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American Morning

Interview with Tom Morgan

Aired August 13, 2002 - 07:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The king is still alive in many hearts and minds. Elvis Presley died 25 years ago this coming Friday, and now, fans flocking to Graceland in Memphis for the annual Elvis Week festivities, each with his or her own memory of the king of rock and roll.
Tom Morgan has something special to remember the king by. He calls it the ultimate piece of Elvis memorabilia, a lock of Presley's hair. Honest.

Tom Morgan joins us this morning in Memphis.

Tom, good morning to you, sir.

TOM MORGAN, ELVIS FAN: Good morning.

HEMMER: Give us the story here. How did you come by this?

MORGAN: Well, a friend of mine by the name of Palmer Gilliland (ph) was Elvis' personal barber. He cut his hair for over 25 years. And during this period of time, he managed to keep clippings off of the hair. Gill (ph) had offered it to me several times, and I had turned it down. But on occasion, I did take some bits and pieces and pass them on to friends of mine, as has Gill (ph).

After Gill (ph) died, his family gave me the hair, and I've had it in my possession ever since.

HEMMER: Did you bring it today, Tom?

MORGAN: Yes, I did.

HEMMER: What's it mean to you? I mean, this is a piece of a man's hair who died 25 years ago, nonetheless an American icon, and a world icon for that matter. Tell us about it.

MORGAN: Well, I think everyone wants a piece of Elvis, and when you get a piece of hair, that's about as close as you can get to the man.

HEMMER: Yes. Is this a bit creepy?

MORGAN: Sir?

HEMMER: Is it a bit creepy?

MORGAN: To some extent, I'd say yes. HEMMER: There are some, Tom, who have suggested that you could get DNA and essentially clone Elvis Presley at some point. Is that ridiculous to you?

MORGAN: Well, to me, there will only be one Elvis. There has only been one Elvis. They may clone him, but I don't think you could ever replace him.

HEMMER: How do you store that hair? I mean, do you keep it in plastic, or what do you do with it?

MORGAN: Actually, I've got it in a plastic container with a lid on it. This morning, I brought some of the hair in, in a jar, and then I keep it in a bank vault.

HEMMER: Wow, wow! A few other souvenirs, quickly, Tom, what did you bring along that you say Elvis gave you?

MORGAN: Well, there are things that I acquired over a period of time. I got to collecting Elvis memorabilia. I was a friend of Elvis. I handled the security for his funeral. I knew a lot of his associates. And as time went on, I had people contact me, wanting something from Elvis, and I got to buying and trading and selling memorabilia.

So I've got a shirt from Sam Thompson (ph). It's a red, silk shirt that was given to him by Elvis. In fact, Elvis left it at his house, because it had a tear in it, and he didn't want to be seen with a shirt that was torn.

HEMMER: Wow!

MORGAN: So he had it replaced. He left this shirt with Sam.

HEMMER: All right. In the short time we have left, how do you remember him this week, 25 years down the road?

MORGAN: I'll tell you, I remember Elvis as a very kind person. He was brought up very humbly. He was brought up religiously. He's a person that never forgot his roots. He never forgot the fans who put him where he was. He was generous to a fault. He gave away a fortune. He made a fortune during his lifetime, but by the same token, he shared it with everyone he met.

HEMMER: Thank you, Tom -- good to talk to you.

MORGAN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Tom Morgan in Memphis, Tennessee, a true fan of the late rock and roll king, Elvis Presley. Thanks again.

MORGAN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Certainly.

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