August 16 is the 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Mae Boren Axton introduced Elvis to Colonel Tom Parker, the man who would manage Presley from 1955 until 1977, the year Elvis died. Mae was one of the first persons to interview the King. The new movie “Elvis” stars Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker.

Mae Axton worked with Johnny Tillotson, Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, and many others. She received an award from the Academy of Country Music for Dedication and service to the ACM. Mae is credited with writing Elvis’s first No. 1 record. She’ll talk about the song and tell us how the idea came about for the recording.