elvis presley biography graceland

9 Rockin’ Facts About Elvis Presley’s Graceland

By ellen gutoskey | apr 14, 2021.

Ever since Graceland opened its distinctive, music-inspired gates to the public in June 1982, the Memphis mansion has served as a pilgrimage destination for Elvis Presley fans and just about everyone else. And though it’s been more than 40 years since Elvis graced its halls, staff members keep the place looking almost exactly like it did when he lived there—down to the (now empty) spice containers in the kitchen cabinet. Here are nine facts you might not have known about rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous estate.

1. Graceland is named after one of the original owners.

Before Graceland became part of rock ‘n’ roll history, the land belonged to the Toof family. S.C. Toof was a 19th-century businessman known for his printing company, and his daughter, Grace Toof Ward, was the plot’s namesake. Grace herself owned a few hundred acres of the land, which had passed to her sister, Ruth Toof Brown, by 1939. Ruth and her husband then gave a chunk to their daughter—also named Ruth—and her husband, Thomas Moore. The couple constructed a stately mansion on the property and named that Graceland, too.

2. Elvis bought Graceland when he was only 22 years old.

Ruth and her husband divorced in 1952, and she then sold the house—along with 13.8 acres of surrounding land—to a 22-year-old Elvis Presley in March 1957 for $102,500. Elvis had already been living in Memphis and his fame had recently skyrocketed , so Graceland offered some much-needed privacy. At the time, he was busy filming Jailhouse Rock (1957), so his parents and grandmother actually moved into the mansion about five weeks before he did.

3. Graceland played host to a lot of animals.

Elvis and his family owned plenty of common pets and farm animals, including dogs, chickens, ducks, hogs, horses, and donkeys (the donkeys stayed in the empty pool while workers finished building Graceland’s perimeter fence). Elvis also owned a turkey named Bowtie and a mynah bird that picked up its favorite phrases from one-sided telephone calls, like “Elvis is asleep” and “Elvis isn’t here.” A couple of primates occupied Graceland, too: a chimpanzee named Scatter and a squirrel monkey named Bambi.

For other animals, Graceland ended up just being a stopover. Elvis donated his peacocks to the Memphis Zoo because they kept pecking the paint off his cars. Two wallabies, sent by Australian fans on separate occasions, were also given to the zoo.

4. Elvis kept Graceland's kitchen stocked with very specific items.

Elvis’s affinity for fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches has been well-documented, but it wasn’t the only snack he wanted on hand. The Graceland kitchen (which is carpeted) always had to have banana pudding, ingredients for meatloaf, fudge cookies, fresh orange juice, ice cream, brownies, shredded coconut, hot dogs, ground round steak, biscuits, and gum, among other things. There was also a button installed beneath the dining room table so Elvis could summon another dish without shouting.

5. Graceland's Jungle Room doubled as a recording studio.

With its hand-carved furniture and waterfall running down one wall, the Jungle Room definitely lives up to its name. Back when Elvis frequented it, however, it was just called “the den.” It also made for a pretty good recording studio, thanks in part to the green carpeting covering both floor and ceiling. There, Elvis recorded his penultimate studio album, From Elvis Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee , in 1976. The Jungle Room would also serve as a recording studio for future musicians, including John Cougar Mellencamp, Kid Rock, and Elvis’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.

6. Bruce Springsteen snuck onto the Graceland estate in 1976.

After a Memphis concert in 1976, Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt were planning to head to a diner when their taxi driver mentioned that Elvis lived nearby. “You know where Elvis lives?” Springsteen said. “Take us there right now!” Upon arrival at Graceland, he scaled the stone wall and got as far as the front door before a security guard stopped him and said Elvis was out of town. “I said, ‘OK, well, can you tell him—and I generally don’t like to do this, but—that Bruce Springsteen was here? And he may not know who that is, but I was just on the cover of TIME and Newsweek ,’” he recalled on The Graham Norton Show . “That’s as close as I ever got to Elvis Presley.”

7. Elvis’s aunt still lived at Graceland even after it became a museum.

The primary downstairs bedroom was originally occupied by Elvis’s parents, Vernon and Gladys (Gladys personally helped design the bathroom’s pink, poodle-covered wallpaper). By the 1980s, they had both passed away, and Vernon’s sister Delta had moved into the bedroom. When Graceland opened to the public in June 1982, that room was simply left off the tour. Delta continued living there for more than a decade, while thousands of people filed through the house, gawking at the relics of all her deceased family members. She passed away in 1993, and her bedroom was added to the tour the following year.

8. There are two airplanes at Graceland.

Elvis’s total airplane tally came to five, and two of them—the Hound Dog I and the Hound Dog II—are available to tour at Graceland. Hound Dog I, a Convair 880 he bought in 1975, is probably the more tricked-out of the two. Though the jet only cost Elvis $250,000, he shelled out another $800,000 or so to install a main bedroom, a sitting room, two half-bathrooms, a conference room, a stereo system, and plenty of luxurious furniture. He also called it the “Lisa Marie,” after his daughter, and “Flying Graceland.”

9. Visitors aren’t allowed upstairs at Graceland.

On August 16, 1977, Elvis died at age 42 from heart failure (possibly a result of prescription drug use) in the bathroom of his upstairs bedroom suite. To this day, that part of the house is off-limits to everyone but family members and Graceland staff. Angie Marchese, Graceland’s vice president of archives and exhibits, revealed during an Instagram tour that the bedroom hasn’t changed at all since Elvis lived there.

“It looks as if he just got up and left,” she said. “The record on the record player is the last record he listened to. There’s a Styrofoam cup that sits on a bookshelf. The bed is made. So, yeah, we really maintain it the way Lisa [Marie Presley] wants us to preserve it.” The record is an acetate disc that J.D. Sumner and the Stamps sent right to Elvis soon after recording it, but Marchese isn’t sure what song is on it—the label just reads “The Stamps.”

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How to visit Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley

Elvis’s beloved, outré mansion is the second-most visited private home in the US, beaten only by the White House. Here are some tips on making the most of a visit to the former residence of the King.

Pay your respects for free

Time it well and you can visit Graceland ’s grounds without spending a dime. Every morning (aside from Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, when the site is closed), from 7.30am to 8.30am, fans can pass through the gates free of charge for an hour of quiet contemplation at Elvis’s graveside.

Plan around peak season

The party kicks off from 5-8 January for Elvis’s birthday celebrations, where crowds flock for a cake-cutting ceremony sometimes hosted by his ex-wife, Priscilla Presley. There are events all across Memphis, too, but plan ahead as hotels book up lightning fast. The bustle returns for the week surrounding 16 August, the anniversary of Elvis’s death, when celebrations go all out, with tribute artists in bejewelled jumpsuits and a moving candlelight vigil.

Hop on the shuttle

Combine Graceland with a visit to Sun Studio and stand in the precise spot where Elvis first belted out That’s All Right. A free shuttle whisks guests between the two landmarks every hour.

Bring the kids

Graceland is family friendly. A new entertainment complex includes interactive attractions such as an LED dancefloor quiz and a photo booth. Inside the mansion, children gravitate towards the hyper-themed rooms, including the Jungle Room, with its green carpet and neon-lit indoor waterfall.

Arrive fashionably late

Dodge the queues by visiting after 2pm, when things start to wind down, but there are still a couple of hours to take it all in before the site closes at 4pm.  

Don't miss

Sample a peanut butter and banana sandwich grilled in bacon grease — one of Elvis’s favourite eats — at the on-site Gladys’ Diner.

Published in the March 2023 issue of  National Geographic Traveller (UK)  

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The Evolution of Elvis Presley's Beloved Graceland Estate

See inside The King's private residence.

1957: Buying Graceland

Elvis Presley purchased Graceland in 1957 for $102,500 . The singer, whose celebrity and success had skyrocketed the year prior, promptly moved into the mansion and made Memphis, Tennessee, his home base.

1957: A Historic Home

The extensive property was built in 1939 and was once owned by a prominent Memphis family, the Toofs. The name Graceland was an ode to Grace Toof Ward .

1957: A Not-So-Merry Christmas

While Elvis was celebrating Christmas at Graceland , the singer received his draft notice for the Korean War. Elvis earned one service deferment so he could finish filming the movie King Creole .

1958: Deployed Overseas

While Elvis was deployed in Germany, his parents Vernon and Gladys Presley lived at Graceland without him and his mother sadly died at the estate. The star was issued a temporary leave of service to attend the funeral in Memphis.

1960: Returning Home From War

While serving for two years, Elvis rose to the rank of sergeant . In 1960, he returned to Graceland, where he lived with his father, grandmother, and friends.

1960: A House Fit for The King

The house on the Graceland estate is a Colonial revival stone-laid mansion fitted with tall white columns. Inside the 17,552 square-foot-home is 23 rooms, including eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and five staircases .

1960: The King's Personal Touches

One of the more famous personal touches Elvis made to the estate was the music gates he installed at the front entrance. The King of Rock 'n' Roll added the eccentric entrance two months before he even moved onto the property.

1960: A Home for His Cars

From his pink Cadillac to his 1973 Stutz Blackhawk, Elvis was quite a car enthusiast and turned to his expansive Memphis property to house his collection. They remained in his private collection after his death, and many are available to view today at the Presley Motors Automobile Museum .

1967: The Newlyweds at Graceland

Elvis and his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu , got married in a Las Vegas ceremony in 1967. Afterward, the couple boarded a private jet and returned home to Graceland, where Priscilla had been living with the singer since 1962 .

1968: Home of the Presleys

Elvis installed a stained glass window above the front door of the house to welcome visitors to their home, which featured the letter "P" surrounded by red roses.

1968: Bringing Lisa Marie Home

Nine months after their wedding day, Lisa Marie Presley was born. The couple, who endured a trial separation during the pregnancy, brought their daughter home to Graceland together in 1968.

1968: The Famous Swimming Pool

Another iconic element of Graceland is the swimming pool and wide surrounding patio. The wacky shape of the pool made headlines, as it very closely resembles a kidney bean .

1968: Filling the Barn

Elvis was a prolific rider throughout his life and loved horses. The estate had a large barn when he purchased it, but it wasn't until the late '60s that the singer began filling the stalls with various equines. Because the singer's favorite horse was a Palomino , to this day the estate always has a Palomino in the barn.

1969: Growing Up at Graceland

For the first four years of her life, Lisa Marie lived at Graceland . After her parents divorced, Priscilla and Lisa Marie moved to Los Angeles and the young child split her time between California and Tennessee until her father's death.

1970: Outside the Gates

While preparing for a motorcycle ride around the neighborhood, Elvis stops for an admiring fan who wanted to catch a glimpse of the singer.

1971: Elvis Presley Blvd.

The street Graceland is located on was renamed from Highway 51 South to Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1971 by the City Council of Memphis.

1977: Elvis Presley's Death

The singer lived on the property until his death on August 16, 1977, when he was found unconscious inside Graceland after suffering a heart attack. He was only 42 years old. After his passing, Elvis's daughter, Lisa Marie, was named the sole beneficiary of the estate .

1977: Mourning Fans at Graceland

When the news of Elvis's death hit, thousands of grieving fans traveled to Graceland and swarmed his famous music note gates.

1977: Laid to Rest on the Estate

Elvis was buried in the Meditation Garden on the grounds of Graceland. His mother was moved to a plot next to him and, two years later, his father joined them when he passed away. In order to preserve the gravesite, Elvis's estate must employ 24 hour security .

1981: A First Glimpse Inside

Documentary crews were welcomed onto the Graceland estate to film This Is Elvis in 1981 . It was the first time the public was given an intimate look at the property.

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Graceland made Memphis a tourism destination. Here's how it continues to impact the city

Memphis Tourism CEO Kevin Kane fondly recalls one of the city’s most notable tourist visits in 2006 involving two prominent world leaders.

Then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a huge Elvis Presley fan, had one U.S. destination on his tourism bucket list before concluding his term: Graceland . 

Koizumi, then-U.S. President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush arrived at Elvis' home for a private mansion tour. They were greeted by Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' former wife and their daughter. 

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"First of all, my presence here shows it's never too late to come to Graceland. Laura and I are — we've known Elvis Presley since we were growing up. He's obviously a major part of our music history. He had an international reputation. His reputation was so strong that he attracted the attention of the now prime minister of Japan," President Bush said  in a White House press transcript of the June 2006 visit . 

"I was hoping the prime minister would want to come to Graceland. I knew he loved Elvis — I didn't realize how much he loved Elvis. He not only knows Elvis' history, he can sing a pretty good Elvis song."

“It's like a dream,” Koizumi said. “I never expected (the) president come with me to visit Graceland. There's Elvis song: To Dream Impossible. [Sings song] My dream came true.”

Afterward, Bush and Koizumi ended their Memphis visit with a Rendezvous trip for some barbecue.

“To me that (visit) was one of the biggest testaments that you could give to the drawing power of Elvis Presley’s Graceland and Elvis Presley as a cultural, global icon,” Kane said.

The world leaders are just two of the almost 23 million visitors Graceland has attracted since opening to the public 40 years ago on June 7, 1982. 

More than 600,000 visitors arrive at Graceland each year and the Whitehaven site generates a local economic impact of about $150 million annually, according to Graceland. 

Along with its direct economic impact on Memphis, the attraction is also credited with establishing Memphis as an international tourist destination.

Now, as Graceland looks to the future, officials are working to continue to attract everyone from international visitors to Memphians.

In recent years and through recent expansions, an emphasis has been put on increasing the number of locals who visit the site. A focus has also been put on strengthening the relationship between Whitehaven residents and Graceland.

Graceland helps establish Memphis as a tourist destination

Graceland’s public opening in 1982 eventually served far greater significance to Memphis’ long-term perception beyond simply allowing visitors, specifically Elvis fans, to visit his mansion.

“It was a real turning point for tourism in Memphis,” Kane said. “The opening of Graceland really was a huge leap for the attractiveness of people coming to Memphis because of our music legacy, because of Elvis’ legacy. It really made us a destination as it related to that.”

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The Whitehaven tourist site is the second most-visited “museum home” in the U.S., according to Graceland. The first is the White House.

Along with the renovation of Beale Street that occurred around the same time period, Memphis established its building blocks in the 1980s to set up future success as a tourist destination.

Graceland then became Memphis’ musical tourist anchor. The founding of other music museums including Sun Studio and Stax Museum of American Soul Music since only further enhanced Memphis as a music tourism destination, Kane said.

More than three-quarters of all Memphis attraction visitors reported experiencing Memphis music as a key reason for visiting the city , according to a Memphis Tourism survey conducted in 2019. Paying respect to Memphis music legends including Elvis was a top motivator, according to the survey. 

More than 60% of those travelers ranked Memphis music as a nine or a 10 in importance of why they visited the city on a scale from one to 10. 

“When you say Tennessee, it’s one of those places where you think of music. Whether it’s Nashville, Memphis or other parts of the state,” Kane said. “Not only is Graceland good for Memphis, Graceland is good for the entire state of Tennessee. If you look at the way the state promotes itself, they typically have some type of a link to our music, our music legacy or music in general. I just think we got a real bright future.”

Wayne Tabor, president and CEO of Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association, said Graceland has always had a significant impact on the city’s hotel occupancy rates.

According to Tabor, hotel occupancy rates tend to see a significant Elvis-related boost during Elvis Week in August  — which honors the Aug. 16, 1977, death of the King — and milestone birthday celebrations in January. (Elvis was born on Jan. 8, 1935.)

"There were also a lot of tour groups that would come in buses and stayed in our hotels. That trended downward after the virus hit because they’re just not going to travel in a bus during that kind of thing,” he said. “I think we’ll start to see a return on that hopefully this year, a build back of international business and group tour business.”

Graceland seeks return of international visitors, more Memphians

Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings and majority owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, did a phone interview with The Commercial Appeal on May 26 while in France for the Cannes Film Festival to attend the premiere of director Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" movie . 

