Editing Elvis Presley (section)

==== Early live performances and RCA Victor contract ====
The trio played publicly for the first time at the Bon Air club on July 17, 1954.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=105, 139}} Later that month, they appeared at the [[Overton Park#Levitt Shell|Overton Park Shell]], with [[Slim Whitman]] headlining. Here Elvis pioneered "[[Rubber legs]]", his signature dance movement.{{sfn|Miller|2021}}{{sfn|Rodman|2013|p=151}} A combination of his strong response to rhythm and nervousness led Presley to shake his legs as he performed: His wide-cut pants emphasized his movements, causing young women in the audience to start screaming.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=106, 108–111}} Moore recalled, "During the instrumental parts, he would back off from the mic and be playing and shaking, and the crowd would just go wild."{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|p=110}}

Soon after, Moore and Black left their old band to play with Presley regularly, and disc jockey/promoter [[Bob Neal (promoter)|Bob Neal]] became the trio's manager. From August through October, they played frequently at the Eagle's Nest club, a dance venue in Memphis. When Presley played, teenagers rushed from the pool to fill the club, then left again as the house [[western swing]] band resumed.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|p=139}} Presley quickly grew more confident on stage. According to Moore, "His movement was a natural thing, but he was also very conscious of what got a reaction. He'd do something one time and then he would expand on it real quick."{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|p=119}} Amid these live performances, Presley returned to Sun studio for more recording sessions.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=117–127, 131}} Presley made what would be his only appearance on [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]'s ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' on October 2; ''Opry'' manager Jim Denny told Phillips that his singer was "not bad" but did not suit the program.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=128–130}}{{sfn|Mason|2007|pp=37–38}}