Posted on Jan 8, 2021
Elvis Presley "Don't Be Cruel" (January 6, 1957) on The Ed Sullivan Show
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"On January 8, 1935, born on this day, Elvis Aaron Presley, the King of rock 'n' roll. He had his first No.1 in 1956 with the US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Heartbreak Hotel'. His first UK No.1 single was in 1957, with 'All Shook Up'. Presley went on to have over 100 US & UK Top 40 singles from 1956 - 2006. Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century, with estimated record sales of around 600 million units worldwide. Elvis Presley died on August 16th 1977."
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The Elvis Presley Rebirth * 2017 Documentary of Elvis Presley
visit : http://www.elvisthemusic.com/Graceland Excursions: Musical Landmarks of the Mississippi Delta Tour8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. The Graceland Excursions Miss...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for posting the music video of Elvis Presley performing "Don't Be Cruel" (January 6, 1957) on The Ed Sullivan Show in honor of his birth on January 8, 1935.
The Elvis Presley Rebirth * 2017 Documentary of Elvis Presley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL6-0mDZoGc
Images:
1. 1958 Elvis Presley U.S. Army enlisted soldier in Germany
2. Elvis Presley performing at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in 1956 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
3. Elvis cover Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Sunset Boulevard Corbis via Getty Images & Bob Thomas Popperfoto Getty Images.
4. June 30, 1956, photo, Presley wearing his lucky horseshoe diamond ring — is said to have been slightly nervous as he traveled from the Richmond, Va., train station.
Background from {[https://countrymusichalloffame.org/artist/elvis-presley/]}
"ELVIS PRESLEY
Birth: 01-08-1935 - Death: 08-16-1977 | Birthplace: Tupelo, Mississippi
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of fame: 1998
Widely hailed as the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley was indisputably the most influential performer in the history of rock & roll, and his life and career have been more thoroughly dissected than any others in popular music. The analysis continues at least partly because of the aura of mystery that even now surrounds him. He never gave an in-depth interview, possibly because of astute media handling but more likely because he found it impossible to account for all that had happened to him.
The one factor usually overlooked in discussions of Elvis Presley is that he came from the country market, and, in a sense, had a more powerful and lasting impact on country music than preeminent country stars such as Hank Williams or Jimmie Rodgers. Until Presley’s arrival, country music had been considered regional, and only a few artists, such as Eddy Arnold, had shaken off this stigma. Presley opened the door for younger country singers, such as Marty Robbins, Sonny James, and Johnny Cash, to get their music exposed to a broader market. The consensus around Nashville in the mid-to-late 1950s was that Elvis Presley was very bad for country music, that he had in fact almost killed it; in truth, he was very good for a younger generation of country musicians, giving them potential access to broader media exposure than their predecessors had enjoyed.
Presley, who was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, but lived in Memphis from November 1948, developed a true catholicity of taste. The generally accepted notion that he fused country and R&B is essentially true, but he embraced black and white gospel, mainstream popular music, light opera, and more. Memphis was a good place to hear all this, and, when Elvis first went to Sun Records to cut a commercial record in July 1954 (at the time he was working as a delivery truck driver), he had more or less found his style. He was successful in the country market surprisingly quickly. The music of established country artists such as Webb Pierce and Carl Smith was adult in content and execution. Elvis gave younger country fans something of their own. Much of its verve came from R&B, but it was marketed as country music, and the best exposure Elvis got in 1954 and 1955 was on the Louisiana Hayride and from country disc jockeys.
Elvis was already starting to show signs of breaking out of the country market when his Sun contract was sold to RCA in November 1955, a deal masterminded by his new manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Parker persuaded RCA to pay an unprecedentedly high $35,000 for Presley, a singer of virtually untested appeal outside the country market. RCA, though, was able to catapult him into the national marketplace via television and concentrated promotion. By the end of March 1956, his first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” had sold 1 million copies. In a way that Bill Haley never could, Presley became both a figurehead for rock & roll and a lightning rod for all those who despised it. In his dress, his stage moves, and his few stage-managed interviews, he projected an image that was at once threatening and vulnerable.
