Elvis Presley - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road - 26 January 1970 OS - Only time performed live

During the second half of the opening night show of Elvis' second Las Vegas engagement, on 26 January 1970, and after singing 'Walk A Mile In My Shoes' and 'In The Ghetto', Elvis went into a run of four new songs which would complete the ten new songs introduced during this show. The first of the final four is a real live rarity, as this was to become the songs only live rendition......................................................
On return to live performing after release from the movie contracts, Elvis' initial setlist for the four week run at The International Hotel in August 1969 had two ever present songs included from the American Sound Studios sessions earlier that year, In The Ghetto and Suspicious Minds, and the latter of which would be released as a single during that run.
Whilst three others were included, Rubberneckin', This Is The Story and Inherit The Wind, presumably, by Elvis' own on stage comments, for the purpose of the live recordings that were taking place, these were each only performed once, but none of that trio were ever performed live again or would make it onto the subsequent 'Elvis In Person' album, although both 'In The Ghetto' and 'Suspicious Minds' were included.
At the beginning of his second Vegas season, in Jan/Feb 1970 his setlist was changed again to make it more contemporary, and two more songs from the 'Memphis Sessions' became permanent fixtures that whole season, Don't Cry Daddy and Kentucky Rain, complimenting the two retained from the previous August. On opening night however, a song regarded as one of the best to emerge from those sessions was sung by Elvis and was introduced as being from the album 'From Elvis In Memphis'.
The studio master of 'True Love Travels On A Gravel Road' was recorded almost exactly a year earlier on 17 February 1969. The only time that this song was even close to being performed live again was in August 1972, when Elvis, the band and the orchestra performed a complete on stage rehearsal, but unfortunately it does not seem to have made it onto the setlist.
The opening show from Elvis' second Las Vegas season has been in the bootleg circuit for many years under several different titles, and in varying degrees of quality. However, professionally remastered, it was officially released by Sony in 2013 on the FTD label in a two disc set called 'The On Stage Season - February 1970' which featured the opening show of Elvis' second Las Vegas season on 26 January 1970 together with the closing show of 23 February.
Elvis did consider reintroducing the song to his setlist in August 1972, but despite a full stage rehearsal on the eve of his summer 1972 Vegas opening night, it appears that he never actually performed it and this remains his solo live rendition.