On Sept. 11, 1957, a black Cadillac pulled up to the Little Shamrock, a small café that was located on the south end of Cleveland, Texas where Highway 105 meets Washington Avenue (just northeast of the H-E-B FOODS-DRUGS store is now).
In the car was a band who were returning from a recording session at Radio Recorders in West Hollywood from September 5th through the 7th.
Singer Millie Kirkham had joined them for the first time during these sessions which would produce Elvis Presley’s famous Christmas album. Other songs by writers Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller (who were in attendance) were included.
On a dare during one of the sessions, within 15 minutes, the famous songwriting duo wrote Santa Claus is Back in Town, now known as the great Christmas blues song from Elvis.
A few months before, Elvis suggested Scotty, Bill and he make an additional album while they were there. It was intended to be fun and help the two make extra money as it would be all instrumental with Elvis playing the piano accompanying Scotty’s guitar and Bill’s big bass. They would call themselves, “The Continentals.”
Even though Elvis had booked extra studio time and they rehearsed, manager Tom Parker “shut us down,” Scotty Moore explained years later.
Scotty and Bill considered this the last straw as they came to the realization that Colonel Parker was in control and it was Elvis, not them, that would have the wealthy share of their entertainment work results.
Elvis Presley and his pals had grabbed a train out of Hollywood on Monday evening, September 9, choosing to exit it on the morning of September 11 in Houston to take an automobile the rest of their way back to Memphis, Tennessee.
Elvis’ number-one gal, Anita Wood, was due back in town herself in a few days.
As they stopped for breakfast and gas at the “Little Shamrock Cafe,” Elvis was trying to be nice but he was somewhat bummed. Scotty and Bill had just submitted their resignations.
Aline Landrum was the waitress who served Elvis that morning. A woman named Dorothy Briscoe took two photos of Elvis; one outside and one inside the café dining in the Malarkey Room.
Mrs. Landrum, who passed away in 2019 at age 92 in Cleveland, had recalled that Elvis ordered a big breakfast consisting of two eggs, an order of bacon, double order of toast, coffee, pancakes, a piece of chocolate pie and a Pepsi Cola.
Elvis Presley sits at a booth inside the Little Shamrock Café during his only known visit to Cleveland during 1957.
Elvis posing in front of his black Cadillac during his visit to Cleveland in 1957.
Cleveland Historical Society.
The Little Shamrock Café, where Elvis had breakfast, was located on the south end of Cleveland where Hwy. 105 meets Washington Ave.
Aline Landrum held the photograph of Elvis, which was taken when she served breakfast to him nearly 55 years prior.
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DANGER CLOSE
Clever Journeys 
On one of the many summers that I was working to earn money for college, my summer job was working the graveyeard shift (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) at what was then the Gulf station at the corner of Jones Road and FM 1960. Early in the morning on a Friday (but well after I was supposed to leave and well after the sun had come up), John Denver rode up on a motor cycle (probably a Harley) and sought to buy a road map. Sadly, we had just sold our last local map.
Although no one else was around, somehow I felt that it would be an invasion of his privacy to ask for an autograph. I let that opporturnity slip by and he rode off to the west.
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Little Shamrock looks like a very charming cafe. What a surprise that must have been when Elvis showed up! He was kind to pose for pictures and not blow off Dorothy. Elvis must have had a horrible diet his whole life.
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