Elvis' #1 Pop Singles on Cashbox, USA: Heartbreak Hotel (1956) Don't Be Cruel (1956) Hound Dog (1956) Love Me Tender (1956) Too Much (1957) All Shook Up (1957) Teddy Bear (1957) Jailhouse Rock (1957) Don't (1958) Stuck On You (1960) It's Now Or Never (1960) Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960) Surrender (1961) Good Luck Charm (1962) Return To Sender (1962) In The Ghetto (1969) Suspicious Minds (1969) Burning Love (1972) (The Cashbox chart is now defunct) Elvis Facts: Elvis was 5' 11" tall
Elvis' natural hair color was dark blond
Elvis' blood type was O Positive
Elvis' shoe size was 11D
One of Elvis'( maternal) ancestors, Morning White Dove (born 1800, died 1835), was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian
Elvis' uncle, Noah Presley, became Mayor of East Tupelo on January 7, 1936
The Presley family moved to Memphis on November 6, 1948
Elvis was issued a Social Security card in September 1950 with the # 409-52-2002
In 1954 some of the shows played by Elvis & The Blue Moon Boys were at the Overton Park Shell; the Bel-Air Club; Sleepy-Eyed John's Eagle's Nest Club and the Louisiana Hayride
Elvis' first manager was Scotty Moore, then Bob Neal, before signing with Colonel Tom Parker
The first DJ to play an Elvis record was Fred Cook (WREC), not Dewey Phillips (WHBQ). However, Dewey had the distinction of being the first DJ to play an Elvis record in its entirety
Elvis once dated famous stripper, Tempest Storm
Elvis was filmed from the waist up only during his 3rd and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
In the 50s Elvis was friendly with rising stars, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner and Ty (Bronco Lane) Hardin
Gladys Presley was 46 years old when she died, not 42, as many books suggest
The Roustabout album sold 450,000 copies on its initial release, 150,000 copies more than any of the preceding three soundtrack LPs. It was Elvis' last "soundtrack" album to reach #1 on the major album charts in the US
Elvis received $1m for filming Harum Scarum (aka Harum Holiday). The film grossed around $2m in the US
Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967
They were officially divorced on October 9, 1973
Elvis earns nearly $3.5m in 1968 and pays just over $1.4m in income tax
Elvis' return to live performing in Las Vegas on July 31, 1969 was in front of an "by invitation only" audience. Stars in attendance included Wayne Newton, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson
On January 9, 1971, the national Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) announced Elvis as one of "The Top Ten Young Men of the Year". Elvis spoke at the official awards ceremony on January 16
"Elvis: Aloha From Hawai" made entertainment history on January 14, 1973, when it was beamed around the world by satellite. In the Philippines it drew 91% of the audience, in Hong Kong 70%. The viewing audience was estimated at more than 1 billion
For his 4 week Hilton Vegas season in August 1973 Elvis received $610,000 Sales of Elvis' 1973 album, Raised On Rock, were less than 200,000 units on its initial release
Elvis paid $2,959,000 in income tax in 1973
In December 1976 Elvis was sworn in as a special deputy sheriff of Shelby County (Memphis) by Sheriff Gene Barksdale
Elvis' final live concert was in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977 When Elvis died, he and his father Vernon, were embroiled in an FBI investigation called Operation Fountain Pen More than 1,500 books have been published about The King in more than 30 languages
At Dec 2005 Elvis' biggest selling album in the US is the budget priced, Elvis' Christmas Album, with accredited sales of 9 million units (fingers crossed it reaches 10 million to give Elvis his first "Diamond" award)
By early2006, Sony BMG's "collectors label", Follow That Dream, had released more than 50 Elvis CDs
During the 1980s, tour guides at Graceland stated that Elvis' biggest selling album (globally) was Moody Blue, with sales exceeding 14 million
While Sony BMG estimates Elvis' global sales exceed 1 billion, the company is unable to substantiate this figure. Accredited sales worldwide are estimated to be less than 400 million
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JOHN BORDSEN, Travel Editor
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Well, to see Elvis and what he left behind. The anniversaries of his birth (Jan. 8) and death (Aug. 16) are major events; his Graceland mansion on the city's south side is the hub of the Elvis Universe. Graceland, where he lived, died and is buried, is part holy grail, part cash register. When you visit, keep these things in mind: |
1. This ain't Queens Road
Graceland -- 3734 Elvis Presley Blvd. -- is about nine miles south of central Memphis. The house was built in 1939 by a doctor whose wife's family had long owned the Graceland farm.The mansion is nice, but in our time of McMansions, Graceland isn't palatial.
2. Bring your wallet
You're asked for cash before you get out of your pink Cadillac.
The mansion is on the west side of the street; parking, the visitor center and shops in Elvis Presley Plaza are on the other. Parking is $5. (Tip: Park for free in the strip center just to the north of the plaza -- it's also loaded with stores selling Elvis stuff -- and walk over.)
3. This world is not flat
Graceland is not well-suited for visitors in wheelchairs or with strollers. You must board a shuttle bus for the ride across the boulevard and through the gates. While the mansion's second floor is closed to the public, some key rooms are down narrow stairways in the basement. Graceland was built as a private residence, not a walk-through shrine. The standard route through the place is maze-like.If you can't handle stairs, forget about touring the jets at the plaza. Access is walk-up only.
Graceland was built more than 60 years ago, when rooms tended to be smaller. At 17-by-24 feet, the dining room is large but not grand. Authorized photos, like those in the "Official Guidebook," make the chambers appear larger than they are and do not show the ropes visitors must peer over.
