An interesting footnote in Elvis history; 21 year old Bob Lanning was brought in to play drums for the first Vegas engagement of 1970, and he also played the six Houston Rodeo shows in March, making a total of 63 shows. This was owing to a scheduling conflict for Ronnie Tutt.
Unlike later relief drummer, Larrie Londin (1976 and 77), Bob Lanning's work is featured on an official release; the live album recorded during the Las Vegas engagement, On Stage, and as a result, on the definitive The Wonder of You released as a single which went top 10 (US) and Number One (UK).
On the official Bob Lanning webpage (now archived), he says;
"...I last saw him at the Hilton in ’72. He was downstairs at the casino playing craps. He was so kind and gracious to me. He told me again how much he enjoyed the ‘On Stage’ album. It almost sounded like he felt bad, he said, “I want you to know that you did a good job for me”. Those were his exact words. And “I’ll be calling you, Bobby”… He said that a couple of times. He mentioned different things that I’d played on, how the rhythm section felt… He would mention specific songs. Elvis always called me Bobby. I was amazed that he took the time to talk to me. He didn’t have to, but that’s the way he was..."
