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Cathy Wurzer

Why did Elvis start laughing on stage?

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On this day in 1969, Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. While singing "Are You Lonesome Tonight," Elvis started laughing. He may have been amused by the sight of a man in the front row who removed his toupee during the song. In his biography of Elvis Presley, Peter Guralnick writes that it was the sound of background singer Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney, that got Elvis laughing. Her soprano part on this tune has been likened to the sound of wobbling saw blade.