Weinshanker said Graceland — which has has 231 employees, 160 of whom work fulltime — has spent the past few years increasing offerings to Memphians and out-of-town visitors alike. 

That’s included more than $200 million in investment over recent years toward Graceland improvements. No longer is the Graceland mansion the sole attraction.

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In 2017,  Graceland opened the Elvis Presley's Memphis entertainment complex , a 200,000-square-foot, $45 million complex. It marked the largest expansion of Graceland since the mansion began offering tours in 1982. The complex included new museums, exhibits, restaurants and shops to enhance the "Elvis experience" for Graceland-goers. 

Two years later, Graceland opened the Exhibition Center adjacent to entertainment complex. One of the goals of the Exhibition Center was to attract more Memphians to Graceland — especially beyond those who are bringing out-of-town tourists. 

One of the most recent exhibitions to draw more Memphis visitors was “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience." 

ZIP code data through credit card purchases show more Memphians are attending Graceland events, Weinshanker said. About 70-75% who attend concerts at the Graceland Soundstage are from the Greater Memphis area.

That’s compared to essentially “zero” Memphians visiting Graceland, except for those bringing a tourist, a decade ago, Weinshanker said.

As local visitors continue to grow, Graceland officials hope international visitor figures will rebound. 

In a normal year, international visitors represent about 15% of Graceland-goers, Weinshanker said. He's hopeful with COVID-19 waning, the Whitehaven site will see that number rise again this year. 

“When we look at our numbers, we’re creeping back very close to pre-COVID levels for American visitors. Where we’re still lacking is the international (visitors) and what we’re seeing especially for Elvis Week (in August) are the internationals starting to come back,” Weinshanker said. “For Memphis to thrive from a tourism standpoint and for Graceland to thrive, we need those international guests.”

For those driving to Graceland, the goal is to get them to extend their visits.

“The average person drives 5.5 hours to Graceland,” Weinshanker said. “Graceland is their No. 1 reason for coming to Memphis. What we tried to do especially in the last 10 years is create more reasons and instead of it being 2, 2.5 hours on and off the interstate on your way to Florida to try to get people to stay for a day or two. Make it a full experience instead of a stop-off.”

Previously, the average Graceland visitor spent 4 or 5 hours in Memphis before leaving, they now spend more than a day in town.

Weinshanker said increasing visitors and the length of their visit benefits the entire city. 

“By doing that we not only do we benefit Graceland, we benefit Memphis,” he said about making Graceland more attractive. “The longer people stay at Graceland, the longer people come to Memphis because of Graceland and things that happen, the more time they’ll have to do other things as well.”

How Whitehaven benefits from Graceland’s economic impact

Marlowe’s Ribs & Restaurant , 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd., opened in 1974, almost a decade before Graceland opened to the public. The Whitehaven restaurant is frequented by Memphians and fans of Elvis, who used to dine there. 

Located 1 mile away from Graceland, Marlowe’s is known for its Elvis-inspired pink limos that bring customers to and from the hotel near the restaurant. The menu also includes the well-known peanut butter and banana sandwich, an Elvis favorite, among other Elvis-centric menu items.

Marlowe’s has firmly established itself as a common spot for those traveling to Graceland, and that’s something those at the restaurant take great pride in.

“It’s an honor be where we are and do what we do,” said Sally Jones, who helps run the restaurant. “We’re part of their vacation. They save up for it and look forward to coming to Memphis and seeing Graceland all year long, and for us to be part of it is a blessing and we hope to give them a great experience as well.”

In a typical year, Marlowe's diners are about 40% locals, 30% tourists and 30% people traveling around the country but not necessarily staying in Memphis. That shifted dramatically, as it did for many other restaurants, in the past two years due to COVID-19 — but there was one positive to emerge. 

“It was tough losing the international tourists," said Missy Coleman, co-owner of Marlowe's. "We kind of reconnected with our locals. People traveling all over the U.S. We got more time to visit with them and get to know them on a different level. It was good, but we were blessed.”

Because Graceland draws so many out-of-town tourists, Whitehaven’s exposure is significantly increased compared to that of many other Memphis neighborhoods. Whitehaven is a predominantly Black middle class neighborhood with an estimated 50,000 residents. 

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Michael Harris, Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corporation executive director, hopes a stronger partnership between Whitehaven and Graceland can further grow in future years.

The relationship between Whitehaven residents and Graceland is complicated given the tourist site is located in the middle of the neighborhood where some feel indifference to it or have little desire to visit. 

“I would hope that as we continue to do more together that the community will embrace their presence,” Harris said. “It’s a large community. There’s a lot of need, there’s a lot of feelings and emotion, but at the same time this is a strength for us.”

Even though he grew up in Memphis, Harris didn't make his first visit to Graceland until 2019 — and he was impressed. Now, he’s planning a group trip for some Whitehaven residents. 

He also wants the neighborhood to embrace Graceland's popularity and its impact on Whitehaven now and moving forward. 

"The number of tourists that come here just for Elvis is phenomenal," Harris said. "Even during COVID, some things slowed down but Graceland didn’t just stop. People were still interested in going to see Graceland. I think that as they continue to grow and perfect their business and as we continue to partner (with them), I think we'll see a lot more. As far as engagement goes, I have a wonderful working relationship with their (Graceland) president Jack Soden. He's always either an email or a phone call away." 

Harris compared Graceland’s presence in Whitehaven to Walt Disney World Resort’s in Orlando.

“You can go throughout Orlando and have an entire experience without seeing Mickey Mouse,” Harris said. “You can do the same thing in Whitehaven and not see Elvis, but you can if you like. What I saw, what I walked away from that first trip was that this has been here my entire life and I never went. How many other hidden gems do we have? I would challenge residents of the community to go check it out at least once.”

Omer Yusuf covers the Ford project in Haywood County, residential real estate, tourism and banking for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached via email  [email protected]  or followed on Twitter @OmerAYusuf.

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Graceland: 10 Surprising Facts About Elvis Presley’s Mansion

By: Lesley Kennedy

Published: October 20, 2023

1. Presley paid $102,500 for Graceland in 1957. 

Hot on the heels of his breakout year in 1956 that turned him into an international music, TV and movie star, Elvis Presley , at age 22, bought the 10,000-foot colonial-style mansion on 13.8 acres in Memphis, Tennessee, for what would amount to an estimated $1.1 million today. Presley moved into Graceland with his parents and lived there for 20 years until his death in 1977. The estate grew to 17,552 square feet after additions and features 23 rooms with eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms and five staircases. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006, the first rock-n-roll site to be named to both lists. 

2. The mansion is named after an original landowner. 

Long before the land Graceland sits on belonged to Presley, it was part of 500 acres of farmland owned by the S.E. Toof family for generations. When descendant Ruth Brown Moore and her husband, Dr. Thomas Brown Moore, built their 10,266-square-foot home there in 1939, they dubbed it Graceland, after Ruth’s aunt, Grace Toof Ward. While not named by Presley, Graceland did have a musical tie. Ruth Marie Moore, the Moore’s daughter, played harp with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the family often hosted recitals at the mansion. 

3. The King kept a menagerie of animals at the mansion.

An avid animal lover, Presley kept plenty of pets at Graceland–from Bowtie the turkey to a mynah bird who could chirp phrases including “Elvis isn’t here” to a number of horses and dogs to a chimpanzee named Scatter and a squirrel monkey named Jayhew. Two wallabies, gifted by Australian fans, were donated to the Memphis Zoo, as were peacocks. He even reportedly kept donkeys in his kidney-shaped swimming pool, added in 1957, before it was filled. 

4. Presley recorded songs in the mansion’s legendary Jungle Room.

To Presley, it was simply “the den.” Still, one of the most unique rooms in the mansion has come to be known as the Jungle Room for its Polynesian-themed decor that includes green shag carpeting on the floor–and ceiling, rainbow lighting, faux wood walls, carved wood furniture and even an artificial waterfall. The room, a 1965 addition, also served as a recording studio, with 16 songs from Presley’s final two albums cut there. 

Other Graceland additions and rooms of note: 

• Soon after moving in, Presley had wrought-iron gates installed. “With their stylized representations of a guitar-strumming Elvis set against a pattern of musical staffs and notes, the gates suggest the entryway to a musical heaven,” according to the Memphis Commerical Appeal . 
• In 1974, Presley had now-iconic stained-glass peacock panels added to the living room. 
• Presley added a racquetball building to the estate in 1975 that includes a court, pinball machine and piano, as well as a trophy hall housing memorabilia and awards. 
• Inspired by President Lyndon Johnson, Presley had three TV sets mounted in his basement television room to watch the three major networks simultaneously. 
• A basement billiards room features walls draped in 350-plus yards of pleated fabric. "Elvis never lost a game of pool on that table,” Kevin Kern, director of public relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises, told Memphis Magazine . “Everyone knew Elvis had to win." 

5. The kitchen was fully stocked for Presley at all times. 

According to the 1993 book The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley , groceries to be available in the Graceland kitchen “at all times–every day” included fresh, lean ground round steak, one case of Pepsi, one case of orange drink, rolls, at least six cans of biscuits, pickles, wieners, peanut butter, banana pudding, ingredients for meatloaf and sauce, brownies, fudge cookies, gum, cigars, cigarettes and Sucrets, among other items. 

6. Elvis is buried on the mansion’s grounds.

Presley’s funeral was held at Graceland the day after a public viewing in the mansion’s foyer drew an estimated 25,000 mourning fans. Elvis was first buried at a nearby mausoleum alongside his mother, Gladys, then their remains were relocated to Graceland’s Meditation Garden after thieves attempted to steal his body . Presley, his parents, grandmother, daughter and grandson are also buried there. A memorial for Presley’s twin brother, who was stillborn, is also on-site. Court documents show Priscilla Presley will be buried near her former husband at Graceland.

7. Pricilla Presley made Graceland a business. 

Following Vernon Presley’s death, Presley’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, was appointed as a co-executor/co-trustee, and, facing financial challenges in maintaining the estate, she worked to open Graceland to the public in 1982. Her expansions and renovations turned the mansion into one of the most-visited private homes in the country, with more than 600,000 annual visitors, making it the second-most visited home in America, after the White House.   

Per Presley’s will, his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited the property when he died, taking control of her trust on her 25th birthday in 1993. Upon her death in 2023, her daughter, actress Riley Keough, was named its owner.

8. Members of Presley’s family continued to live at Graceland after his death. 

Presley died unexpectedly in 1977 at age 42, but his father, Vernon Presley, stayed on at Graceland until his death in 1979, and his grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, remained there until her death the following year. But his aunt, Delta Mae Presley Biggs, lived there longest, even after Graceland opened to the public in 1982, staying on the property from 1966 until her death in 1993. Tours stayed out of the kitchen and Delta’s room while she lived there. And, while the kitchen has been open to touring since 1995, the second-floor bedroom suite, where Presley died, remains off-limits and has not been changed since his death. 

9. You can tour two of Presley’s custom jets. 

Dubbed the Lisa Marie (and also, the Flying Graceland and Hound Dog I), Presley’s private plane, a Convair 880, is displayed at Graceland, and visitors can board it to check out the jet’s master bedroom, living room, conference room, two half-baths and added touches such as gold-plated seatbelts and suede sofas. Also on site is the Hound Dog II, a Lockheed JetStar that seats 10, as well as the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum in Graceland Plaza, where you can find more than 20 cars owned by Presley, including his Pink Cadillac and Stutz Blackhawk. 

10. Graceland inspired a Grammy-winning album … and some famous trespassers. 

Paul Simon said for some reason, he couldn't get the line, “I’m going to Graceland,” out of his head. He told the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that he had initially used the line just as a placeholder when working on what would become his mega-selling 1986 album, "Graceland." But when he kept singing the line, he decided a trip to Memphis was in order.

“I didn’t tell anybody I was coming. I didn’t get any special treatment. I just waited on the line, and went there, walked around, was singularly unimpressed–’til you finish the tour, and you come outside, and then there’s his grave and it said, ‘Elvis Presley whose music touched millions of people all around the world.’ And I read it, and I just started to cry. … Being in the crowds that come to Graceland, it’s almost like a religious thing about Elvis. So the song started to write itself…”

But while Simon paid his way in, two other iconic musicians did not. Jerry Lee Lewis was arrested outside the mansion around 3 a.m. in 1976 while “screaming and yelling and waving a Derringer in the air," according to the Commercial Appeal . Then, in 1975 (also around 3 a.m.), Bruce Springsteen jumped a wall and ran up the hill to the mansion to try and meet the King, but was turned away and politely escorted off the estate by security.

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The famous Graceland Mansion was home to many members of the Presley family from Elvis and Priscilla to his aunt Delta.

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Elvis Presley , known as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, is estimated to have sold over one billion records worldwide, according to Guinness World Records. His fame extended well beyond his records, and throughout his life he also acted in 31 feature films and two theatrically released concert documentary films. His prolific career saw no less 149 songs of his appear on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart in the United States.

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With his fame and fortune, Presley purchased his home Graceland in 1957 for $102,500 in Memphis, Tennessee. The price was the equivalent of over $1.1 million today.

The property was originally a 500-acre farm owned by the S.E. Toof family. The land was in the Toof family for generations and was named after one of the family’s relatives, Grace. In 1939, Grace’s niece, Ruth Brown Moore, and her husband Dr. Thomas Moore, built the mansion, which became well known to Memphis locals.

Some of Elvis’ modifications to Graceland included a pink Alabama fieldstone wall surrounding the grounds, that now has years of graffiti. Presley also had Abe Sauer, a local artisan, design and build a wrought-iron gate designed in the shape of sheet music with silhouettes of him playing guitar.

The mansion also includes a kidney-shaped swimming pool and a racquetball court .

The exterior of the mansion is a Colonial Revival style, with a side-facing gabled roof covered in asphalt shingles. Two one-story wings are featured on the north and south sides of the property. The mansion has two chimneys, one on the north and south side. The central block’s front and side faces are veneered with tan Tishomingo limestome from Elvis’ birth state, Mississippi.

Graceland also features a shooting range and a full horse stable. Presley also had a meditation garden designed and built by Bernard Grenadier that he used as his thinking space.

The mansion boasts 17,552 square feet of space and 23 rooms, including eight bedrooms and four bathrooms. There is a first floor, second floor and basement. Elvis also had rooms for his trophies, which are now on display in the first-floor museum portion of the property. Known for his love of cars, the property also features an extensive garage.

Upon Elvis’ death in 1977, his father Vernon Presley served as the executor of his estate. Lisa Marie became the sole heir of the estate; her inheritance was held in a trust until her 25th birthday, on Feb. 1, 1993.

After Elvis’ death, Graceland cost around $480,000 a year to keep up, according to LA Times . Faced with estate’s expensive costs, Priscilla came up with a plan to turn it into a business opportunity.

She hired a chief executive officer to turn Graceland into a museum, making it a tourist destination. Graceland opened to the public in 1982, attracting around 300,000 visitors throughout the year.

Visitors are not allowed on the second floor, which is where Elvis’ body was discovered when he was pronounced dead in 1977.

In 1968, Priscilla gave birth to their daughter Lisa Marie Presley, who spent her early years at Graceland until her parents’ divorce in 1972, when she moved to California with her mother. She would frequently visit throughout her childhood.

The last member of the Presley family to occupy Graceland mansion was Elvis’ aunt Delta, who died in 1993.

Lisa Marie Presley’s estate has full ownership of Graceland mansion and her father’s personal belongings ranging from costumes to cars. Before her death, she made the mansion permanently available for tours.

Lisa Marie Presley passed away on Jan. 12 at 54, hours after being hospitalized following an apparent cardiac arrest. She was the only daughter of the late music legend Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.

