Elvis Presley's family moved to Memphis when he was 13. After working as a movie theater usher and a truck driver, he began singing locally as "The Hillbilly Cat", then signed with a local recording company, then in 1955 with RCA. He did much to establish early rock and roll music, bringing black blues singing into the white, teenage mainstream. Teenage girls became hysterical over his blatantly sexual gyrations, particularly the one that got him nicknamed "Elvis the Pelvis" (TV cameras were not permitted to film below his waist). When he died he had sold over 600-million singles and albums. The first of his 33 films was Love Me Tender; critics blasted most of his films, but they did very well at the box-office earning upwards of $150 million. Military service in the late 1950s and the "British invasion" of the 1960s reduced his concerts, though not his movie/recording income. He made a comeback in the 1970s, but his increasing weight and dependence upon stimulants and depressants took their toll. Since his death his Memphis home Graceland has become a shrine for followers. Elvis impersonators and purported sightings have become stock subjects for humorists.


Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (1973): $450,000
Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970): $500,000 + 60% of profits
Charro! (1969): $850,000 + 50% of profits
Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966): $225,000 + 50% of profits
Tickle Me (1965): $750,000
Girl Happy (1965): $500,000 + 50% of profits
Viva Las Vegas (1964): $500,000 + 50% of profits
Fun in Acapulco (1963): $500,000 + 50% of profits
It Happened at the World's Fair (1963): $500,000 + 50% of profits
Kid Galahad (1962): $1,000,000
Follow That Dream (1962): $1,000,000
Blue Hawaii (1961): $175,000
G.I. Blues (1960): $175,000 + % of gross
Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley (1960): $125,000
King Creole (1958): $250,000+50% of profits
Jailhouse Rock (1957): $250,000
Loving You (1957): $150,000
Love Me Tender (1956): $100,000

Twin brother Jesse Garon Presley died at birth (Elvis was delivered, approximately 35 minutes later). Won three Grammy Awards, all for his Gospel music. Was originally considered for the Kris Kristofferson role in A Star Is Born (1976), but Elvis turned it down because manager Tom Parker refused him permission to act in a movie where he wouldn't have top billing. Also, he didn't like the fact that the producer, Jon Peters, was completely unknown. Has more multiplatinum album sales than any other performer, with twelve albums selling over 2 million copies. Interred at Graceland Estate, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Is a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln's great-great grandfather, Isaiah Harrison. Has sold over 1,300,000,000 albums worldwide; more than any other musical artist/group in the world, including The Beatles. Bought Graceland mansion on 19 March 1957 from Mrs. Ruth Brown Moore for $102,500. The mansion, built of tan Tennessee limestone, consists of 23 rooms and 13.7 surrounding acres. The Music Gates were installed in April of 1957. In September 1955, "Country Song Roundup" magazine was the first to feature an article on Elvis, calling him a "folk music fireball". Elvis' body was placed in a family crypt in Memphis on Thursday, August 18, 1977. On Monday, August 29, 1977, however, an attempt was made to steal the body but the plan failed and three men were charged with trespassing and released on bond. Because of this incident, Vernon Presley, received approval from the Memphis Adjustment Board to allow re-interment of the bodies of Elvis and his mother Gladys Presley to the Meditation Garden behind Graceland, which took place on Sunday, October 2, 1977. From the time they met up until his death, Elvis always sent a roomful of flowers to Ann-Margret whenever she opened up a show in Las Vegas. His mother, Gladys bought him his first guitar at age 12, in 1947. Was one of the first people in the U.S. to own a "Betamax" system VCR After seeing him in concert, Liberace suggested adding flashy costumes into his act. Elvis took his advice, and became famous for his gold lame jackets and jeweled white jumpsuits. He later reserved a seat for Liberace at many of his concerts. Died with about $5 million in his bank account. "Heartbreak Hotel", which spent 17 weeks at #1 on Billboard's country chart (and 10 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100) was the #1 country song of 1956. His 1977 country hit, "Way Down," was the #1 song on Billboard magazine's country singles chart the week of Elvis' death. Nine other songs would go to #1 on Billboard's country charts between 1956 and 1981: "I Forgot to Remember to Forget," "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," and the two-sided #1 hit "Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel" (all 1956); "All Shook Up," "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" and "Jailhouse Rock" (all 1957); "Moody Blue" (1977); and "Guitar Man" (1981, a remixed version