in the South, came to town. That star was Elvis Presley.
June first heard about him from a friend who, in a flurry of excitement, urged her to see him perform. “He’s the most beautiful creature you’ve ever seen,” her friend insisted. June, however, was skeptical. With a handsome boyfriend already in her life, she was reluctant to be swayed by a musician she’d only heard on the radio. When “That’s All Right, Mama” came on, she found herself underwhelmed, thinking the singer’s voice sounded a bit shaky and unfamiliar. Little did she know, her life was about to change.
Reluctantly, she dressed up and went to the show. The moment the curtain rose, June’s heart leaped into her throat. The man on stage was breathtakingly handsome, his chiseled features and deep blue eyes capturing her completely. She was so captivated that she tried to avoid staring, but their eyes met several times. June, with her dark tan and a white dress, stood out. Elvis, intrigued, later remarked that he initially mistook her for a Black girl.
After the performance, a crowd gathered around Elvis, but June was too overwhelmed to join them. While her friend Glenda went to get an autograph, June tried to make a quick escape to the ladies’ room. As she passed by, she risked a glance at him, and he glanced back. On her way back, she was too shy to even look. But Elvis, with an instinct for what he wanted, reached through the crowd, grabbed her arm, and pulled her close. “Where are you going, pretty girl?” he asked, his face now inches from hers. Speechless, June could only manage a simple answer.
That night, Elvis invited her to see the town. She told him Biloxi was small, but he replied, “We can think of something to do.” And they did. They spent the night driving along the beach, talking and drinking Cokes. As the moon rose, they walked onto a long pier in front of the White House hotel. Under the glow of the full moon, Elvis’s face seemed to radiate, and the setting felt magical. He put his arms around her, raised her long hair, and kissed her neck. It was a moment of pure magic that left her with goosebumps.
Their date, which started at 9:30 p.m., didn’t end until 6 a.m. the next morning. They parked in front of her house, not wanting the night to end. June found it hard to stop staring at his perfectly chiseled features, his Greek god-like appearance, and his enchanting Southern drawl. For June Juanico, Elvis was more than just the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll; he was the love of her life.