The mansion itself was passed onto Lisa Marie’s oldest daughter, Riley Keough, following her death. Presley’s son, Benjamin Keough, passed away at 27. In August, a Los Angeles judge approved Riley Keough as the sole heir of her late mother’s estate, also making her the owner of Graceland.

The mansion remains not only a tourist attraction, but a staple in pop culture. In June 2022, actors Austin Butler and Tom Hanks visited the mansion and were interviewed virtually for “Good Morning America” to talk about their biographical film “Elvis.” The film featured a recreation of the iconic estate. Sofia Coppola’s film “Priscilla” documenting the life of Priscilla Presley, will also feature scenes at a recreation of Graceland, showcasing her life at the mansion with Elvis. “Priscilla” was released in theaters on Oct. 27.

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The Death of the Elvis Presley

The news headlines presented a surreal impression of what was almost an alternative universe:

“ELVIS IS DEAD”

“ELVIS, KING OF ROCK, DIES AT 42”

“ELVIS PRESLEY DIES OF HEART ATTACK”

It almost seemed unbelievable. Early news reports were short, incomplete and confused. But what was unmistakably clear on the afternoon of August 16, 1977, was that Presley, the “greatest rock and roll performer in the world” had died. How could this be? We just saw him on TV performing from Vegas. What did they say it was? A heart attack? Really? That’s unbelievable! He was only 42.

Many a celebrity is subject to a reversal of fortune with an untimely death. All that was once good about the person now becomes bad. Virtues give way to vices. Character takes a back seat to calamity. Though Presley’s cause of death was originally claimed to be a heart attack, later toxicology reports identified high levels of several pharmaceutical drugs in his system. Many doubted it. After all, President Richard Nixon had met with Elvis and given him a badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. (There’s a photo to prove it.) Others just accepted the story as another drug-related death of a rock and roll star. How the cause of death changed from heart attack to prescription-drug poisoning typifies the pattern of a celebrity’s fall from grace.

It was mid-August, 1977. Elvis Presley was at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, resting between concert appearances. Sometime near 2:30 p.m., his girlfriend, Ginger Alden, found him lying face down on the floor of his spacious bathroom. At 2:33 p.m., a call came into Memphis Fire Station No. 29 indicating that someone at 3754 Elvis Presley Boulevard was having difficulty breathing. Ambulance Unit No. 6 sped out of the station and headed south. While not a routine trip, local ambulances had made numerous visits to Graceland over the years to take care of fainting fans or pedestrians hit by cars along the crowded sidewalks in front of the mansion. From time to time, the mansion’s owner has also sped away in an ambulance to receive emergency medical treatment.

Within a few minutes, the ambulance neared Graceland. The vehicle made a hard left through the opened iron gates and up the curved driveway to the white-columned portico. One of Presley’s bodyguards allowed the two medics to enter the mansion. With equipment in hand, they rushed up the stairs to the bathroom where they encountered nearly a dozen people huddled over a man in his pajamas, lying prostrate on his back. The medics quickly moved in. Initially, they didn’t recognize the victim, but then noticed the thick, graying sideburns and the large medallion around the neck and realized it was Elvis Presley. His skin was dark blue and cold to the touch. Checking for vital signs, the medics detected no pulse and no response to light from his pupils. They quickly prepped him for transport.

It took several men to lift Presley onto the stretcher. He was obese, almost bloated. The unbalanced distribution of weight made navigation difficult around corners and down the stairs. As the medics loaded Presley into the ambulance, a stocky man with white hair, leaped into the back just as the doors closed. Dr. George Nichopoulos, Presley’s doctor, affectionately known as Dr. ”Nick”, ordered the driver to take Elvis to Baptist Memorial Hospital, 21 minutes from Graceland. It was not made clear at the time why he didn’t say Methodist South Hospital, which was only 5 minutes away. But Dr. “Nick” knew the staff at Baptist Hospital was discrete.

At the hospital, emergency personnel made valiant efforts to revive Presley, but without success. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. Hospital officials understood that their actions over the next few hours would be crucially important in preparing an official announcement. A highly skilled team of nine doctors, headed by the hospital’s chief of pathology, Dr. E. Eric Muirhead, would conduct the autopsy. During the procedure, doctors found no signs of stroke, heart failure, or lung disease. They saw evidence that Presley was chronically ill with diabetes and constipation. Physical evidence indicated possible, long-term use of drugs, but toxicology tests would have to confirm that. After the autopsy, Elvis’s body was released to the funeral home.

At 8:00 p.m. that same day, a press conference was held. Medical examiner Dr. Jerry Francisco took control as spokesperson for the autopsy team, even though he had only witnessed the procedure. He announced that early tests indicated Presley’s cause of death was a cardiac arrhythmia due to undetermined heartbeat, i.e. heart failure. Dr. Muirhead and the other members of the autopsy team were stunned. Not only had Dr. Francisco presumed to speak for the hospital, but his conclusion did not match their findings, which was that they hadn’t made a conclusion as to the cause of death but believed drug addiction was a probable cause. Dr. Francisco went on to say that determining the official cause of death would take days or even weeks, but that drugs were absolutely not a factor and that there was no evidence of drug abuse, which most people at the time believed meant illegal street drugs.

For a time, most people accepted this finding. But the toxicology report that came out weeks later revealed high levels of pharmaceutical painkillers such as Dilaudid, Quaalude, Percodan, Demerol, and codeine in Elvis’s body. The Tennessee Board of Health began an investigation into Presley’s death and initiated proceedings against Dr. “Nick.”

During the hearings, evidence was presented that Dr. Nichopoulos had written prescriptions for more than 8,000 doses of medication since 1975 and that the pattern had been escalating since then. During the hearings, Dr. Nichophoulos admitted to writing the prescriptions. In his defense, he claimed that Elvis was so addicted to pain killers that he prescribed the medications to keep Elvis away from dangerous and illegal street drugs, trying to control his addiction. The jury agreed with the doctor’s rationale and absolved him of negligence in causing Presley’s death. In 1980, Dr. Nichophoulos was indicted again for overprescribing drugs to Presley and singer Jerry Lee Lewis , but was acquitted. However, his questionable medical practice caught up with him and in 1995, the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners permanently suspended his medical license for overprescribing drugs to his patients.

On August 17, 1977, the doors of Graceland were opened for public viewing of “The King’s” body and Presley instantly passed from music legend to cultural icon. Crowds had gathered early that day and quickly grew to an estimated 100,000. The mourners ranged from pre-teens to middle-aged and older men and women. Many expressed genuine, open sorrow over his death. Others were more upbeat, almost festive, and eager to be part of the cultural history. Due to the extreme temperatures that day, the showing was cut short for fear the heat and humidity would disfigure Elvis’ body.

Elvis's grave at the family plot on the Graceland property.

On August 18, 1977 a funeral procession of 17 white Cadillacs and a hearse carrying the body of of the “King of Rock and Roll” slowly made its way from Graceland to Forrest Hill Cemetery. Under heavy guard, a simple ceremony was conducted. Present were Elvis’ former wife Priscilla , and his daughter Lisa Marie , his father Vernon, and Minnie Mae Presley, Elvis' paternal grandmother. Several celebrities, including Chet Atkins, Ann-Margret , Caroline Kennedy , James Brown , Sammy Davis, Jr. and of course Colonel Tom Parker, who had guided and gilded Presley’s career from the start. Elvis was laid to rest in a mausoleum alongside his mother, Gladys. The King of Rock and Roll was dead and there was no other king to take his place. In his 20-plus years as celebrity entertainer, Elvis Presley had become a defining force of the times.

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Elvis Presley's Graceland: 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Legendary Home

Here are 10 facts you might not have known about Elvis Presley's famous Memphis home

Elvis Didn't Name Graceland

Eager to find a rural refuge away from wild fans and the pressure of fame, 22-year-old Elvis Presley purchased his Graceland estate on March 19, 1959, for $102,500 — or more than $900,000 in today's money. The property came with its famous moniker already in place. When Dr. Thomas Moore and his wife Ruth built the Colonial Revival style mansion in 1939, they named it after Ruth's aunt, Grace Toof, whose father had owned the land previously used for farming.

It Had a Serious Shopping List

Presley was known for his love of peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches, but sometimes his Southern palate demanded other delicacies. Graceland contained an extensive list of goods that the King required on hand "at all times, every day." Such items on his shopping list (which ran approximately $500 a week) included:

—One case regular Pepsi

—One case orange drink

—At least six cans of biscuits

—Cans of sauerkraut

—"Wieners"

—Banana pudding (cooked fresh nightly)

—Ingredients for meatloaf and sauce

—Ice cream (vanilla and chocolate)

—Shredded coconut

—Fudge cookies

—Gum (Spearmint, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, three each)

A buzzer was installed in the kitchen under his place at the table if he needed anything.

Elvis Shared His Home with a Chimpanzee

Graceland's grounds are home to a large barn that once housed horses. Still, the most unusual pet to roam the estate was Scatter, Presley's chimpanzee . By most accounts, the King's pet was a pain. The simian announced his presence with an ear-splitting "Woooo!" and delighted in pulling down women's skirts. Somehow, Scatter's ill behavior endeared him to Presley, who dressed him in elaborate costumes. A favorite joke was to drive around Memphis with Scatter in the front seat. At traffic lights, Presley would duck down, giving the appearance that the animal was driving the car. Eventually, Scatter's mischief became too much even for Presley, and he had to live in a climate-controlled room at Graceland.

Elvis Watched Three TV Sets at Once

After reading that President Lyndon B. Johnson had three television sets to allow him to watch all three major network news programs at once, Presley borrowed the idea for his downstairs media room. He spent much time happily watching TV — unless Robert Goulet came on. Presley had an intense dislike of the musically inclined actor for reasons best known to him. Before the invention of remote controls, Presley found that shooting the television set with a pistol was the quickest way to get Goulet off the screen. "That jerk's got no heart!" he exclaimed. "That will be enough of that s---!"

The Boss Broke In!

Graceland hosted more than its fair share of guests during Presley's tenure, but one 1976 visitor was unannounced. On the cusp of worldwide superstardom, a young Bruce Springsteen took a cab to the gates of the estate late one April night with his E Street Band guitarist, Steven Van Zandt. Despite the hour, they noticed lights in the main house and hopped the fence, hoping to say hello to the King. Unfortunately, security guards stopped the pair before they reached the door. It was just as well because Presley was in Lake Tahoe at the time.

Elvis Turned the Jungle Room Into a Recording Studio

In the mid-'60s, Presley added an enclosed den off the home's kitchen, which he would later fill with Tiki furniture and plants. The flagstone waterfall contributed to the tropical atmosphere, which led to it being dubbed "the Jungle Room" by many fans — though Presley never used the name.

In February 1976, RCA dispatched a mobile recording unit to Graceland and transformed the large room into a temporary recording studio (the shag carpeting acted as a natural sound absorber). The songs are believed to have been released from Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. Another session would be held that October. It would prove to be the last before his death less than one year later. Four tracks featured from these dates were released on the posthumous album, Moody Blue .

Graceland Wasn't Elvis' First Final Resting Place

Among the many alterations Presley had made to Graceland over the years, perhaps the most meaningful was the so-called Meditation Garden — a secluded patch of plants and fountains cordoned off by white columns and a pergola that he had installed in 1964. In life, it was where he loved to sit and reflect, and in death, it serves as his final resting place — although that wasn't originally the plan.

On Aug. 18, 1977, two days after his death, Presley was buried next to his late mother, Gladys, at Memphis' Forest Hill Cemetery. However, an attempt was made to steal his 900-lb., steel-lined, copper-plated coffin and hold the remains for ransom. Three men were arrested, though the scheme was so flimsy that they could only be charged with trespassing in the cemetery. Fearing copycat criminals, Presley's body, as well as Gladys', was moved to Graceland. Today they are joined by his father Vernon and a monument to the singer's stillborn twin brother, Jessie, as well as the singer's grandson Benjamin and now, his daughter, Lisa Marie.

The Upstairs Remains Off Limits

Presley's primary suite on the second floor of Graceland was his most private refuge, where only his closest confidants were allowed. It was there, in his bathroom, that Presley's body was found on Aug. 16, 1977. After the home was opened to the public in 1982, the second floor was sealed shut out of respect to the family — and also to avoid any macabre attention at the scene of his death.

Over the years, the upstairs at Graceland has taken on a mythical aura, with rumors that his suite remains untouched , just as the King left it. No authenticated quality photos have ever been released, and no one has been allowed in — aside from his former wife Priscilla , his late daughter Lisa Marie and the Graceland curator. Presidents and foreign dignitaries have all been turned away. Still, ironically one celebrity has made it inside: actor and noted Presley superfan Nicolas Cage , during his marriage to Lisa Marie in the early 2000s.

Graceland Is the Second-Most-Visited Home in America

Guests are still flocking to Graceland. The estate welcomes an average of more than 650,000 visitors a year, making it second only to the White House as the most-visited home in the United States.

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Elvis Presley Biography | A Comprehensive history of Elvis Presley's dynamic life

In the links below we have the important separate articles focusing on each of these individual topics and more and then following that, as much of an overview as one could reasonably be expected to want to read as a basic summary of the life of the one and only King Of Rock 'N' Roll ... Elvis Presley ...

• Elvis Presley Biography

Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child.

Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953. Elvis' musical influences were the pop and country music of the time, the gospel music he heard in church and at the all-night gospel sings he frequently attended, and the black R&B he absorbed on historic Beale Street as a Memphis teenager. In 1954, Elvis began his singing career with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. In late 1955, his recording contract was sold to RCA Victor. By 1956, he was an international sensation. With a sound and style that uniquely combined Elvis' diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, he ushered in a whole new era of American music and popular culture. Elvis Presley's dynamic life story from his humble beginnings through his rise to stardom is a fascinating journey that has earned Elvis his still undefeated title of the ' King of Rock 'N Roll '.

His songs are unforgettable - they have stood the test of time, especially his singles of the 1950s, a decade in which he had a song at No. 1. for a full 6 months of that year. An even more incredible statistic is Elvis only started at RCA in January of 1956, there is only two years until he is drafted into the U.S. Army , he made 4 movies during this time. A testament to his incredible breakthrough is the fact that he managed to sell twice as many records in the entire decade of the 1950s with only these two years of recording than any other performer. (There were also the SUN years 1954-1955 but these were not huge for record sales like when he became a national sensation in 1956).

 Dixie Locke Emmons | Elvis' girlfriend

They were also unpredictable. Who could know what the next one would be like? Elvis liberally altered his style to suit each song. There were the early country-boy rockabillies sung in a breathless high pitch, of which My Baby Left Me , Milkcow Blues Boogie and Money Honey are examples. His more mature, aggressive rock 'n' roll stance came out with songs such as Blue Suede Shoes , One Night and A Big Hunk O' Love . his approach to ballads ranged from the ethereal vocal effects on the guitar-tapping version of Blue Moon to smooth crooning on As Long As I Have You , Can't Help Falling In Love and many other slow numbers and movie songs.

January 8, 1935

Elvis Aaron Presley , in the humblest of circumstances, was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953.

His First Guitar

On Elvis' eleventh birthday, his parents bought him a guitar. With the help of his uncle Johnny (Smith) and pastor Frank Smith of the Assembly of God Church, which the Presleys were now attending, he learned some basic cords. However while Elvis did play rhythm in the 1950's he never progressed further as a guitar player, content to let the guitar become more of a prop as time went on. When you have a voice as good as Elvis Presley's, you are not motivated to learn more, instead, he concentrated on improving his voice to get it where he wanted, to be able to sing the bigger songs, like Are You Lonesome Tonight? , It's Now Or Never , both from 1960 and songs such as My Way in the 1970s just to name but a few.

