One of three RCA microphones used by radio station KWKH for the historic Louisiana Hayride was sold for $37,500 during a Friday auction. The microphone was one of three used during 50 performances by Elvis Presley when he performed for the radio show in Shreveport from 1954 to 1956. "It was one of the good surprises in the sale," said Brian R. Chanes, director of sales and acquisitions for Profiles in History, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based dealer of historical autographs and Hollywood memorabilia.
Because of a confidentiality agreement, Chanes would not divulge who bought the microphone, but said it was someone from the United States who is a music enthusiast.
"That's amazing," said Louisiana Hayride archivist Joey Kent, who once owned the microphone and sold it in 1997 for $10,000. But is there a guarantee Elvis actually used the microphone? While there is no conclusive evidence, Kent believes there is a fair chance the King did use it. "I verified as much as I could that it was used during that time," Kent said. "(KWKH) employed three of them. And there was not any one microphone he would have used," explaining that any one of the three could have been used by Elvis to sing. "Did Elvis scratch his name into it? No," Kent said, adding the probability he did use it is high considering it was one of three used for 50 Elvis performances.