The Courier and Advertiser, Saturday, July 6 1991.
A SPECIALIST shop catering for the legions of rock and pop fans who crave something out of the ordinary connected with their idols opens in Perth today.
The man behind the venture. rock archivist Roy Deane, envisages the store as a "rock and pop antique shop" dealing in "ephemera and momentoes" as well as records.
On show in the shop in Princes Street/South William Street will be a one-in-a-million item connected with probably the most successful international pop artist of all time - Elvis Presley.
Even 14 years after his death Elvis still has millions of fans all over the world and intense interest is expected in the page from a Las Vegas Hilton Hotel concert programme signed by the man himself.
It has been framed alongside a backstage snapshot of Elvis signing an item and a news paper announcement of his death.
The Elvis rarity is soon to be auctioned through an international collector's magazine but visitors to the shop will have a chance to view it first.
Roy is no stranger to the world of Elvis Presley. as several years ago he tracked down 21 photographs that proved "The King" had been in Scotland.
Although most books on Elvis say he never set foot in Britain, he did in fact make a stopover at Prestwick Airport, albeit it for only two hours, on his way back to the States after army service.
During that stop Elvis gave an impromptu Press conference, met local fans and shared time with airport staff.
Roy has been sharing a shop in Perth for the past six months but recently made the decision that it was time to branch out on his own.
Nostalgia plays a strong part in the appeal of The Rock and Pop Shop and the sound system - a 1965 juke box - adds to the atmosphere.
Run by a collector for collectors, it will be the place for anyone looking for an old or deleted item that can't be found in the usual High Street music stores.
Having unearthed autographed items from Madonna, Michael Jackson. John Lennon and now Elvis, there are very few Roy has still to find.
"The autograph I'd love to get is Bob Dylan but I'm also interested in tracking down one of John Lennon's stage suits that went missing from the Caird Hall in Dundee when the Beatles played there," he said yesterday.
It was a piece of clothing that led Roy to the Elvis autograph.
He bought the item, a peacock feather waistcoat which belonged to Jimi Hendrix. but found that, due to age and having been in a box for 18 years, it had deteriorated badly.
He passed it on to an American collector who came up with the Elvis autograph as part exchange.
Although the Elvis item is expected to fetch hundreds of pounds, Roy is giving everyone the opportunity of starting their own collection ot music memorabilia.
The shop will be holding a pop quiz, with a top prize of a page of hand-written prose by Marc Bolan. worth £100.