Getting to SUN

Soon after Elvis graduated in June of 1953, he began to explore the possibilities of singing professionally. In July, he went to 706 Union Avenue, a facility owned and run by Sam Phillips , where you could walk in and, for the amount of $3.98, record a two-sided record of your own performance. Elvis chose My Happiness and That's When Your Heartaches Begin . Amazingly both tracks and his follow-up recording in July 1954 of I'll Never Stand In Your Way / It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You) survived and are available on CD to this day. Biographer Peter Guralnick argues that he chose SUN in the hope of being discovered. Asked by receptionist Marion Keisker what kind of singer he was, Elvis responded, 'I sing all kinds'.

When she pressed him on whom he sounded like, he repeatedly answered, 'I don't sound like nobody'. After he recorded, Sun boss Sam Phillips asked Keisker to note down the young man's name, which she did along with her own commentary: 'Good ballad singer. Hold'. Elvis cut a second acetate in January 1954 - I'll Never Stand In Your Way and It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You - but again nothing came of it.

Not long after, he failed an audition for a local vocal quartet, the 'Songfellows'. He explained to his father, 'They told me I couldn't sing'. Songfellow Jim Hamill later claimed that he was turned down because he did not demonstrate an ear for harmony at the time. In April, Elvis began working for the Crown Electric company as a truck driver. His friend Ronnie Smith, after playing a few local gigs with him, suggested he contact Eddie Bond, leader of Smith's professional band, which had an opening for a vocalist. Bond allegedly rejected him after a tryout, advising Elvis to stick to truck driving 'because you're never going to make it as a singer'.

Then Sam Phillips received a song from Nashville music publisher Sam Wortham, the same person who had delivered Just Walking In The Rain , SUN's first big hit record (The Prisonaires (Sun 186)). Phillips heard something in this new song, but he couldn't find the singer on the demo, so he finally decided that it just might fit the young man that Marion had kept reminding him about. The song was called Without You , a heartfelt, but an unexceptional ballad. The date, June 26, 1954, Marion phoned Elvis asking if he could come down to the studio. Elvis later said he ran all the way. But Elvis just couldn't get it right. This could have been the final rejection, the ultimate disappointment, if not for Sam's belief in raw talent and how to uncover it. He invited Elvis to sing everything he knew. Although just shop-worn ballads were presented to him, Phillips did not make a final decision on 'the boy'. Sam talked about it with Scotty Moore , guitarist in the group 'The Starlite Ranglers'. Sam told Scotty to check Elvis out and gave him Elvis' phone number.

On July 4, 1956 Elvis went over to Scotty Moore's house to sing with Scotty and Bill Black to see what Elvis could do. Bobbie Moore, Scotty's wife says he had a good voice and they sang a lot of songs like ' I Love You Because ' (Eventually it become the second song professionally recorded and released on Elvis' first RCA LP, Elvis Presley ). When Elvis left, Scotty and Bill discussed the proceedings, Bill turned to Scotty and looked at him kinda funny, 'What do you think of him?' Scotty said, 'Well, he's got a good voice, good singer, if we can find the right material'. So he called Sam and Sam said, You got the next night to rehearse' (At SUN).

July 5, 1954 : Rockabilly and Rock 'N' Roll are Born

July 5, as agreed, Elvis, Scotty, and Bill arrived at the SUN Studio after work. Sam went into the control room. The threesome continued, as they had done at Scotty's house, with what was basically a recap of artists like Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow and 'The Ink Spots'. The first documented song was Harbor Lights , a #1 hit in 1950 for Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra, but covered instantly by Bing Crosby .

The evening's defining moment came after four shaky attempts at Leon Payne's 1949 country hit, I Love You Because . It was during a break that Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup's That's All Right materialized.

That's All Right

Scotty Moore: 'All of a sudden, Elvis just got started singing this song, jumping around and acting the fool, and then Bill picked up his bass and started acting the fool, too, and I started playing with them. Sam had the door to the control room open and stuck his neck out. 'What are you doing?' he asked. 'We don't know', we said. 'Well, back up, try to find a place to start, and do it again'.

Elvis: 'I never sang like that in my life, until I made that first record ... I remembered that song because I heard Arthur sing it, and I thought I would like to try it. That was it'.

The DJ : Dewey Phillips

Interviewing Elvis on-air, Phillips asked him what high school he attended in order to clarify his color for the many callers who had assumed he was black.

Blue Moon Of Kentucky: The 'B' Side

A B-side was needed so on July 7 the trio again gathered at SUN with nothing prepared. Scotty Moore: 'Bill was the one who started to clown around singing the Bill Monroe song, Blue Moon Of Kentucky , imitating Bill Monroe in a high falsetto voice, but at a fast tempo, whereas the original was done real slow. (But it can be said he was no imitating Elvis' performance on That's All Right ). Elvis started singing along, with both singing high tenor. Things started to happen real fast. Two-sided dubs were sent to nearby radio stations, including Bob Neal at WMPS and 'Sleepy-Eyed' John at WHHM. Concerned about control, Sam convinced Scotty Moore to take on Elvis' management, ensuring that the teenager would be insulated from opportunists.

It is interesting that Bill Monroe who wrote Blue Moon of Kentucky and recorded it with his Bluegrass Boys in 1946 re-recorded it himself in 4/4 time rather than the original 3/4 after hearing--and seeing--Elvis perform it and at the Louisiana Hayride . (See Peter Guralnick's Last Train to Memphis , pages 121-129, for a more detailed account of this interesting collision of musical worlds.) Sam Phillips was relieved when the country legend and 'founder' of Bluegrass offered praises rather than the anticipated scorn for Presley's version of his tune. At 19, Elvis somehow had the instinct to sing the song perfectly. Even the songwriter admitted it.

The First Live performances

The trio played publicly for the first time on July 17 at the Bon Air club - Elvis still sporting his child-size guitar.

At the end of the month, they appeared at the Overton Park Shell, with Slim Whitman headlining. A combination of his strong response to rhythm and nervousness at playing before a large crowd led Elvis to shake his legs as he performed: his wide-cut pants emphasized his movements, causing young women in the audience to start screaming. Moore recalled, 'During the instrumental parts he would back off from the mike and be playing and shaking, and the crowd would just go wild'. Black, a natural showman, whooped and rode his bass, hitting double licks that Elvis would later remember as 'really a wild sound, like a jungle drum or something'. Soon after, Moore and Black quit their old band to play with Elvis regularly, and promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager. From August through October, they played frequently at the Eagle's Nest club and returned to Sun Studio for more recording sessions, and Elvis quickly grew more confident on stage. According to Moore, 'His movement was a natural thing, but he was also very conscious of what got a reaction. He'd do something one time and then he would expand on it real quick'. Elvis made what would be his only appearance on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry on October 2; after a polite audience response, Opry manager Jim Denny told Phillips that his singer was 'not bad' but did not suit the program. Two weeks later, Elvis was booked on Louisiana Hayride, the Opry's chief, and more adventurous, rival. The Shreveport-based show was broadcast to 198 radio stations in 28 states. Elvis had another attack of nerves during the first set, which drew a muted reaction. A more composed and energetic second set inspired an enthusiastic response.

House drummer D.J. Fontana brought a new element, complementing Elvis' movements with accented beats that he had mastered playing in strip clubs. Soon after the show, the Hayride engaged Elvis for a year's worth of Saturday-night appearances. Trading in his old guitar for $8 (and seeing it promptly dispatched to the garbage), he purchased a Martin instrument for $175, and his trio began playing in new locales including Houston, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas. In October D.J. Fontana was hired to play drums for Elvis.

Using a very bare-bones drum kit, D.J. sat behind a curtain, unseen by the audience, and played behind Elvis and the boys as they performed the two songs allotted them, which were That's Alright Mama , and possibly (D.J.'s memory was a little sketchy) Blue Moon of Kentucky .

By early 1955, Elvis' regular Hayride appearances, constant touring, and well-received record releases had made him a substantial regional star, from Tennessee to West Texas. In January, Neal signed a formal management contract with Elvis and brought the singer to the attention of Colonel Tom Parker , whom he considered the best promoter in the music business. Parker, Dutch-born, though he claimed to be from West Virginia - had acquired an honorary colonel's commission from country singer turned Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis. Having successfully managed top country star Eddy Arnold, he was now working with the new number one country singer, Hank Snow. Parker booked Elvis on Snow's February tour. When the tour reached Odessa, Texas, a 19-year-old Roy Orbison saw Elvis for the first time: 'His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing, I just didn't know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it'.

RCA and The Colonel

RCA Victor acquired Elvis' contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker , who would go on to be his famous manager. Parker arranged with the owners of Hill and Range Publishing, Jean and Julian Aberbach, to create two entities, Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music, to handle all of the new material recorded by Elvis. Songwriters were obliged to forego one-third of their customary royalties in exchange for having him perform their compositions. By December, RCA had begun to heavily promote its new singer, and before month's end had reissued many of his Sun recordings. Elvis, at 20, was still a minor, so his father signed the contract.

Commercial breakout and controversy (1956-58) : First national TV appearances

On January 10, 1956, Elvis made his first recordings for RCA in Nashville. Extending the singer's by now customary backup of Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana, RCA enlisted pianist Floyd Cramer, guitarist Chet Atkins, and three background singers, including Gordon Stoker of the popular Jordanaires quartet, to fill out the sound. The session produced the moody, unusual Heartbreak Hotel , released as a single on January 27. Colonel Parker finally brought Elvis to national television, booking him on CBS's Stage Show for six appearances over two months. The program, produced in New York, was hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. After his first appearance, on January 28, Elvis stayed in town to record at RCA's New York studio . The sessions yielded eight songs, including a cover of Carl Perkins' rockabilly anthem Blue Suede Shoes . In February, Elvis' I Forgot to Remember to Forget , a Sun recording initially released the previous August, reached the top of the Billboard country chart. Neal's contract was terminated and, on March 2, Parker became Elvis' manager. RCA Victor released Elvis' self-titled debut album on March 23. Joined by five previously unreleased Sun recordings, its seven recently recorded tracks were of a broad variety. There were two country songs and a bouncy pop tune. The others would centrally define the evolving sound of rock and roll: Blue Suede Shoes - 'an improvement over Carl Perkins ' in almost every way', according to critic Robert Hilburn - and three R&B numbers that had been part of Elvis' stage repertoire for some time, covers of Little Richard, Ray Charles, and The Drifters. As described by Hilburn, these 'were the most revealing of all. Unlike many white artists, who watered down the gritty edges of the original R&B versions of songs in the '50s, Elvis reshaped them. He not only injected the tunes with his own vocal character but also made guitar, not piano, the lead instrument in all three cases'. It became the first rock and roll album to top the Billboard chart, a position it held for 10 weeks. While Elvis was not an innovative instrumentalist like Moore or contemporary African American rockers Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry , cultural historian Gilbert B. Rodman argues that the album's cover image, 'of Elvis having the time of his life on stage with a guitar in his hands played a crucial role in positioning the guitar, as the instrument that best captured the style and spirit of this new music'.

Historic Television Guest Appearances

In 1956, Elvis made his network television debut.

The first of his six appearances on Stage Show, a weekly variety program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. He followed these with two appearances on The Milton Berle Show , the second of which included a performance of Hound Dog that was so provocative (for that time, anyway) that it caused a national scandal. Elvis next appeared on The Steve Allen Show , with Allen mocking the sensation of the Berle appearance by having Elvis dress in a tuxedo, eliminate his usual physical gyrations, and sing Hound Dog to a Basset Hound.

Ed Sullivan had once said he would never have the controversial singer on his top-rated show, but that was before the week that Elvis' appearance on Steve Allen had surpassed Sullivan's ratings. After negotiating with Elvis' manager, Ed Sullivan paid Elvis the huge sum of $50,000 for appearing on three of his shows: September 9, 1956 , October 28, 1956 , and then on January 6, 1957 . $50,000 was, at the time, more money than any performer had ever been paid to appear on a network variety program. Elvis' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was a major success. Over 60 million people, both young and old, watched the show and many people believe it helped bridge the generation gap for Elvis' acceptance into the mainstream. Elvis performed, Don't Be Cruel, Love Me Tender, Ready Teddy and Hound Dog . When Elvis made his third Sullivan appearance in January of 1957, Ed Sullivan surprised Elvis by telling him on camera that his show had never had a better experience with a name act, and said 'I wanted to say to Elvis and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy'.

It was on this very same Sullivan appearance that Elvis was shown on camera from the waist up only, one of early television history's most memorable moments. Elvis' next network television appearance was in 1960 when Frank Sinatra gave his variety show a 'Welcome Home, Elvis' theme to herald Elvis' return from the army. Elvis was paid $125,000 to appear - again, making history.

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Milton Berle Show and 'Hound Dog'

Elvis made the first of two appearances on NBC's Milton Berle Show on April 3. His performance, on the deck of the USS Hancock in San Diego, prompted cheers and screams from an audience of sailors and their dates. A few days later, a flight taking Elvis and his band to Nashville for a recording session left all three badly shaken when an engine died and the plane almost went down over Arkansas. Twelve weeks after its original release, Heartbreak Hotel became Elvis' first number one pop hit. In late April, Elvis began a two-week residency at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The shows were poorly received by the conservative, middle-aged hotel guests - 'like a jug of corn liquor at a champagne party', wrote a critic for Newsweek. Amid his Vegas tenure, Elvis, who had serious acting ambitions, signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures. He began a tour of the Midwest in mid-May, taking in 15 cities in as many days. He had attended several shows by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys in Vegas and was struck by their cover of Hound Dog , a hit in 1952 for blues singer Big Mama Thornton. It became the new closing number of his act. After a show in La Crosse, Wisconsin, an urgent message on the letterhead of the local Catholic diocese newspaper was sent to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. It warned that 'Elvis is a definite danger to the security of the United States, (His) actions and motions were such as to arouse the sexual passions of teenaged youth, After the show, more than 1,000 teenagers tried to gang into Elvis' room at the auditorium, Indications of the harm Elvis did just in La Crosse were the two high school girls, whose abdomen and thigh had Elvis' autograph'.

The second Milton Berle Show appearance came on June 5 at NBC's Hollywood studio, amid another hectic tour. Berle persuaded the singer to leave his guitar backstage, advising, 'Let 'em see you, son'. During the performance, Elvis abruptly halted an uptempo rendition of Hound Dog with a wave of his arm and launched into a slow, grinding version accentuated with energetic, exaggerated body movements.

Elvis' gyrations created a storm of controversy. Television critics were outraged: Jack Gould of The New York Times wrote, 'Mr. Elvis has no discernible singing ability, His phrasing if it can be called that, consists of the stereotyped variations that go with a beginner's aria in a bathtub, His one specialty is an accented movement of the body, primarily identified with the repertoire of the blond bombshells of the burlesque runway'. Ben Gross of the New York Daily News opined that popular music 'has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley, Elvis, who rotates his pelvis, gave an exhibition that was suggestive and vulgar, tinged with the kind of animalism that should be confined to dives and bordellos'. Ed Sullivan, whose own variety show was the nation's most popular, declared him 'unfit for family viewing'.

To Elvis' displeasure, he soon found himself being referred to as 'Elvis the Pelvis', which he called 'one of the most childish expressions I ever heard, comin' from an adult'.

Steve Allen Show and first Sullivan appearance

The Berle shows drew such high ratings that Elvis was booked for a July 1 appearance on NBC's The Steve Allen Show in New York. Allen, no fan of rock and roll, introduced a 'new Elvis' in a white bow tie and black tails. Elvis sang 'Hound Dog' for less than a minute to a basset hound wearing a top hat and bow tie.

As described by television historian Jake Austen, 'Allen thought Elvis was talentless and absurd, (he) set things up so that Elvis would show his contrition'. Allen, for his part, later wrote that he found Elvis' strange, gangly, country-boy charisma, his hard-to-define cuteness, and his charming eccentricity intriguing' and simply worked the singer into the customary 'comedy fabric' of his program.

