Such a night: Elvis Presley and Tempest Storm

In October 1957, Elvis Presley went to Las Vegas for a much-needed vacation in-between concert appearances. The King of Rock and Roll was riding high and his third movie, Jailhouse Rock, was coming out on October 17. However, Presley skipped the film’s premiere in Memphis so he could spend time in Sin City. 

Among the many shows Presley saw that week, one night he went to see the burlesque dancer, Tempest Storm, who was performing at the Dunes Hotel. He met her after the show when a photographer suggested they pose together for a publicity shot.

[LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE HERE: ]

“Elvis blushed deeply when he saw me,” Storm recalled. “I could tell he was trying not to look at my plunging neckline.”

“Hello, Miss Storm,” Elvis said when he met her. “Your show is the greatest.”

After their initial meeting. Elvis expressed interest in dating Tempest, who would be known as “The Queen of Exotic Dancers.” They “dined together, danced together and laughed together,” according to Storm.

“Elvis liked younger women but he made an exception for me,” explained Storm who was seven years older than The King of Rock and Roll, who was only 22 years old at the time. Tempest felt that she and Elvis shared something in common. “Members of the opposite sex lust after us,” she told Elvis. “They don’t understand that what we do on stage is an act, a performance.”

The publicity photo of Elvis and Tempest that was taken that night soon hit the newspapers. Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was furious about the photo, concerned that it would damage his client’s image. The photo caption said Elvis and Tempest had been “inseparable” for five days, while also claiming Presley had been performing in Las Vegas, which he had not. This 10-day visit was strictly for vacation. 

One paper reported Elvis got the flu while he was there and said he was ordered to bed rest by his doctor. Presley quickly rebounded saying, “I didn’t come here to stay in bed.”

While Tempest claimed she and Elvis spent several days together, they only had one night of passion. “Well, I’m as horny as a billy goat in a pepper patch,” Elvis told her. “I’ll race you to the bed.”

Elvis’ relationship with Tempest was over after that: “[Elvis] was afraid that being linked to a stripper would ruin his career, so it ended between us,” Tempest explained.    

But it was a great memory for Tempest who shared her memories of Elvis in her 1987 autobiography, The Lady Is A Vamp. In 2016, a documentary was released about her life where she also talks about Presley. Storm died on April 21, 2021 at the age of 93.

“I wanted the satisfaction of knowing that I was adored by America’s hottest sex symbol,” Tempest acknowledged. “And he was the most interesting younger man I ever knew.”

***

For more fascinating Elvis Presley stories, check out the author’s book, ELVIS: Behind The Legend: Startling Truths About The King of Rock and Roll’s Life, Loves, Films and Music

*

For more Elvis news, follow the Elvis News Examiner on Twitter and Facebook