KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
Rhythm guitar player John Wilkinson, who performed
with Elvis Presley more than a thousand times, has died at his home
in southwest Missouri. He was 67.
Wilkinson
passed away Friday at his home in Springfield after a fight
with cancer, according to a family spokesman and the Gorman-Scharpf
Funeral Home. Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley offered their "deepest
sympathy" to his family, saying in a statement that "John and the
beautiful music he made with Elvis will live forever in our hearts."
Wilkinson first met Elvis Presley
when he was 10 years old after
sneaking into his dressing room before a show at the Shrine Mosque in
Springfield. He amused Presley when he told him, "You can't play guitar
worth a damn."
Family friend and spokesman
Gary Ellison said a Springfield history
museum recalled the pair's meeting in an exhibit that ran until about
three weeks ago.
"John loved to tell that
story," Ellison, a fellow musician, said Friday. After the chance
meeting, Wilkinson developed a name for himself as a
singer and guitarist, performing with such groups as The New Christy
Minstrels.
He was 23 when Presley saw
him perform on a television show in Los
Angeles in 1968, and asked him to join the TCB Band – not knowing he
was the youngster who insulted his playing a decade earlier, Ellison
recalled.
Wilkinson went on to play 1,200
shows as Presley's rhythm guitar player until the legendary singer's
death in 1977.
"John
considered Elvis more as a friend than as a boss," Ellison said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~