Elvis would refer back to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career. Later that night, he appeared on Elvis Hy Gardner Calling a popular local TV show. Pressed on whether he had learned anything from the criticism to which he was being subjected, Elvis responded, 'No, I haven't, I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong, I don't see how any type of music would have any bad influence on people when it's only music, I mean, how would rock 'n' roll music make anyone rebel against their parents?' The next day, Elvis recorded Hound Dog , along with Any Way You Want Me and Don't Be Cruel . The Jordanaires sang harmony, as they had on The Steve Allen Show; they would work with Elvis through the 1960s. A few days later, the singer made an outdoor concert appearance in Memphis at which he announced, 'You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight'. In August, a judge in Jacksonville, Florida, ordered Elvis to tame his act. Throughout the following performance, he largely kept still, except for wiggling his little finger suggestively in mockery of the order. The single pairing Don't Be Cruel with Hound Dog ruled the top of the charts for 11 weeks - a mark that would not be surpassed for 36 years. Recording sessions for Elvis' second album took place in Hollywood during the first week of September. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller , the writers of Hound Dog , contributed Love Me .

The Ed Sullivan Show

Allen's show with Elvis had, for the first time, beaten CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings. Sullivan, despite his June pronouncement, booked the singer for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000. The first, on September 9, 1956, was seen by approximately 60 million viewers - a record 82.6 percent of the television audience. Actor Charles Laughton hosted the show, filling in while Sullivan recuperated from a car accident. Elvis appeared in two segments that night from CBS Television City in Hollywood. According to Elvis legend, Elvis was shot only from the waist up. Watching clips of the Allen and Berle shows with his producer, Sullivan had opined that Elvis 'got some kind of device hanging down below the crotch of his pants - so when he moves his legs back and forth you can see the outline of his cock, I think it's a Coke bottle, We just can't have this on a Sunday night. This is a family show!' Sullivan publicly told TV Guide, 'As for his gyrations, the whole thing can be controlled with camera shots'. In fact, Elvis was shown head-to-toe in the first and second shows. Though the camera work was relatively discreet during his debut, with leg-concealing close ups when he danced, the studio audience reacted in customary style: screaming. Elvis' performance of his forthcoming single, the ballad Love Me Tender , prompted a record-shattering million advance orders. More than any other single event, it was this first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that made Elvis a national celebrity of barely precedented proportions. Accompanying Elvis' rise to fame, a cultural shift was taking place that he both helped inspire and came to symbolize. Igniting the 'biggest pop craze since Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra, Elvis brought rock'n'roll into the mainstream of popular culture', writes historian Marty Jezer. 'As Elvis set the artistic pace, other artists followed, Elvis, more than anyone else, gave the young a belief in themselves as a distinct and somehow unified generation - the first in America ever to feel the power of an integrated youth culture'.

Elvis Presley's Graceland

Graceland , Elvis Presley's home and refuge for twenty years, is one of the most visited homes in America today, now attracting over 600,000 visitors annually. It is also the most famous home in America after the White House. In 1991, Graceland Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Military service and mother's death (1958-60)

On March 24, 1958 , Elvis was inducted into the U.S. Army as a private at Fort Chaffee, near Fort Smith, Arkansas. Captain Arlie Metheny, the information officer, was unprepared for the media attention drawn by the singer's arrival. Hundreds of people descended on Elvis as he stepped from the bus; photographers then accompanied him into the base. Elvis announced that he was looking forward to his military stint, saying he did not want to be treated any differently from anyone else: 'The Army can do anything it wants with me'. Later, at Fort Hood, Texas, Lieutenant Colonel Marjorie Schulten gave the media carte blanche for one day, after which she declared Elvis off-limits to the press. Soon after Elvis had commenced basic training at Fort Hood, he received a visit from Eddie Fadal, a businessman he had met when on tour in Texas. Fadal reported that Elvis had become convinced his career was finished - 'He firmly believed that'.

During a two-week leave in early June, Elvis cut five sides in Nashville. He returned to training, but in early August his mother was diagnosed with hepatitis and her condition worsened. Elvis was granted emergency leave to visit her, arriving in Memphis on August 12. Two days later, Gladys died of heart failure, aged 46 . Elvis was devastated; their relationship had remained extremely close - even into his adulthood, they would use baby talk with each other and Elvis would address her with pet names.

After training at Fort Hood, Elvis joined the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany, on October 1. The Army also introduced Elvis to karate, which he studied seriously, later including it in his live performances. Fellow soldiers have attested to Elvis' wish to be seen as an able, ordinary soldier, despite his fame, and to his generosity while in the service. He donated his Army pay to charity, purchased TV sets for the base, and bought an extra set of fatigues for everyone in his outfit.

While in Friedberg, Elvis met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu . They would eventually marry after a seven-and-a-half-year courtship. In her autobiography, Priscilla says that despite his worries that it would ruin his career, Parker convinced Elvis that to gain popular respect, he should serve his country as a regular soldier rather than in Special Services, where he would have been able to give some musical performances and remain in touch with the public. Media reports echoed Elvis' concerns about his career, but RCA producer Steve Sholes and Freddy Bienstock of Hill and Range had carefully prepared for his two-year hiatus. Armed with a substantial amount of unreleased material, they kept up a regular stream of successful releases. Between his induction and discharge, Elvis had ten top 40 hits, including Wear My Ring Around Your Neck , the best-selling Hard Headed Woman , and One Night in 1958, and (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I and the number one A Big Hunk O' Love in 1959. RCA also managed to generate four albums compiling old material during this period, most successfully Elvis' Golden Records (1958), which hit number three on the LP chart.

Focus on movies (1960-67) : Elvis Is Back

Elvis returned to the United States on March 2, 1960 , and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant on March 5 . The train that carried him from New Jersey to Tennessee was mobbed all the way, and Elvis was called upon to appear at scheduled stops to please his fans. Back in Memphis, he wasted no time in returning to the studio. Sessions in March and April yielded two of his best-selling singles, the ballads It's Now or Never and Are You Lonesome Tonight? , and Elvis Is Back! The album features several songs described by Greil Marcus as full of Chicago blues 'menace, driven by Elvis' own super-miked acoustic guitar, brilliant playing by Scotty Moore, and demonic sax work from Boots Randolph. Elvis' singing wasn't sexy, it was pornographic'.

As a whole, the record 'conjured up the vision of a performer who could be all things', in the words of music historian John Robertson: 'a flirtatious teenage idol with a heart of gold; a tempestuous, dangerous lover; a gutbucket blues singer; a sophisticated nightclub entertainer; (a) raucous rocker'. Released only days after recording was complete, it reached number two on the album chart.

Elvis returned to television on May 12 as a guest on The Frank Sinatra Timex Special - ironic for both stars, given Sinatra's not-so-distant excoriation of rock and roll. Also known as Welcome Home Elvis, the show had been taped in late March, the only time all year Elvis performed in front of an audience. Parker secured an unheard-of $125,000 fee for eight minutes of singing. The broadcast drew an enormous viewership.

It is important to note that at the time Elvis came to prominence it was the normal thing for a big star in the music field to cross over to movies. They did not have the technology nor music videos, MTV etc. So Hollywood it was, and it was Elvis' dream to be a good actor, he held out hope for years that he would be given a good script and succeed in the movie business, eventually accepting this was not to be ...

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Elvis Presley starred in 31 feature films as an actor and two theatrically released concert documentary films , all of which enjoyed financial success. For a number of years he was one of Hollywood's top box office draws and one of its highest-paid actors. His two most critically acclaimed films, Jailhouse Rock (1957) and King Creole (1958) have become classics of their era. His movies and concert films enjoy a healthy life today in television syndication and home video sales and rentals. Some of his top-selling music came from his movies. Eleven of his movie soundtrack albums went to the top ten, and of those, four went to number one.

The soundtrack for G.I. Blues (1960), was number one on the Billboard Top 100 album chart for 10 weeks and remained on the chart for 111 weeks. The album from Blue Hawaii was number one for 20 weeks and was on the chart for 79 weeks G.I. Blues , the soundtrack to Elvis' first film since his return, was a number one album in October. His first LP of sacred material, His Hand in Mine , followed two months later. It reached number 13 on the U.S. pop chart and number 3 in Great Britain, remarkable figures for a gospel album. In February 1961, Elvis performed two shows for a benefit event in Memphis, on behalf of 24 local charities. During a luncheon preceding the event, RCA presented him with a plaque certifying worldwide sales of over 75 million records . A 12-hour Nashville session in mid-March yielded nearly all of Elvis' next studio album, Something for Everybody. As described by John Robertson, it exemplifies the Nashville sound, the restrained, cosmopolitan style that would define country music in the 1960s. Presaging much of what was to come from Elvis himself over the next half-decade, the album is largely 'a pleasant, unthreatening pastiche of the music that had once been Elvis' birthright'. It would be his sixth number one LP. Another benefit concert, raising money for a Pearl Harbor memorial, was staged on March 25, in Hawaii. It was to be Elvis' last public performance for seven years.

Lost in Hollywood

Parker had by now pushed Elvis into a heavy movie making schedule, focused on formulaic, modestly budgeted musical-comedies. Elvis at first insisted on pursuing more serious roles, but when two films in a more dramatic vein - Flaming Star (1960) and Wild in the Country (1961) - were less commercially successful, he reverted to the formula. For the remainder of the decade, during which he made 27 movies, there were few further exceptions. His films were almost universally panned; one critic dismissed them as a 'pantheon of bad taste'. Nonetheless, they were virtually all profitable. Hal Wallis , who produced nine of them, declared, 'An Elvis picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood'. Of Elvis' films in the 1960s, 15 were accompanied by soundtrack albums and another 5 by soundtrack EPs. The movies' rapid production and release schedules - he frequently starred in three a year - affected his music.

According to Jerry Leiber , the soundtrack formula was already evident before Elvis left for the Army: 'three ballads, one medium-tempo (number), one up-tempo, and one break blues boogie'. As the decade wore on, the quality of the soundtrack songs grew 'progressively worse'. Julie Parrish, who appeared in Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966), says that he hated many of the songs chosen for his films. The Jordanaires ' Gordon Stoker describes how Elvis would retreat from the studio microphone: 'The material was so bad that he felt like he couldn't sing it'. Most of the movie albums featured a song or two from respected writers such as the team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman . But by and large, according to biographer Jerry Hopkins, the numbers seemed to be 'written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll'. Regardless of the songs' quality, it has been argued that Elvis generally sang them well, with commitment. Critic Dave Marsh heard the opposite: 'Elvis isn't trying, probably the wisest course in the face of material like No Room to Rumba in a Sports Car and Rock-a-Hula Baby .

In the first half of the decade, three of Elvis' soundtrack albums hit number one on the pop charts, and a few of his most popular songs came from his films, such as Can't Help Falling in Love (1961) and Return to Sender (1962). Viva Las Vegas , the title track to the 1964 film, was a minor hit as a B-side, and became truly popular only later.) But, as with artistic merit, the commercial returns steadily diminished.

During a five-year span - 1964 through 1968 - Elvis had only one top ten hit: Crying in the Chapel (1965), a gospel number recorded back in 1960. As for non-movie albums, between the June 1962 release of Pot Luck and the November 1968 release of the soundtrack to the television special that signaled his comeback, only one LP of new material by Elvis was issued: the gospel album How Great Thou Art (1967). It won him his first Grammy Award, for Best Sacred Performance. As described in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Elvis was 'arguably the greatest white gospel singer of his time (and) really the last rock & roll artist to make gospel as vital a component of his musical personality as his secular songs'.

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Comeback (1968-73) : Elvis: the '68 Comeback Special

Elvis' only child, Lisa Marie , was born on February 1, 1968, during a period when he had grown deeply unhappy with his career. Of the eight Elvis singles released between January 1967 and May 1968, only two charted in the top 40, and none higher than number 28. His forthcoming soundtrack album, Speedway, would die at number 82 on the Billboard chart. Parker had already shifted his plans to television, where Elvis had not appeared since the Sinatra Timex show in 1960. He maneuvered a deal with NBC that committed the network to both finance a theatrical feature and broadcast a Christmas special.

Later known as the '68 Comeback Special , the show featured lavishly staged studio productions as well as songs performed with a band in front of a small audience - Elvis' first live performances since 1961. The live segments saw Elvis clad in tight black leather, singing and playing guitar in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his early rock and roll days. Director and co producer Steve Binder had worked hard to reassure the nervous singer and to produce a show that was far from the hour of Christmas songs Parker had originally planned. The show, NBC's highest rated that season, captured 42 percent of the total viewing audience. Jon Landau of Eye magazine remarked, 'There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home. He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect of rock 'n' roll singers. He moved his body with a lack of pretension and effort that must have made Jim Morrison green with envy'.

From Elvis In Memphis and the International

Buoyed by the experience of the Comeback Special, Elvis engaged in a prolific series of recording sessions at American Sound Studio , which led to the acclaimed From Elvis in Memphis . Released in June 1969, it was his first secular, non-soundtrack album from a dedicated period in the studio in eight years. As described by Dave Marsh, it is 'a masterpiece in which Elvis immediately catches up with pop music trends that had seemed to pass him by during the movie years. He sings country songs, soul songs and rockers with real conviction, a stunning achievement'. The album featured the hit single In the Ghetto , issued in April, which reached number three on the pop chart - Elvis' first non-gospel top ten hit since Bossa Nova Baby in 1963. Further hit singles were culled from the American Sound sessions : Suspicious Minds , Don't Cry Daddy , and Kentucky Rain .

Elvis was keen to resume regular live performing. Following the success of the Comeback Special, offers came in from around the world. The London Palladium offered Parker $28,000 for a one-week engagement. He responded, 'That's fine for me, now how much can you get for Elvis?' In May, the brand new International Hotel in Las Vegas, boasting the largest showroom in the city, announced that it had booked Elvis. He was scheduled to perform 57 shows over four weeks beginning July 31. Moore, Fontana, and the Jordanaires declined to participate, afraid of losing the lucrative session work they had in Nashville.

Elvis assembled new, top-notch accompaniment, led by guitarist James Burton and including two gospel groups, The Imperials and Sweet Inspirations . Nonetheless, he was nervous: his only previous Las Vegas engagement, in 1956, had been dismal. Parker, who intended to make Elvis' return the show business event of the year, oversaw a major promotional push. For his part, hotel owner Kirk Kerkorian arranged to send his own plane to New York to fly in rock journalists for the debut performance.

Elvis took to the stage without introduction. The audience of 2,200, including many celebrities, gave him a standing ovation before he sang a note and another after his performance. A third followed his encore, Can't Help Falling in Love (a song that would be his closing number for much of the 1970s).

At a press conference after the show , when a journalist referred to him as 'The King', Elvis gestured toward Fats Domino, who was taking in the scene. 'No', Elvis said, 'that's the real king of rock and roll'. The next day, Parker's negotiations with the hotel resulted in a five-year contract for Elvis to play each February and August, at an annual salary of $1 million. Newsweek commented, 'There are several unbelievable things about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting stars'. Rolling Stone called Elvis' upernatural, his own resurrection'. In November, Elvis' final non-concert movie, Change Of Habit , opened.

The double album From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis came out the same month; the first LP consisted of live performances from the International, the second of more cuts from the American Sound sessions. Suspicious Minds reached the top of the charts - Elvis' first U.S. pop number one in over seven years, and his last. Cassandra Peterson, later television's Elvira, met Elvis during this period in Las Vegas, where she was working as showgirl. She recalls of their encounter, 'He was so anti-drug when I met him. I mentioned to him that I smoked marijuana, and he was just appalled'.

He said, 'Don't ever do that again'. Elvis was not only deeply opposed to recreational drugs, he also rarely drank. Several of his family members had been alcoholics, a fate he intended to avoid.

