June Juanico
Encyclopedia
June Juanico is a former beauty queen
and an Elvis Presley
fan from Biloxi, Mississippi
, whom the famous rock 'n' roll singer dated in 1955 and 1956, for instance, when he took three weeks of vacation after having recorded his songs "Hound Dog
" and "Don't Be Cruel
" in the studio in Memphis, Tennessee
.
June Juanico had met Presley for the first time after one of his early concerts in Biloxi in 1955, when he was on the verge of the superstardom. Elvis didn't let this romance get too intimate. In a 1997 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle
, she swears that she never had sex with Presley. "I was tempted to, oh, yeah. But I was a virgin and the times were different back then." In the same interview, she also "blames his manager, Colonel Tom Parker
, for encouraging Presley to go out with beautiful women for the publicity." According to Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick
, Juanico didn't doubt that Elvis loved her, but "she didn't know if she could ever get him back," because on one of their dates the singer was always talking about his best friend, actor Nick Adams. "He started telling her all about Nick and Nick's friends and Jimmy Dean
, but she didn't want to hear." What really upset Juanico, though, was that Adams had started inviting himself to see Elvis, and Juanico felt that she was trying to compete for Elvis' attention. Adams would talk often about Natalie Wood
to Elvis, constantly discussing her figure and her beauty, something else that caused Juanico to feel that she would soon lose Elvis to the glitz of Hollywood. Incidentally, Juanico's fears were not just a paranoia, as Elvis did have a short fling with Wood during his early days in Hollywood.
Juanico was surprised when she heard about her former boyfriend's prescription drug abuse. "He never drank or did drugs when I was around him," she says. She thinks she might have prevented Elvis from becoming dependent on drugs when they had stayed together. "When Elvis died, I felt guilty. I've never been able to understand how he could be surrounded with so many people who supposedly loved him and yet they allowed him to do that to himself."
She wrote a book on Presley entitled, Elvis in the Twilight of Memory (1997). According to the New York Times
review, the book reads "like a high-school diary, cliché
s abound, intimate descriptions of sexual fumblings tell us more than we really want to know, and dialogue between the lovers sounds like a movie script in dire need of rewrite. ... However, her description of a 'special afternoon with just the two of us at the piano' with Presley singing 'Unchained Melody
, just for you, baby' is touching."
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
and an Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
fan from Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, whom the famous rock 'n' roll singer dated in 1955 and 1956, for instance, when he took three weeks of vacation after having recorded his songs "Hound Dog
Hound Dog (song)
"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. Other early versions illustrate the differences among blues, country, and rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The 1956 remake by Elvis Presley is the best-known...
" and "Don't Be Cruel
Don't Be Cruel
-Legacy:"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.Many...
" in the studio in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
June Juanico had met Presley for the first time after one of his early concerts in Biloxi in 1955, when he was on the verge of the superstardom. Elvis didn't let this romance get too intimate. In a 1997 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, she swears that she never had sex with Presley. "I was tempted to, oh, yeah. But I was a virgin and the times were different back then." In the same interview, she also "blames his manager, Colonel Tom Parker
Colonel Tom Parker
"Colonel" Thomas Andrew "Tom" Parker born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, was a Dutch-born entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley...
, for encouraging Presley to go out with beautiful women for the publicity." According to Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick
Peter Guralnick
Peter Guralnick is an American music critic, writer on music, and historian of US American popular music, who is also active as an author and screenwriter. He has been married for over 45 years to Alexandra...
, Juanico didn't doubt that Elvis loved her, but "she didn't know if she could ever get him back," because on one of their dates the singer was always talking about his best friend, actor Nick Adams. "He started telling her all about Nick and Nick's friends and Jimmy Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
, but she didn't want to hear." What really upset Juanico, though, was that Adams had started inviting himself to see Elvis, and Juanico felt that she was trying to compete for Elvis' attention. Adams would talk often about Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
to Elvis, constantly discussing her figure and her beauty, something else that caused Juanico to feel that she would soon lose Elvis to the glitz of Hollywood. Incidentally, Juanico's fears were not just a paranoia, as Elvis did have a short fling with Wood during his early days in Hollywood.
Juanico was surprised when she heard about her former boyfriend's prescription drug abuse. "He never drank or did drugs when I was around him," she says. She thinks she might have prevented Elvis from becoming dependent on drugs when they had stayed together. "When Elvis died, I felt guilty. I've never been able to understand how he could be surrounded with so many people who supposedly loved him and yet they allowed him to do that to himself."
She wrote a book on Presley entitled, Elvis in the Twilight of Memory (1997). According to the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
review, the book reads "like a high-school diary, cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s abound, intimate descriptions of sexual fumblings tell us more than we really want to know, and dialogue between the lovers sounds like a movie script in dire need of rewrite. ... However, her description of a 'special afternoon with just the two of us at the piano' with Presley singing 'Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
, just for you, baby' is touching."