released more than three years after his death). Most of his 1950s #1 country hits were also #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well. Hysteria over "Elvis sightings" after his death were lampooned in the Mojo Nixon song "Elvis Is Everywhere" and "Elvis Is Dead" by Living Colour. Pictured on a 29¢ US commemorative postage stamp issued on Friday, January 8th, 1993, 58 years after of his birth. This was the inaugural issue in the Legends of American Music series. The lightest Elvis ever weighed, as an adult, was 170 lbs in 1960 following his discharge from the U.S. Army. The heaviest was at the time of his death, which was 260 lbs. He fell in love with Elizabeth Montgomery on the set of Kid Galahad (1962), she visited his house on two occasions. Nothing came of it as she was married to Gig Young at the time, but they remained good friends until he died. Made the first ever musical video of all time: Jailhouse Rock (1957). His 1960 single "It's Now Or Never" is one of the best selling singles of all times (if not THE best selling single), with sales estimated to be between 25 and 30 million copies. His 29¢ commemorative postage stamp issued in 1993, sold more copies than any other postage stamp in U.S. Postal Service history. The Beatles were admirers of his work and, although John Lennon said they enjoyed his company very much, Elvis himself, ironically, thought that they were a bad influence on America's youth. He was allegedly offered roles in The Rainmaker (1956), The Defiant Ones (1958), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), West Side Story (1961), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), True Grit (1969), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), A Star Is Born (1976) and Grease (1978). Elvis Presley angered Ed Sullivan by singing the gospel song, "Peace In The Valley" on his show, after Ed Sullivan personally asked him not to. Was a Deputy Sheriff in Shelby County, Tennessee. In 1973 he met with Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant and John Paul Jones in Los Angeles. An idol to the members of Led Zeppelin, Elvis wanted to meet "who was outselling him" at concerts (Zeppelin was in the midst of a record-breaking tour that year). A meeting was arranged with two of the four band members (Plant and Jones). Plant was so awestruck at meeting his idol in person that he could barely speak to him. Jones, nearly as awestruck as Plant, made small talk with the "King," and mentioned what a beautiful watch Elvis wore. Elvis, always the generous one, instantly traded his $5,000 gold and diamond watch for Jones' $10 Mickey Mouse watch. This broke the ice with all of them, and they became fast friends. Throughout the early '70s, members of Led Zeppelin even attended a few of Elvis' concerts, and were granted the privilege of sitting in the front row by the King himself. Was an Army veteran. He was drafted in 1958, stationed in West Germany and discharged in 1960. Presley, who achieved the rank of Private First Class, was a public relations headache for the Army, according to U.S. military documents released by the Pentagon on Thursday, June 9th, 2005. "Elvis Presley will not be released in a manner different from any other inductee serving overseas," the Army's adjutant general wrote to citizens who complained following reports that the rock 'n' roll icon would get an early "good behavior" discharge. When he entered the Army at Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday, March 24, 1958, there was a public outcry from his fans, and protests flowed to Washington, including a hand-written plea released by the National Archives and Records Administration. "Dear Mamie," one correspondent wrote to then-first lady Mamie Eisenhower. "Will you please, please be so sweet and kind as to ask Ike [President, Dwight D. Eisenhower] to please bring Elvis Presley back to us from the Army? We need him in our entertainment world to make us all laugh." A 1959 Army memo set out the Presley problem: "When Private First Class Presley was first inducted, there was considerable adverse public reaction . . . alleging that he would receive preferential treatment in the Army. This impression has been largely replaced by a public impression of a good soldier serving his military obligation . . . Many teenagers who look up to and emulate Private First Class Presley will . . . follow his example in the performance of their military service". More people watched Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (1973) (TV) (live via satellite TV broadcast) than those that watched astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon, on Sunday, July 20th, 1969. Son of Vernon Presley and Gladys Presley. His favorite sports were raquetball and football. After production of his 1968 NBC television special he told producer Steve Binder he would never make another movie or song he didn't believe in. Once gave a robe to Muhammad Ali which said 'The Peoples Champion'. His two favorite books were "The Holy Bible" and "The Impersonal Life". His