Back on tour and meeting Nixon

Elvis returned to the International early in 1970 for the first of the year's two month-long engagements, performing two shows a night. Recordings from these shows were issued on the album On Stage. In late February, Elvis performed six attendance-record - breaking shows at the Houston Astrodome . In April, the single The Wonder of You was issued - a number one hit in Great Britain, it topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart, as well.

The album That's the Way It Is , produced to accompany the documentary and featuring both studio and live recordings, marked a stylistic shift. As music historian John Robertson notes, 'The authority of Elvis' singing helped disguise the fact that the album stepped decisively away from the American-roots inspiration of the Memphis sessions towards a more middle-of-the-road sound.

With country put on the back burner, and soul and R&B left in Memphis, what was left was very classy, very clean white pop - perfect for the Las Vegas crowd, but a definite retrograde step for Elvis'. After the end of his International engagement on September 7, Elvis embarked on a week-long concert tour, largely of the South, his first since 1958. Another week-long tour, of the West Coast, followed in November.

On December 21, 1970 , Elvis engineered a bizarre meeting with President Richard Nixon at the White House, where he expressed his patriotism and his contempt for the hippie drug culture. He asked Nixon for a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge , to add to similar items he had begun collecting and to signify official sanction of his patriotic efforts. Nixon, who apparently found the encounter awkward, expressed a belief that Elvis could send a positive message to young people and that it was therefore important he 'retain his credibility'. Elvis told Nixon that The Beatles , whose songs he regularly performed in concert during the era, exemplified what he saw as a trend of anti-Americanism and drug abuse in popular culture. (Elvis and his friends had had a four-hour get-together with The Beatles five years earlier.)

The U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce named Elvis one of its annual Ten Most Outstanding Young Men of the Nation on January 16, 1971. Not long after, the City of Memphis named the stretch of Highway 51 South on which Graceland is located 'Elvis Presley Boulevard'. The same year, Elvis became the first rock and roll singer to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award (then known as the Bing Crosby Award ) by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Grammy Award organization. Three new, non-movie Elvis studio albums were released in 1971, as many as had come out over the previous eight years. Best received by critics was Elvis Country , a concept record that focused on genre standards. The biggest seller was Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas , 'the truest statement of all', according to Greil Marcus. 'In the midst of ten painfully genteel Christmas songs, every one sung with appalling sincerity and humility, one could find Elvis tom-catting his way through six blazing minutes of Merry Christmas, Baby , a raunchy old Charles Brown blues, If (Elvis') sin was his lifelessness, it was his sinfulness that brought him to life'.

Marriage breakdown and Aloha from Hawaii

MGM again filmed Elvis in April 1972, this time for Elvis on Tour , which went on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary Film that year. His gospel album He Touched Me , released that month, would earn him his second Grammy Award, for Best Inspirational Performance. A 14-date tour commenced with an unprecedented four consecutive sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The evening concert on July 10 was recorded and issued in LP form a week later. Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden became one of Elvis' biggest-selling albums. After the tour, the single Burning Love was released - Elvis' last top ten hit on the U.S. pop chart. 'The most exciting single Elvis has made since All Shook Up , wrote rock critic Robert Christgau. 'Who else could make 'It's coming closer, the flames are now licking my body' sound like an assignation with James Brown's backup band?' Elvis and his wife, meanwhile, had become increasingly distant, barely cohabiting. The Presleys separated on February 23, 1972, after Priscilla disclosed her relationship with Mike Stone, a karate instructor Elvis had recommended to her. Five months later, Elvis' new girlfriend, Linda Thompson , a songwriter and one-time Memphis beauty queen, moved in with him. Elvis and his wife filed for divorce on August 18. In January 1973, Elvis performed two benefit concerts for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in connection with a groundbreaking TV special, Aloha from Hawaii . The first show served as a practice run and backup should technical problems affect the live broadcast two days later.

Aired as scheduled on January 14, 'Aloha from Hawaii' was the first global concert satellite broadcast, reaching approximately 1.5 billion viewers live and on tape delay.

Elvis' costume became the most recognized example of the elaborate concert garb with which his latter-day persona became closely associated. As described by Bobbie Ann Mason, 'At the end of the show, when he spreads out his American Eagle cape , with the full stretched wings of the eagle studded on the back, he becomes a god figure'. The accompanying double album, released in February, went to number one and eventually sold over 5 million copies in the United States. It proved to be Elvis' last U.S. number one pop album during his lifetime. At a midnight show the same month, four men rushed onto the stage in an apparent attack. Security men leapt to Elvis' defense, and the singer's karate instinct took over as he ejected one invader from the stage himself.

Health deterioration and death (1973-77)

Elvis' divorce took effect on October 9, 1973. He was now becoming increasingly unwell.

On July 13, 1976, Vernon Presley - who had become deeply involved in his son's financial affairs - fired ' Memphis Mafia ' bodyguards Red West (Elvis' friend since the 1950s), Sonny West , and David Hebler, citing the need to 'cut back on expenses'. Elvis was in Palm Springs at the time. An associate of Elvis', John O'Grady, argued that the bodyguards were dropped because their rough treatment of fans had prompted too many lawsuits. Elvis and Linda Thompson split in November, and he took up with a new girlfriend, Ginger Alden . He proposed to Alden and gave her an engagement ring two months later, though several of his friends later claimed that he had no serious intention of marrying again.

RCA, which had enjoyed a steady stream of product from Elvis for over a decade, grew anxious as his interest in spending time in the studio waned. After a December 1973 session that produced 18 songs, enough for almost two albums, he did not enter the studio in 1974. Parker sold RCA on another concert record, Elvis: As Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis . Recorded on March 20, it included a version of How Great Thou Art that would win Elvis his third and final competitive Grammy Award. (All three of his competitive Grammy wins - out of 14 total nominations - were for gospel recordings.) Elvis returned to the studio in Hollywood in March 1975, recording 10 songs that would form the Elvis Today album, (his last studio album). but Parker's attempts to arrange another session toward the end of the year were unsuccessful. In 1976, RCA sent a mobile studio to Graceland that made possible two full-scale recording sessions at Elvis' home. Even in that comfortable context, the recording process was now a struggle for him.

For all the concerns of his label and manager, in studio sessions between July 1973 and October 1976, Elvis recorded virtually the entire contents of six albums. Though he was no longer a major presence on the pop charts, five of those albums entered the top five of the country chart, and three went to number one: Promised Land (1975), From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (1976), and Moody Blue (1977).

'The Lisa Marie' : Elvis Presley's Convair 880 Jet

On April 17, 1975 Elvis bought a Convair 880 Jet recently taken out of service by Delta Airlines for the then-substantial sum of $250,000. With complete refurbishing the total exceeded $600,000. He immediately rechristened it the Lisa Marie . But this wasn't just an impulse purchase of some sort of ultimate flying Cadillac.

The Death Of Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley died at Graceland on August 16, 1977. He was 42 years old. Through the early morning of the 16th Elvis took care of last minute tour details and relaxed with family and staff. He was to fly to Portland, Maine that night and do a show there on the 17th, then continue the scheduled tour. Elvis retired to his master suite at Graceland around 7:00 AM to rest for his evening flight. By late morning, Elvis Presley had died of heart failure. In a matter of hours the shock registered around the world. Read more .

Overview of Elvis Presley's Achievements

Elvis starred in 33 movies , made history with his television appearances and specials, and knew great acclaim through his many, often record-breaking, live concert performances on tour and in Las Vegas.

Globally, he has sold over one billion records , more than any other artist. His American sales have earned him gold, platinum or multi-platinum awards for 131 different albums and singles, far more than any other artist. Among his many awards and accolades were 14 Grammy nominations (3 wins) from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at age 36, and his being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees. Without any of the special privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him, he honorably served his country in the U.S. Army .

His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor endeared him to millions, as did the humility and human kindness he demonstrated throughout his life. Known the world over by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most important figures of twentieth century popular culture. Elvis died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977.

Record Sales

It is estimated that Elvis Presley has sold over one billion record units worldwide , more than anyone in record industry history. In America alone, Elvis has had 141 different albums and singles that have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with more certifications expected as research into his past record sales continues and as current sales go on.

Research is also underway to document his record sales achievements in other countries. It is estimated that 40% of Elvis' total record sales have been outside the United States.

International Acclaim

Elvis Presley's trophy room at Graceland is filled with gold and platinum records and awards of all kinds from around the world. Some of the countries represented are Norway, Yugoslavia, Japan, Australia , South Africa, England, Sweden, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

It is interesting to note that, except for a handful of movie soundtrack songs, Elvis did not record in other languages, and, except for five shows in three Canadian cities in 1957, he did not perform in concert outside the United States. Still, his recordings and films enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, popularity all over the globe, and he is known throughout the world by his first name.

Record Chart Statistics

Elvis Presley has had no less than 149 songs to appear on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Chart in America. Of these, 114 were in the top forty, 40 were in the top ten, and 18 went to number one. His number one singles spent a total of 80 weeks at number one. He has also had over 90 charted albums with ten of them reaching number one. These figures are only for the pop charts, and only in America. He was also a leading artist in the American country, R&B, and gospel fields, and his chart success in other countries was substantial.

Television Specials

Elvis Presley's three network television specials : Elvis (1968), Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite (1973), and Elvis in Concert (1977) - stand among the most highly rated specials of their time. His 1968 special, Elvis, is one of the most critically acclaimed music specials of all time. His 1973 special, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite , was seen in 40 countries by 1 billion to 1.5 billion people and made television history. It was seen on television in more American homes than man's first walk on the moon.

 Mindy Campbell flight attendant

The Concert Stage

When Elvis returned to the live stage after the success of his 1968 television special and the wrap-up of his Hollywood movie contract obligations, he opened at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in the summer of 1969 for a 4-week, 57-show engagement that broke all existing Las Vegas attendance records.

He returned to the International a few months later in early 1970, during the slow winter season in Vegas, and broke his own attendance record. Right after that came a record-breaking six-show engagement at the Astrodome in Houston, where Elvis played to a total of 207,494 people.

Elvis took his elaborate live show on the road in the latter part of 1970 for his first concert tour since 1957. Throughout the 1970's Elvis toured America, breaking box office records right and left, and continued to play an engagement or two per year in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Among the outstanding highlights of this period was in 1972, when Elvis performed four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden . During his 'concert years' from 1969 to 1977 , Elvis gave nearly 1,100 concert performances.

Elvis Presley's Grammy Awards

Elvis received 14 Grammy nominations from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). His three wins were for gospel recordings - the album How Great Thou Art (1967), the album He Touched Me (1972) and his live Memphis concert recording of the song How Great Thou Art (1974). In 1971, NARAS also recognized him with their Lifetime Achievement Award (known then as the Bing Crosby Award ... in honor of its first recipient). Elvis was 36 years old at the time. Five of Elvis' recordings have been inducted into the NARAS Hall of Fame - his original 1956 recordings of Hound Dog (inducted 1988) and Heartbreak Hotel (inducted 1995), his original 1954 recording of That's All Right (inducted 1998), his original 1969 recording of Suspicious Minds (inducted 1999), and his original 1956 recording of Don't Be Cruel (inducted 2002). The Hall of Fame recognizes 'early recordings of lasting, qualitative or historical significance, with many inductees being recordings that were created and released before the 1958 inception of NARAS and the Grammy Awards.

One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation

The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (the Jaycees) named Elvis Presley One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 in a ceremony on January 16, 1971, one of Elvis' proudest moments. This award has been given since 1938 and has honored men of achievement in all areas of endeavor - sports, government, science, medicine, entertainment, etc. It recognizes outstanding personal achievement and the exemplification of the opportunities available in the free enterprise system, along with patriotism, humanitarianism, and community service. (In the 1980s, eligibility was opened to women as well as men, and the award has since been presented to the year's Ten Outstanding Young Americans.)

Charitable Endeavors

Elvis Presley was famous for giving away Cadillacs , cash, and jewelry, often on the spur of the moment. But, the true depth and breadth of his generosity and community involvement is not so widely known.

In 1961, Elvis gave a benefit concert at Bloch Arena in Hawaii that raised over $65,000 toward the building of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The resulting publicity gave new life to the fund-raising effort, which had, by then, lost its momentum. The memorial opened a year later.

Audience tickets for his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii television special and its pre-broadcast rehearsal show carried no price, as each audience member was asked to pay whatever he or she could. The performances and concert merchandise sales were a benefit raising $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii.

Each year, for many years, Elvis gave $1,000 or more to each of fifty Memphis-area charities, but also continually made many other charitable donations in Memphis and around the country. Most of Elvis' philanthropic endeavors received no publicity at all. Throughout his adult life, for friends, for family, and for total strangers, he quietly paid hospital bills, bought homes, supported families, paid off debts, and much more.

Elvis' legacy of generosity continues through the work of the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, which is the philanthropic branch of Elvis Presley Enterprises , Inc. and the creator of the Elvis Presley Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Memphis. The tradition of giving also continues through the work of the Elvis fan clubs worldwide, most of which are heavily involved in charitable endeavors in Elvis' memory.

The Elvis Presley Stamp

In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service announced that Elvis' image would be used for a commemorative postage stamp. The Postal Service narrowed the artwork choices down to two images - one of Elvis in the 1950s as a sizzling young rocker, and one of him as a still-svelte concert superstar in his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii special. In an unprecedented move, the USPS put the decision to the American people and distributed ballots coast to coast. Over 1.2 million votes were cast, and the image of the young rocker won. The stamp was released on January 8, 1993, with extravagant first day of issue ceremonies at Graceland. The Elvis stamp is the most widely publicized stamp issue in the history of the U.S. Postal Service, and it is the top-selling commemorative postage stamp of all time. The USPS printed 500 million of them, three times the usual print run for a commemorative stamp. Several countries outside the USA also have issued Elvis stamps over the years.

Special Posthumous Honors

The 1984 W.C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis recognized Elvis for 'keeping the blues alive in his music - rock and roll'. The Academy of Country Music's first Golden Hat Award presented in 1984 recognized Elvis' influence on country music. In 1986, Elvis was among the first group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1987, Elvis was honored with the first posthumous presentation of the Award of Merit by the American Music Awards, 1987. In 1998, Elvis received the Country Music Association's highest honor, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2001, Elvis was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame. With that honor, Elvis is the only person, so far, to become a member of all three of these halls of fame - Rock and Roll, Country and Gospel .

Generations of Fans

Currently, there are over 625 active Elvis Presley fan clubs worldwide. Elvis' popularity is at an all-time high, and his legacy continues to reach new audiences. Half of Graceland's visitorship is age 35 and under.

A New Concert Career

On August 16, 1997, Elvis Presley, via video, starred in an extravagant concert production titled Elvis in Concert '97 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, accompanied live on stage by over thirty of his former bandmates and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. The show played before a capacity crowd of fans who had come to Memphis from around the world to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Elvis' death. Elvis broke the Mid-South Coliseum's all-time record dollar figure for box office sales. This concert was the prototype for the 1998/99 touring production Elvis Presley In Concert (On DVD as Elvis Lives ). By being the first performer ever to headline a live concert tour while no longer living, Elvis made history again. The March 1998 tour included a three-show smash engagement at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The August 1998 tour included the excitement of Elvis' 'return' to the Las Vegas Hilton with an eight-show engagement. The January/ February 1999 European tour opened with a sell-out at London's Wembley Arena and, in effect, marked Elvis Presley's first-ever concerts outside of North America. The show continues to tour periodically.

Elvis Presley: A Musical Prodigy

Elvis was a genius. He didn't express himself the way the middle classes do, which is with wordplay and being able to explain his actions and reactions. He acted on gut instinct and expressed himself by the way he held the microphone, by the way he moved his hips, by the way that he sang down the microphone. That was his genius ... I believe the essence of any performer is gut instinct ... Because it's all in you, it's instinct.