5. The lived-in look
The dining and living room you see first are formal; much more interesting are the places where The King relaxed.The kitchen cabinets have see-through fronts; they're filled with everyday glassware and such. And they're still used every December, when ex-wife Priscilla, daughter Lisa Marie and Presley relatives in Memphis gather for an after-tour-hours holiday party.
Downstairs holds the pool room and TV room -- well-appointed according to the famous owner's tastes and times, but a gussied-up basement nonetheless.
The pool room's ceilings and walls are covered in close to 400 yards of bright print fabric. You can't help but notice the big rip in the tabletop felt. The TV room next to it is an eye-popper in Prussian blue and bright yellow; built into the far wall are three TV sets -- an idea Elvis seized upon after he heard President Johnson liked to watch all three network newscasts simultaneously. There's a small bar, though Elvis was said to be not much for spirits.
6. Not as tacky as they say
So how over-the-top is the decor? You hear a lot about the faux wilderness look of the Jungle Room -- his first-floor den. Its look comes from his fondness for Hawaii, where "decor" is always laid on with a trowel.
EP bought the furnishings in Memphis, in a single 30-minute shopping spree in 1974. The room wasn't called the Jungle Room; he simply knew it as "the den." The glass partition that sets off the music room from the living room looks more Shakey's Pizza than Louis Comfort Tiffany. Elvis commissioned the panels, which bear matched peacocks; they replaced glass blocks he didn't care for. |
And the dining room with its high-back chairs around a 6-foot mirror-top table is ersatz chic.
7. Best indoor places to linger
The tour route leaves the house to take in dad Vernon Presley's garage-like office and the trophy building -- a rec room that holds display-case exhibits -- plaques, clothes (including Army fatigues and stage jumpsuits) and curios. The collection is extensive, a place to wallow in pop culture and American folkways. The Sincerely Elvis museum back at the plaza pales in comparison.Part of the racquetball building displays costumes from his later concerts, but the mood is more serious than sequinned.
The attendant stationed there tells you Elvis spent part of the morning of Aug. 16, 1977, at the spinet piano in the lounge, playing/singing for girlfriend Ginger Alden and Presley cousin Billy Smith and his wife.
That concert for four, which included singing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "Unchained Melody" was his last gig: Elvis went to bed and was found dead hours later.
8. Do see the Lisa Marie
Besides the display areas behind the house, there's a special exhibit area in the mansion. (Among the items that were on view this spring: his desk from upstairs. On it were the books "The Creative Process in the Individual" and "Gods From Outer Space.")
Some touches show his affection for conspicuous consumption: The guest bathroom up front has a sink basin with gold flecks and gold-plated sink.
More intriguing are the personal details learned from video monitors that offer snippets about the King and his jet, like his choice of in-flight beverages -- lime Gatorade and diet Dr Pepper.
Or his taste in the then-new world of home videos. His favorites? "Blazing Saddles," Peter Sellers movies and episodes of "Monty Python's Flying Circus."
With the King
For hours and prices for visiting Graceland, Elvis Presley's home and final resting place, call (800) 238-2000, toll-free; or visit www.elvis.com/graceland. A TRIP THROUGH MUSIC HISTORY
Quote:
"Elvis Presley is the supreme socio-cultural icon in the history of pop culture"
(Dr. Gary Enders)
Quote:
" Elvis is the 'glue' which holds our society together....which subconciously gives our world meaning"
(Anonymous)
Quote:
"Eventually everybody has to die, except Elvis"
(humorist Dave Barry)
Quote:
"He is the "Big Bang", and the universe he detonated is still expanding, the pieces are still flying"
(Greil Marcus, "Dead Elvis")
Quote:
"I think Elvis Presley will never be solved"
(Nick Tosches)
Quote:
"He was the most popular man that ever walked on this planet since Christ himself was here"
(Carl Perkins)
Quote:
"When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew I wasn't going to work for anybody...hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail"
(Bob Dylan)
Quote:
"When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted was to be Elvis Presley"
(Sir Paul McCartney)
Quote:
"You can't say enough good things about Elvis. He was one of a kind"
(Johnny Cash)
Quote:
"It isn't enough to say that Elvis is kind to his parents, sends money home, and is the same unspoiled kid he was before all the commotion began. That still isn't a free ticket to behave like a sex maniac in public"
(Eddie Condon, Cosmopolitan)
Elvis records reaching #2 & #3 on the Cashbox Pop Singles chart:
#2: A Fool Such As I (1959)
#2: A Big Hunk Of Love (1959)
#3: Hard Headed Woman (1958)
#3: One Night (1958)
#3: (You're The Devil) In Disguise (1963)
Elvis Facts:
Tickets for Elvis' show on March 29, 1957 in St. Louis cost $2.00 to $2.50
While in Germany Elvis was hospitalised with tonsillitis in October 1959
Despite being an illegal immigrant, photographic evidence shows Colonel Tom Parker traveled to Canada with Elvis in 1957
Elvis strongly believed there weren't enough good songs in King Creole to justify releasing a soundtrack album. RCA initially agreed, releasing two very successful EPs from the movie. A soundtrack LP eventually followed
During the 1960s Elvis had his own football team, Elvis Presley Enterprises, which played in the Menphis touch football league. In the 1962 final, EPE narrowlt lost to Delta Automatic Transmission. 6-13.
In Clambake, (Elvis) Scott Hayward's driving licence shows February 23, 1940...taking 5 years off Elvis' real age
In the 1970s Elvis was ofered $5m to stage a concert in front of the Pyramids in Egypt. When the Colonel declined the offer, Saudi billionaires raised the offer to $10m