mansion, Graceland, is the 2nd most-visited house in America. The first is the White House. The last film he saw at the cinema was The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He is mentioned in the song "Three Minute Boy" by Marillion (from their 1998 album "Radiation"). Loved football and often had three televisons set up at Graceland to watch all of the games. Helped to support an All-Negro Day at the Memphis Zoo in 1956. He was a huge fan of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and had requested to meet him in 1966, but the meeting never happened. Once an opera singer attended one of his 1950s concerts and met him backstage. The singer told Elvis that he sang like a hillbilly and needed singing lessons. Elvis replied by saying, "Thanks for the advice, but how many of the thousands of people out there tonight came to hear you sing?". Shown on a 5.50 kr postage stamp issued by Sweden in 2004. Held the world indoor attendance record for a concert, which was at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, on Dec' 31st 1975. There was 62,500 in attendance, with another record for takings in a single show $850,000. He was voted the 3rd Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone. Shares a birthday with fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members David Bowie, The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and legendary promoter Bill Graham. As an infant, he and his parents survived a tornado in Tupelo, Mississippi, that killed 233 other people and injured quite a few other residents there. Suffered from chronic insomnia. His tombstone gives his name as "Elvis Aaron Presley", whereas he was in fact named "Elvis Aron Presley". Although this fueled conspiracy theories that he had faked his death, it is generally believed he changed his middle name so it would be the same as the Biblical Aaron. Had glaucoma in the 1970s. He was a born again Christian who loved to sing gospel music. He had two full face-lifts and rhinoplasty during the mid-1970s. On one of these visits to hospital he was accompanied by Linda Thompson. Was director Robert Wise's original choice to play Tony in West Side Story (1961). Nephew of Vester Presley. In the month following his final concert at Indianapolis on Sunday, June 26 1977, he was reported to have gained a further 50 pounds, in weight. Of his many impersonators, his personal favorite was Andy Kaufman. Although his height was measured as 6' when he joined the army in 1958, photographs show Elvis was wearing his army boots at the time which may have slightly increased his height. His song "Heartbreak Hotel" is based on a suicide note left in a Florida hotel suite. In 1977 alone, his personal physician, Dr George Constantine Nichopoulos, (usually referred to as "Dr Nick") had prescribed 10,000 hits of amphetamines, barbiturates, narcotics, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, laxatives, and hormones for Presley. Among the actors who coveted the role, Elvis dreamed of playing Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972), but could not get an audition. He was an avid collector of guns and badges. Once claimed Robert Mitchum was the inspiration for his famous hairstyle. Presley met Mitchum to discuss the possibility of starring together in Thunder Road (1958), but unfortunately Tom Parker's demands for Presley's salary could not be met. Along with Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, Elvis was a member of the celebrated "Million Dollar Quartet", so named because they were money-makers for Sam Phillips' Sun Records label. He was seriously considered for the role of the Texas Ranger in True Grit (1969) starring John Wayne. Unfortunately, Tom Parker's demand that Presley receive top billing could not be met, so the part went to Glen Campbell instead. His autopsy detected fourteen different drugs in his bloodstream, ten in significant quantity. Named the highest earning deceased celebrity for the sixth consecutive year in 2006 by Forbes.com. He is credited as a co-writer of "(I'll) You'll Be Gone" (1965). This was the B side of the hit from his film Girl Happy (1965), "Do The Clam". It is found in his five-CD box set of '60s recordings. Elvis composed the lyrics and brought the song to a recording session. It was estimated that he earned earned $4.5 billion in his lifetime. Has sold 1.8 billion records worldwide, more than any other artist or music group. On Thursday, November 11th, 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. In 1970 he wrote to J. Edgar Hoover requesting to join the FBI at the height of its campaign against political protests in the United States. Was voted best singer of all time by Q Magazine. The last song he performed in public was "Can't Help Falling In Love". at The Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1977. Turned down leading role in The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), which went to his friend Roy Orbison. Following a concert in Hawaii in 1961, Presley concentrated on making movies and he did not