After stripping a jail cell wall of many coats of paint, restoration workers discovered the lyrics to an early chart buster by Elvis Presley scratched in the cement.
Paint worker Bubba Leuellen first spotted scratches with the words "The warden threw a party in the county jail'. Jailhouse Rock was a number one hit in the US and UK and later became a movie
The entire song, and author's signatures Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was visible when the last of the paint was cleaned off. The scratched cement appears to be done by a sharp object like a nail and over the years hidden by 6 layers of paint.
The Jailhouse scratches are believed to be authentic and are supported by historical records. Late evening June 12, 1957 a 22 year old Elvis Presley, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were all arrested for drunk and disorderly charges and thrown in the Tupelo City Jail. They spent the night and were fined $50 each. Jailhouse Rock was released on September 24, 1957
It is rumored that Graceland, the famous Presley home and museum, will purchase the entire jail cell from Tupelo City and move it to Memphis.
