Ronnie McDowell to visit Packard

The day Elvis Presley died changed the life of many people but none more significantly than country singer Ronnie McDowell.

He vividly remembers that 1977 summer day. He was listening to the radio while driving around Nashville in his brand-new Camaro when he heard the news.

“I was going down the road and every station was talking about Elvis passing away,” said McDowell, calling from his home in the Music City. “And those words, ‘I was barely 6 years old when I first heard him sing,’ started coming into my brain. So I got together with a friend of mine, Lee Morgan, who had written an Elvis tribute and we combined my part with his part. We recorded it two days after Elvis passed away.”

What they recorded was “The King is Gone,” which instantly became a hit song selling more than 5 million copies. There’s no denying that Presley’s death provided instant life to the Vietnam vet McDowell, who had been working as a nightclub singer doing five shows a night, six nights a week.

McDowell brings his show to Packard Music Hall in Warren 7 p.m. Thursday.

For the full story, see Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.