perform before a live audience again for seven years until his 1968 TV Special and subsequent return to Las Vegas in 1969. Ranked #8 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll. Between 1957 and 1969, he performed only two concerts and made just two television appearances. In July of 2005, Presley was named one of the top 100 "Greatest Americans," following a vote organized by Discovery Channel. In the vote, Presley ranked ahead of all entertainers and in 8th place behind Presidents Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, plus Martin Luther King and Benjamin Franklin. His records have spent 2,574 weeks in both the UK singles and album charts, way ahead of his closest competitors Cliff Richard (1,982), Queen (1,755), The Beatles (1,749) and Madonna (1,660). In Alexandria, Louisiana, early in 1977 a local journalist complained that the singer was on stage for less than an hour and "was impossible to understand." In Baton Rouge, Presley didn't go on stage at all. He was unable to get out of his hotel bed and the rest of the tour was canceled. Robbie Williams dedicated his song "Advertising Space" to him. Of the movies, that he acted in, one he disliked the most was Clambake (1967). Some of his favorite movies were Rebel Without a Cause (1955), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Bullitt (1968) and Dirty Harry (1971). He was a great fan of Peter Sellers. On seeing Elvis Presley in rehearsal for "Stage Show" (1954) for which he was the producer, Jackie Gleason described Elvis as "Marlon Brando with a guitar". While he never joined any political party, his political views were somewhat mixed. During the early 1960s he was an outspoken admirer of liberal President John F. Kennedy. He later confessed to "weeping openly" at the news of Kennedy's death. Later in life, however, he made a more conservative move on the political spectrum. He began singing the praises of President Richard Nixon, and his right-wing streak culminated in a visit to the White House in December 1970. During the visit, Presley was photographed giving the President a handgun, which was (for security reasons) presented but not given. Presley spoke of his admiration for Nixon, revealed his disgust at the hippie counterculture, spoke disparagingly of The Beatles (he said that having earned their money in America, they had then left for England to promote "anti-American" feelings), fervently expressed his patriotism, offered to infiltrate and go undercover in left-wing hippie groups, asked to be appointed a federal narcotics agent, and even hugged the president twice. Nixon, for his part, was not sure if Presley was serious or not, but granted his request and made him an honorary federal agent. Nixon said he was equally parts bewildered and amused by the encounter, thanked Presley for his support, and the picture of the duo has become one of the most famous photos taken in the White House. On Presley's death in 1977, the former president asked Americans to lower their flags all over the country as a mark of respect. Voted the third greatest singer of the rock era in a Rolling Stone magazine poll in 2008. The last song he sang was "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", at home at the piano to family and friends, back on Monday evening, August 15th 1977. In 1953 while working as an usher in a local Memphis movie theater he sang, by request, "That's Amore" on stage. In the fall of 1955, he appeared in a Rock N Roll documentary "The Pied Piper of Cleveland" filmed in various locations in the Cleveland area, mainly Brooklyn High School. The film headlines many top acts of the day including Bill Haley and The Comets. Pat Boone, The Four Lads and others. This film has yet to be released. It is reportedly the property of Polygram International and in the Universal vault. Elvis' original bassist Bill Black was a member of Gene Krupa's band in the late '40s and in the early '60s formed "The Bill Black Combo". At his funeral procession, on Thursday, August 18th, 1977, there were 49 cars led by 11 white Cadillacs, totaling 60 vehicles. Many Elvis fans and historians agree that his 1969 recording sessions at American International Studios in Memphis which produced 34 songs of varying musical genres, from Pop to Country to R n B, standards and new, was among his greatest work. 1967 was the only year he failed to have a single in The Billboard Pop Top 20 during his recording career with RCA records (1956-1977). Owned a collection of Andy Kaufman tapes. His father Vernon and grandmother Minnie Mae both outlived him. Vernon died in 1979 at age 63; Minnie Mae died in 1980 at age 90. Bought former US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's yacht "Potomac", for $55,000 in January of 1964. Elvis Presley's date of birth, Tuesday, January 8th, 1935 was one day before comedian and actor, 'Bob Denver (I)''s date of birth, on Wednesday, January 9th, 1935. Elvis Presley's death on Tuesday, August 16th, 1977 and was 29 years after baseball athlete, Babe Ruth's death, Monday, August 16th, 1948.