Elvis' musical style, as a musician and impact as a vocalist and stage performer

'Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass- the so-called register-, and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third, from the baritone low-G to the tenor high B, with an upward extension in falsetto to at least a D flat. Presley's best octave is in the middle, D-flat to D-flat, granting an extra full step up or down. Call him a high baritone. In 'It's Now Or Never', (1960), he ends it in a full voice cadence (A, G, F), that has nothing to do with the vocal devices of R&B and Country. That A-note is hit right on the nose, and it is rendered less astonishing only by the number of tracks where he lands easy and accurate B-flats. Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G's and A's that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices - in fact, Elvis' is an extraordinary voice or many voices.

The Fifty Voices of Elvis Presley

So different are Elvis' voices, that if one could find a person who has never heard his recordings and you put him or her on an island and then had them listen to these fifty songs, mixed with say, those of 12 other distinctive singers, and then you then ask him or her, to classify them, to separate the singers, I could bet a million dollars that the person will never say that there are 13 singers, as would be the case, but at least 25.

Elvis Presley and Racism: The Ultimate, Definitive Guide

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Elvis Presley's Graceland | 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard

The unique association between Elvis Presley and Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee, for more than 20 years (1957-1977), is so powerful that Elvis and Graceland are essentially interchangeable .

When Elvis Presley was a young boy, he promised his parents he would make a lot of money and buy them the finest house in town, putting an end to years of struggle. For Elvis Presley, Graceland - a charming and stately colonial revival-style mansion for himself and his parents - was the fulfillment of that childhood promise.  

Elvis' outstanding career spanned more than 20 years, crossed three pivotal decades, and encompassed three separate phases, but they were all variations on a lifelong theme of music. Early on, Elvis became known around the world by his first name alone, a universal recognition that still prevails in the twenty-first century.

1034 Audubon Drive

The Presleys bought their first house in 1956, a modest three-bedroom ranch-style house on Audubon Drive in east Memphis, but it did not meet their needs for very long.

3764 Highway 51 South : Graceland

On March 17, 1957, they purchased Graceland for US$102,500 and it was where Elvis lived for the next 20 years. After his death on August 16, 1977, Graceland was valued at US$350,000. Because of an annual upkeep bill estimated at US$500,000, the mansion was opened to tourists by Priscilla Presley on  June 7, 1982 .

We're Gonna' Move

Gladys was approached by realtor Virginia Grant who was aware the Presley's were looking to move. And it was a fairly straight forward search for someone that within a space of one year did not need to be concerned about money (To the surprise of realtor Virginia Gran who initially underestimated their buying power) when buying what would have to have been Memphis' and perhaps (one of?) Tennessee's most highly priced properties. the Presley's managed to impress the owners in more ways than one to gain the status of favourite buyer.

For Elvis Presley , 1956 was a year like no other. In January, he was a regional sensation, but by year's end he had become a national and international phenomenon. He made his first two albums for RCA (both million sellers), appeared on national television 11 times, signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures, and stared in his first movie, ' Love Me Tender '. Elvis' appearances on national television were pivotal events for America because his unconventional appearance and performing style caused nationwide controversy. Presley outraged adults, mesmerized the teenagers of the new youth generation, and soon became the leader of the cultural revolution sweeping across the country.

  Video : Home Movies of Elvis at Graceland

Elvis Buys Graceland | March 17, 1957

The house and farm that became Elvis Presley's Graceland predated his purchase and residence by almost two decades. The Graceland property was originally established as a 500 acre farm during the American Civil War (1861-1865) by publisher Stephen C. Toof (Owner of the Memphis Daily Appeal).

Ruth Brown Moore, the granddaughter of Stephen C. Toof, inherited Toof's farm from his daughter, her aunt Grace. In 1939, Mrs. Ruth Brown Moore and her husband, Dr. Thomas D. Moore , built a two-story Classical Revival residence and outbuildings on the land that had been in her family for almost 100 years and named it and the cattle farm they have as Graceland Farms in honor of her Aunt Grace. The architects were Max Furbringer and Merrill Ehrman. The builder was Robert Crouch.

The Moore's had a daughter, Ruth Marie , a musical prodigy who played the piano and the harp at age four.

A prominent Memphis architectural firm, Furbringer and Erhman, designed the house to showcase Ruth Marie's talent, designing the large rooms across the front of the house so they 'could be opened up to seat five hundred people for a musical event'.

Elvis purchased the property from Ruth Marie in 1957, herself to later become a celebrated harpist with the Memphis Symphony. So Ruth Marie sold to another talented musician in Elvis Aaron Presley .

On Saturday, March 17, 1957 , Elvis' mother and father called real estate agent Virginia Grant to see what she had to offer.

Grant wasted no time. That day she showed them two properties, leaving Graceland to last. By 6 p.m. she had accepted a $1,000 deposit from the Presley's and drawn up a provisional sales contract detailing the terms of sale, including an asking price of $90,000.

At 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 19, 22-year-old Elvis, accompanied by his parents, met Grant at Graceland. At this time the property was a 13.8-acre 'farm' about 10 miles south of downtown Memphis in Whitehaven, an area that was still largely rural at that time.

The property included a large, two-story house, a barn, and rolling pastures. Elvis surveyed the property for a few minutes, then baptized the house by playing some Rock 'N' Roll at a piano. Elvis, Vernon and Gladys Presley signed the sales contract on the spot as purchasers, and a closing date was set for Tuesday, March 26, at 4:30 p.m.

Elvis was fortunate to get Graceland as it had already been sold to the YMCA for US$35,000 when he saw it. By upping the price significantly Elvis finally obtained his 'home'. The purchase was funded by a combination of $10,000 cash deposit, trade of the Presley home on Audubon Drive for $55,000 and mortgage of $37,500.

When Elvis was a poor youngster, he frequently told his parents that some day he would make a lot of money, buy them the finest house in town, and end their years of hard work and financial struggle.

In April 1957 , the Presleys moved in - Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother, Minnie May Presley.

Easter 1957

The music gates.

When Elvis Presley purchased Graceland, the music gates were not a part of the property. Designed for Elvis by Abe Saucer and custom-built by John Dillars, Jr., of Memphis Doors, Inc., the custom music gates were delivered and installed on April 22, 1957.

Christmas 1957

Christmas, or to be more precise, bought both good and bad, the good, spending the first Christmas with his mom and dad at Graceland, but also on Friday December 20 , Elvis received his draft notice . 'It's a duty I've got to fill and I'm going to do it', he said. Initially ordered to report for duty January 20, he received a deferment for the filming of 'King Creole' (at that time titled 'Sing, You, Sinners') which was already in pre-production.

  Elvis Presley's Graceland Tour

In this video you can see a little of the once in a lifetime experience that is visiting Graceland. You will then want to visit Graceland we are sure. As you step inside Graceland Mansion, you will follow in the same steps as Elvis himself and see where Elvis lived, relaxed and spent time with his friends and family. Graceland tours offer a very personal look inside the home of the King of Rock 'n' Roll .

The deferment was granted and Elvis was inducted March 24, 1958 .

Drone Footage of Graceland

Working On The Building

Elvis added buildings, structures, and other additions to the property after his purchase in March 1957, and there has been some limited construction to accommodate visitors since the site opened to the public in 1982. Renovations over the years have seen Graceland grow from 10,266 square feet to 17,552 square feet. While Elvis liked redecorating, his parents added their own touches: a vegetable garden and a chicken coop.

3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard

When Elvis purchased Graceland in 1957, Highway 51 South and the area known as Whitehaven were 'out in the country'. By the 1970s, shopping centers, housing developments and apartment complexes had sprung up in the area only 12 miles south of downtown Memphis.

The City Council of Memphis, Tennessee voted to officially change the name of Highway 51 South to Elvis Presley Boulevard on June 29, 1971. The first sign was erected in January 1972 at a ceremony outside Graceland with Memphis Mayor Wyeth Chandler and Elvis' father Vernon Presley.

The actual street address of Graceland became 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard .

Graceland = Home

Elvis and his parents called Graceland home for the remainder of their lifetimes. Also resident at Graceland was Elvis' maternal grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, who outlived her son, daughter-in-law and grandson, passing away on May 8, 1980 at the age of 86. Vernon's sister, Delta, also lived at Graceland for a number of years.

The Meditation Garden

The Meditation Garden, just south of the swimming pool area, was constructed 1964-1965. It was built by Elvis as a place for contemplation. It includes a circular pool containing circular fountain jets, and a semi-circular pergola of Ionic columns on the south side of the pool with fountains. A stepped brick wall with four arched openings containing stained-glass panels curves to follow the pergola and encloses the Meditation Garden's south end. Presley planned this garden as a private retreat.

The Garden's centerpiece is a circular twelve-foot fountain pool with five single jets of water and a larger one in the middle all lit by colored floodlights. It includes a circular pool containing circular fountain jets, and a semi-circular pergola of Ionic columns on the south side of the pool with fountains.

A stepped brick wall (Made of Mexican brick) with four arched openings containing stained-glass panels curved to follow the pergola and encloses the Meditation Garden's south end.

After Elvis' death on August 16, 1977 , security issues at Forest Hill Cemetery, his original burial site, led to his reburial on October 2, 1977 on the south side of the pool with fountains. An eternal flame encased in a hexagonal glass container sits at the head of Elvis' grave. Elvis' mother Gladys was also reburied in the Meditation Garden, and the large marble monument from the Presley family plot at Forest Hill was relocated as well. Elvis' father Vernon was buried here in 1979, and his grandmother Minnie May Presley followed in 1980. The Meditation Garden also features a marker in memory of Elvis' still-born twin brother, Jesse Garon.

Present and Historic Physical Appearance

Graceland is about ten miles south of downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on Elvis Presley Boulevard (Highway 51 South - 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard). The property includes a large house with later additions, a number of outbuildings, ancillary structures, and landscape features.

Elvis added buildings, structures, and other additions to the property after his purchase in March 1957, and there has been some limited construction to accommodate visitors since the site opened to the public in 1982.

The house was constructed at the top of a hill, almost at the center of the property in a grove of oaks, with rolling pastures in front and behind it, and a western exposure towards the Mississippi River. A curving driveway, bordered by a six-inch concrete curb lined with small electric lights along the outside edge, approaches from the state highway at the foot of the hill and form a large loop that passes in front of the house and returns back down the hill. A wall constructed of pink Alabama fieldstone bounds the highway frontage on the west side, and runs along the side property lines almost to the site of the residence at the top of the hill. A tall, wooden fence abuts the ends of the stone wall and surrounds the remainder of the grounds.

The entrance to the property at the northwest corner has brick walls on both sides of the driveway, and a pair of large, curved, wrought iron gates (Built in 1957), decorated with guitar players and musical notes, that form an open music book when closed. There is a small brick guard house (Built in 1971) just inside the large gates on the right side of the entrance, and a shuttle bus stop (1982) near the top of the driveway.

The house is a two-story, five bay residence in the Classical Revival style with a side-facing gabled roof covered in asphalt shingles, a central two-story projecting pedimented portico, and one-story wings on its north and south sides. There are two chimneys; one on the north exterior side wall, and a second chimney that rises through the roof ridge on the south side of house. The front and side facades of the central block are veneered with Tishomingo limestone from Mississippi, and its rear wall is stuccoed, as are the one-story wings. Front facade fenestration at the first floor includes 12-over-12 double-hung windows set in arched openings with wooden panels above the windows, and six-over-six double-hung windows at the second floor. Four stone steps ascend from the driveway to the two-story central projecting portico. Its pediment has dentils, a central, small, leaded oval window, and rests on a full entablature supported by pairs of columns with Tower of the Winds capitals. The columns at the corners of the portico are matched by pilasters on the front facade.

The doorway has a broken arched pediment, full entablature (including triglyphs and metopes), and engaged columns. Its transom and sidelights contain elaborate, colorful stained glass, a 1974 addition. Above the main entrance is a window with a shallow iron balcony.

The one-story wing on the north end of the main block of the house is stuccoed and has two six over-six windows on its front (west) facade. Attached to this wing is an additional one-story stuccoed wing that originally housed a four-car garage . This section was remodeled as an apartment in the mid-1960s. The one-story wing on the south end is also stuccoed with a large four-part, multi-paned window at the center of the front (west) facade, and two multi-paned glass doors on the east facade. Photos of Graceland 1962 .

The Music Room

Living and Dining Rooms

The floor plan of the original building was basically in the shape of a cross, although the horizontal cross element is longer and wider than the vertical element of the plan. The entrance door opens into a wide and long central hall with a stair that rises to the second floor at the back, left (north) end of the hall. There are tall, wide, elliptical-arched openings from the center hall into the living room on its right (south) side and the dining room on its left (north) side. The arches are ornamented with keystones and paneled reveals, and carried on fluted pilasters. The width of these arched openings creates an open horizontal space across the front of the house. The hall, living room, and dining room have classical moldings.

Custom mirrors were also added to the entire east wall of the living room in 1974, including the fireplace on this wall. There is a large, rectangular opening between the living room and the music room in the one-story wing to the south. Its transom and sidelights contain custom-made stained glass by Laukuf Stained Glass of Memphis, another 1974 addition. The large sidelights feature matching blue peacocks.

The dining room has rounded curio cabinets in both corners at the north end of the room, and black marble flooring in the center of the room, which is carpeted around the perimeter.

There is a bedroom behind the living room, and the kitchen is located behind the dining room. The original one-story wing on the north end of the residence includes a mechanical room, bedroom, and bath.

The Jungle Room

In the mid-1960s, Elvis Presley constructed a substantial addition (14 by 40 feet) on the rear (east) facade of the house to serve as a den. It became known as the Jungle Room because of its furnishings, as well as the built-in waterfall of cut fieldstone on its north wall. The one-story section at the house's north end was constructed as a four-car garage. It was remodeled as an apartment in the mid-1960s, later used as offices, and currently provides additional exhibit space for the house museum.

Elvis used this room to record sixteen songs, on February 2-8 and October 29-30, 1976 - that were made into two albums, From Elvis Presley Boulevard and Moody Blue and produced the hit singles, Moody Blue and Way Down . One of the best CDs you could ever own is the Sony BMG, Follow That Dream Collectors Label release, The Jungle Room Sessions containing outtakes from the sessions.

TV and Pool Rooms

Elvis remodeled two of the rooms in the basement in 1974, the TV room in the southwest corner, and the pool room in the northwest corner. The TV room's west wall is painted with a lightning bolt and cloud motif in reference to the personal logo Elvis adopted in the 1970s, the initials TCB, and a lightning bolt, for 'taking care of business in a flash'. The south wall has three built-in television sets, a stereo, and cabinets for Elvis' record collection. The walls and ceiling of the pool room are covered with 350-400 yards of pleated cotton fabric.

The second floor : Upstairs at Graceland

Graceland's second floor is still maintained as a private residence and is not open to the public. The second floor includes Elvis' bedroom at the southwest corner; his dressing room and bath room at the northwest corner; his daughter, Lisa Marie's bedroom in the northeast corner; and a bedroom in the southeast corner that was Elvis' private personal office.

Building on ...

In the mid-1960s, Elvis constructed a large building, or wing, on the south side of the main house, between the music room in the original one-story wing and the swimming pool area. The kidney-shaped swimming pool and cut-stone patio, constructed in 1957, are adjacent to the south side of the Trophy Building. Before the site opened to the public, there was a small bath house just north of the pool, at the southeast corner of the Trophy Building. The bath house was remodeled to provide public restrooms with handicapped access.

A small 'breezeway' (which is enclosed, not open to the elements) was constructed to connect the main house to the new wing on the south side of the music room.

The new wing initially housed a slot car track but was later remodeled to house Elvis' many awards, trophies , and other honors, as well as memorabilia , guitars, jewelery, and stage costumes. Today it is known as the Trophy Building and a new entrance with plate-glass double doors was constructed at the northeast corner of the wing to provide better access for visitors.

