Not Much of an Item From the Past: The Other Elvis

While thinking about inaugurations last week, I remembered that on the day Ronald Reagan became president, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, with Squeeze as the opening act, happened to play at Vanderbilt. I saw them, but I'll never be a music critic because all I wrote about it -- and I was keeping a diary regularly at the time -- was "Neal, Layne and I went to Langford to see Elvis Costello and Squeeze. Good show."

Langford was Langford Auditorium, and I also remember that the acoustics were lousy. They always were at Langford. So maybe the show wasn't quite as good as it could have been.

Macklam Feldman Management manages Mr. Costello these days, and interestingly enough publishes a detailed chronology of his career that mentions the VU date. Apparently he took advantage of being in Nashville.

"A Nashville date at Vanderbilt University provides an opportunity for a trial session with Billy Sherrill at legendary Columbia Studio B -- venue for 'Stand By Your Man,' 'Behind Closed Doors' and 'Blonde on Blonde,' " notes the site.

"Pedal-steel player, Pete Drake, augments the Attractions for the session, which yields two cuts, Hank Cochran’s, 'He’s Got You' -- a hit for Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn as 'She’s Got You' -- and the Bobby 'Blue' Bland R&B ballad, 'I’ll Take Care Of You.' ”