The Trophy Building includes the Hall of Gold, an 80-foot-long room that showcases Elvis' original gold and platinum albums and singles in cases that line both sides of the Hall. There are also a number of display cases that exhibit Elvis Presley's many other awards, plaques, and proclamations, including his three Grammy Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy for the Recording Arts and Sciences.

The Grammy Awards

Vernon's Office

A small, one-story wood-framed building, constructed in 1939, probably housed servants originally. Elvis' father Vernon served as his business manager, and this building became his office after Elvis bought Graceland.

Guns!, Guns!, Guns!

There is no secret that Elvis loved fire arms, and liked to practice. The smokehouse (1939) is a one-story, two-room brick structure with two heavy wooden doors on its front facade. Elvis used it for target practice and storage.

There are three trailers at the back of the property in the northeast corner. The two double-wide's and one regular sized trailer (late 1960s, 1974) provided housing for friends and employees, and are currently used by Graceland employees.

The barn (1939) is located near the rear property line in the southeast corner. It is a wood-sided structure with gambrel roof, and still serves as a stable for the horses at Graceland , which has several pastures bordered by white wooden fences in front of and behind the residence.

The Racquetball Building (1975)

In 1975, Elvis built a 2,100 square foot, two-story structure at Graceland to accommodate his new interest for the sport of racquetball. The racquetball building is a large, two-story rectangular building (2,200 square feet). The interior included a lounge area and racquetball court on the first floor and upstairs, Elvis' private dressing room, Jacuzzi spa, and facilities for guests.

Today, the racquetball court serves as an additional exhibit area for Elvis' many awards, as well as his stage costumes. The court's entire north and east walls are covered in gold and platinum records presented to the Elvis Presley Estate in August 1992 by RCA executives and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the largest single presentation of gold and platinum awards ever made.

August 16, 1977

Elvis was in this building just hours before his death on Tuesday, August 16, 1977 . He had been out for a late-night dental appointment and came home shortly offer midnight. Elvis, his girlfriend Ginger Alden , along with his cousin Billy Smith and wife Jo played a few light-hearted games, then relaxed in this lounge around the piano. Elvis sat at this upright piano on that last day and played and sang.

Two of the tunes were 'Unchained Melody' and 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain'. Shortly thereafter, Elvis retired to his private suite upstairs at the mansion around 7:00am to rest for his evening departure to Portland, Maine; the beginning of the next leg of his concert tour schedule. At midday, he was found collapsed upstairs at Graceland and was taken by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital. Elvis was pronounced dead on arrival due to heart failure. In a matter of moments, the shock registered around the world.

Elvis' two airplanes, The Lisa Marie Convair 880 and JetStar were returned to Graceland in 1984 and are on display opposite Graceland. See our Elvis Presley Biography section for more on Elvis Presley.

Getting to Graceland: A little less conversation, a little more action

Graceland Links

Over the years.

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I've stood aloft on this stately hill for lo, these many years. I've known the great joys of life and wept its saddest tears. I've seen the leaves turn umber then bow to winter's snow. I've basked in the lights of Christmas and my pride would always show. I've shared the kiss of a mother's love and the paternal pride of a dad. I've known the joy of bride and child; thank God for the memories I've had. My owner redefined musical history with his unique style and voice. I saw accolades heaped upon him; he was clearly our nation's choice. I've seen his fans come up the hill and stand at windswept graves. I, too would cry along with them; I'd tire of being brave. Today my columns seem more erect; my pride shows within these walls. My life has taken on new meaning; his friends have come to call. I knew that one day you would come; I've waited and counted the minutes. Even though my owner is away just now, his heart is still here within it!

1982, Janelle McComb.

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Graceland: Fascinating Facts About This Iconic Tourist Attraction

Posted: February 18, 2024 | Last updated: February 18, 2024

Long Live the King

Elvis Presley, who died Aug. 16, 1977, would have been 89 years old this year. Whether you're a devoted fan or fascinated by the mystique surrounding the King when it comes to legendary musical destinations, there are few places as iconic as Graceland, Elvis' former home-turned-museum outside Memphis, Tennessee. The tourist attraction was named a National Historic Landmark in 2006, and its ownership will transfer after the Jan. 12 death of Elvis' daughter , Lisa Marie Presley, but there's lots more to know about the part paradise and part theme park that Elvis created for himself. 

Editor's note: This story was updated in February 2024

It Was Home to an Auction of Elvis Memorabilia

In early 2019, on what would have been Elvis' 84th birthday, Graceland held its annual auction. A red velvet shirt worn on stage by Presley at a 1956 show in Tupelo, Mississippi, sold for $37,500. A gold and diamond ring that Presley wore on stage (and later gave to his father Vernon) sold for $30,000. Overall, the auction made $600,000. As for the mansion and its contents, they are not for sale and all continued to be owned by Lisa Marie Presley, until her recent death when ownership was transferred to her three daughters . 

COVID-19 All But Destroyed Its Revenue

Once upon a time, Graceland was one of the most-visited homes in America, surpassed only by the White House. And then COVID came along. Apparently, the pandemic impacted Graceland to such a degree that the Tennessee state-issued bonds linked to tourist revenue  went into default , causing some serious blame game between the state, the city of Memphis, and Elvis Presley Enterprises. In 2017, The economic development agency, EDGE issued $104.3 million in Graceland Project bonds, and some of them were unrated or considered high risk. Now, nearly $20 million worth of those bonds are in default. Previous bond proceeds funded a huge expansion at Graceland, including a 450-room hotel, which generated a lot of traffic and subsequent revenue. But the hospitality industry took one serious gut-punch when COVID reared its ugly head, halting visits to the estate and stalling income, creating this hard-to-bounce-back-from state. 

Graceland Recreated for 'Elvis' Movie

The newly released "Elvis" biopic covers 42 years' worth of ground, from "The King's" birth all the way to his death in 1977. Director Baz Luhrmann researched the singer's roots in both Tupelo where he was born and Memphis, where he resided at the iconic Graceland. To make things all the more accurate, award-winning designer Catherine Martin was brought in to meticulously replicate the famous estate . Filmed in Queensland, Australia, the set of "Elvis" was just a bit more than a hop, skip, and a jump away from Tennessee. To recreate Graceland in the Land Down Under, the production team visited the estate several times, scoured over photographs, and reviewed plans in the Graceland archives. No detail was too small during the recreation — the team even took a paint chip from a closet and was able to match the blue paint from it.

Elvis' Parents Helped Choose His Home

Elvis enlisted his parents in the real estate search after his neighbors in Memphis proper grew tired of fans and press constantly in the neighborhood. Elvis purchased Graceland at age 22 in 1957 for $102,500 (about $1.1 million in today's money), and put a down payment of $1,000 on the estate .  

Related: The Most Expensive Celebrity Homes of All Time

The Name Wasn't His Idea

When Elvis bought the house, it was already called Graceland. It was named after the original owner's daughter, Grace, who inherited the property after her parents died and later passed it on to her niece, who sold it to Elvis.

It's a Big House

Graceland is 17,552 square feet, with 23 rooms, including eight bedrooms and bathrooms, plus a basement game room that was modeled after the painting of an 18th-century billiards room. Graceland has five sets of stairs and three fireplaces: two gas-burning and one wood-burning. There is also a kidney-shaped pool, installed at Elvis' request. 

Only the White House Has More Visitors

Graceland is the second-most recognized house in the U.S., after the White House, with over 650,000 visitors a year. In May 2016, Graceland welcomed its 20 millionth visitor. 

Elvis Kept Plenty of Snacks on Hand

Having a stocked fridge was important to Elvis — some of the "necessities" that had to be stocked "at all times" were shredded coconut, gum (Spearmint, Doublemint, and Juicy Fruit, three packs each), Fresh, lean unfrozen ground round steak, cans of sauerkraut and wieners, and banana pudding (made nightly), and at least six cans of biscuits. His grocery bill was about $500 a week. 

Watching Just One TV Wasn't Enough for the King

There is a TV room in the basement where Elvis liked to watch three television sets at once, right next to his wet bar. He reportedly got the idea from President Lyndon Johnson, who liked to watch all three major network news channels at once.

Elvis Kept an Unusual Pet There

Yes, Elvis had a chimpanzee named Scatter, who was known for pulling down women's skirts. Elvis liked to dress him up in costumes, and would drive around Memphis with Scatter in the front seat. But Scatter's misbehavior became too much for Elvis to handle and Scatter was sent to live in a climate-controlled room in Graceland. "Scatter wasn't the only animal friend who called Graceland home," says Christian Ross, marketing specialist at Graceland. "Elvis also had pet donkeys, peacocks, turkeys, just to name a few." These days, Ross says, there are still horses at Graceland Stables.

Elvis Took Graceland With Him When He Traveled

It Was Nearly Sold to the Highest Bidder

After the death of Elvis, the care of Graceland went to his father, Vernon. After Vernon died in 1979, Priscilla Presley, Elvis' ex-wife served as an executor to the estate, along with National Bank of Commerce in Memphis and Joseph Hanks, Elvis' longtime accountant. Due to the $500,000 it required a year in upkeep and the hefty property taxes, they were worried about having to sell it. Instead, Priscilla hired a CEO to turn Graceland into a museum, and once it opened to the public on June 7, 1982, it took only a month to make back the investment Priscilla put into it. 

You Can Tour Elvis' Private Customized Airplanes There

Should you decide to visit Graceland, you can explore via an interactive iPad tour, hosted by John Stamos and featuring commentary and stories by Elvis and his late daughter, Lisa Marie. You can also take a tour of the customized planes that Elvis traveled in — the Hound Dog II and the Lisa Marie , named for his daughter — complete with a living room, conference room, and a private bedroom, plus gold-plated seatbelts, leather-covered tables, and 24-karat gold-flecked sinks. "It's possible to immerse yourself in Elvis' life and career at the Elvis Presley's Memphis exhibit and entertainment complex (opened in 2017) and experience Elvis' roots, his influences, and his artistry," Christian Ross says.

Elvis Is Buried in the Meditation Garden

One of the additions Elvis made to Graceland was a secluded meditation garden, featuring plants and fountains, where he liked to reflect on life. The meditation garden also became his final resting place, after thieves tried to steal his remains for ransom shortly after his death.

Elvis Impersonators Are Invited to Graceland Every Year

In 2007, Graceland launched an Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest for Elvis impersonators looking to shine. The semifinal round usually happens every year at Graceland's Elvis Week , typically in mid-August. Elvis was apparently fine with his impersonators and, in a complimentary letter to one such artist, wrote that "mimicry is a sincere form of being a fan."

Graceland Has Way More Gift Shops Than Most Museums

Looking to go home with a souvenir? Graceland has seven gift shops, each with a range of apparel, jewelry, CDs, books, magnets, mugs, and more. A pair of Elvis-inspired gold sunglasses or a gold-plated TCB ring  are definitely memorable keepsakes. 

Many of the King's Favorite Cars Are on Display

Presley Motors, located inside the Elvis Presley's Memphis exhibit complex, is home to some of Elvis' favorite rides. "While no one knows exactly how many cars Elvis purchased or owned during his life," Christian Ross says, "Presley Motors is home to some Elvis' favorite automobiles, including his iconic Pink Cadillac, Stutz Blackhawk, 1956 Cadillac Eldorado, Dino Ferrari, Mercedes Benz limousine, Rolls Royce sedans and more."

It's the Place to Be for Christmas

"Christmas is one of the most festive times to visit Graceland," says Christian Ross. Christmas was one of Elvis' favorite times of the year, which Graceland celebrates with special Christmas-time tours. The property sparkles with the same original lights and decorations Elvis used to display at the Graceland mansion, including hundreds of blue lights along the driveway, a life-size Nativity scene, and Santa and his sleigh.

It's Possible to Sleep Nearby

When it's time to take a break, The Guest House at Graceland is located just a few steps from the gates of Graceland Mansion. It's been given a Four Diamond designation by AAA.

This article was originally published on Cheapism

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Elvis Las Vegas, On Stage 1973 4 CD Set & Vinyl LP from MRS

This 4CD set contains a varied selection of live performances recorded in February 1973, during Elvis' eighth engagement in Las Vegas. The shows, recorded at the Hilton Hotel, took place weeks after the historic satellite TV show, Aloha From Hawaii, was filmed and broadcast on 14 January.

All shows are presented in stereo for the first time ever and fascinating results to CD3 (3rd February Dinner Show) will mark this the best MRS stereo mix thus far. A bonus CD of remastered rehearsal tracks, recorded days before the engagement began, is also included.

The accompanying booklet - which includes rare photographs and memorabilia dating from this engagement - also features liner notes which set the scene.

For the LP version, CD3 (3rd February Dinner Show) has been chosen. These Limited Edition sets and will be available in both Black and Clear vinyl.

CD Tracklisting

CD 1 - Rehearsals - 25th January 1973

01 Something 02 You Gave Me A Mountain 03 Steamroller Blues 04 My Way 05 Love Me 06 It's Over 07 Blue Suede Shoes 08 I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 09 Welcome To My World 10 I'll Remember You 11 Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta.. 12 American Trilogy 13 A Big Hunk O' Love 14 I'm Leavin' It All Up To You 15 Faded Love 16 I Can't Stop Loving You 17 Separate Ways(Band) 18 Separate Ways(Band & Orchestra) 19 Bridge Over Troubled Water 20 Can't Help Falling In Love

CD 2 - Las Vegas Hilton - 2nd February 1973 (Midnight)

01 Also Sprach Zarathustra 02 See See Rider 03 I Got A Woman / Amen 04 Until It's Time for You to 05 Sweet Caroline 06 Steamroller Blues 07 You Gave Me A Mountain 08 Fever 09 Love Me 10 Blue Suede Shoes 11 Love Me Tender 12 Johnny B. Goode 13 Hound Dog 14 What Now My Love 15 Suspicious Minds 16 Band Introductions 17 I Can't Stop Loving You 18 An American Trilogy 19 Can't Help Falling In Love

CD 3 - Las Vegas Hilton - 3rd February 1973 (Dinner)

01 Also Sprach Zarathustra 02 See See Rider 03 I Got A Woman / Amen 04 Until It's Time for You to 05 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 06 Steamroller Blues 07 You Gave Me A Mountain 08 Fever 09 Love Me 10 Blue Suede Shoes 11 Love Me Tender 12 Johnny B. Goode 13 Hound Dog 14 What Now My Love 15 Suspicious Minds 16 Band Introductions 17 I'll Remember You 18 I Can't Stop Loving You 19 An American Trilogy 20 Can't Help Falling In Love

CD4 - Las Vegas Hilton – 3rd February 1973 (Midnight)

01 Also Sprach Zarathustra 02 See See Rider 03 I Got A Woman / Amen 04 Until It's Time for You to 05 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 06 Steamroller Blues 07 You Gave Me A Mountain 08 Fever 09 Love Me 10 Blue Suede Shoes 11 Love Me Tender 12 Johnny B. Goode 13 Hound Dog 14 What Now My Love 15 Suspicious Minds 16 Band Introductions 17 I Can't Stop Loving You 18 An American Trilogy 19 Can't Help Falling In Love

LP Tracklist

Las Vegas Hilton – 3rd February 1973 (Dinner)

01 See See Rider 02 I Got A Woman / Amen 03 Until It's Time for You to 04 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 05 Steamroller Blues 06 You Gave Me A Mountain 07 Fever 08 Love Me 09 Blue Suede Shoes 10 Love Me Tender

01 Johnny B. Goode 02 Hound Dog 03 What Now My Love 04 Suspicious Minds 05 I'll Remember You 06 I Can't Stop Loving You 07 An American Trilogy 08 Can't Help Falling In Love

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Elvis Presley's songs are unforgettable - they have stood the test of time, especially his singles of the 1950s, a decade in which he had a song at No. 1. for 59 weeks and 4 No. 1 albums ('56-'59). Read More .

Where do I go from here?