Presley’s catholicity of taste and his innate conservatism quickly became apparent in his career direction. He wanted to do movies, Christmas albums, gospel albums, and pop ballads. Perhaps he, too, saw rock & roll as something that might blow over, and he wanted a broad-based career in case it did. The transition was helped by a stint in the army from March 1958 until March 1960. He had made four movies before he went into the army (Love Me Tender, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole), and movies rather than concerts or television became the medium by which Elvis met his public during the 1960s. There were twenty-seven of them in ten years, most of them frothy and inconsequential. G.I. Blues was followed by two quasi-serious dramatic roles in Flaming Star and Wild in the Country. When the latter two flopped, the pattern was reestablished with Blue Hawaii, which was a box-office smash. It was followed by Follow That Dream; Kid Galahad; Girls, Girls, Girls; It Happened at the World’s Fair; Fun in Acapulco; Kissin’ Cousins; Viva Las Vegas; Roustabout; Girl Happy; Tickle Me; Harum Scarum; Frankie and Johnny; Paradise Hawaiian Style; Spinout; Easy Come Easy Go; Double Trouble; Clambake; Stay Away Joe; Speedway; Live a Little Love A Little; Charro!; The Trouble With Girls; and Change of Habit.
By the late 1960s Presley’s career was in serious trouble. The movies and the accompanying soundtracks had almost destroyed his reputation. He hadn’t appeared live since March 1961, and so it must have been with some trepidation that he made a live appearance at the NBC studios in Burbank in June 1968 for the taping of a television special that did much to restore his credibility. Apparently reinvigorated, Presley put more effort into song choice and returned to the upper reaches of the charts with “If I Can Dream,” “In the Ghetto,” and “Suspicious Minds.” Some have attributed the new career direction to his marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, although financial pressures and a desire to escape from the stagnant pattern he had established were probably more important.
Presley began performing again in Las Vegas in July 1969, and his two remaining movies were of performances (Elvis: That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour). He continued performing live until his death eight years later. For an artist of his stature, he seemed to encounter problems in acquiring the best new material, and many of his 1970s recordings were of older songs (“The Wonder of You,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Promised Land”). It also became clear that Presley himself was starting to suffer from debilitating medical problems, most of them, it was later revealed, stemming from prescription drug abuse. Several posthumous biographies recounted an almost impossible level of drug ingestion. Priscilla divorced him on October 11, 1973, and the last years of his life were tragic indeed as he wrestled with failing health, and a career that once again appeared to stultify him. Presley was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998. - Colin Escott
- Adapted from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Encyclopedia of Country Music, published by Oxford University Press."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Denny Espinosa SSG Stephen Rogerson SPC Matthew Lamb LTC (Join to see)Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SSG Franklin Briant SPC Woody Bullard TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury MSgt Paul Connors SPC Michael Terrell
The Elvis Presley Rebirth * 2017 Documentary of Elvis Presley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL6-0mDZoGc
Images:
1. 1958 Elvis Presley U.S. Army enlisted soldier in Germany
2. Elvis Presley performing at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in 1956 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
3. Elvis cover Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Sunset Boulevard Corbis via Getty Images & Bob Thomas Popperfoto Getty Images.
4. June 30, 1956, photo, Presley wearing his lucky horseshoe diamond ring — is said to have been slightly nervous as he traveled from the Richmond, Va., train station.
Background from {[https://countrymusichalloffame.org/artist/elvis-presley/]}
"ELVIS PRESLEY
Birth: 01-08-1935 - Death: 08-16-1977 | Birthplace: Tupelo, Mississippi
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of fame: 1998
Widely hailed as the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley was indisputably the most influential performer in the history of rock & roll, and his life and career have been more thoroughly dissected than any others in popular music. The analysis continues at least partly because of the aura of mystery that even now surrounds him. He never gave an in-depth interview, possibly because of astute media handling but more likely because he found it impossible to account for all that had happened to him.
The one factor usually overlooked in discussions of Elvis Presley is that he came from the country market, and, in a sense, had a more powerful and lasting impact on country music than preeminent country stars such as Hank Williams or Jimmie Rodgers. Until Presley’s arrival, country music had been considered regional, and only a few artists, such as Eddy Arnold, had shaken off this stigma. Presley opened the door for younger country singers, such as Marty Robbins, Sonny James, and Johnny Cash, to get their music exposed to a broader market. The consensus around Nashville in the mid-to-late 1950s was that Elvis Presley was very bad for country music, that he had in fact almost killed it; in truth, he was very good for a younger generation of country musicians, giving them potential access to broader media exposure than their predecessors had enjoyed.
Presley, who was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, but lived in Memphis from November 1948, developed a true catholicity of taste. The generally accepted notion that he fused country and R&B is essentially true, but he embraced black and white gospel, mainstream popular music, light opera, and more. Memphis was a good place to hear all this, and, when Elvis first went to Sun Records to cut a commercial record in July 1954 (at the time he was working as a delivery truck driver), he had more or less found his style. He was successful in the country market surprisingly quickly. The music of established country artists such as Webb Pierce and Carl Smith was adult in content and execution. Elvis gave younger country fans something of their own. Much of its verve came from R&B, but it was marketed as country music, and the best exposure Elvis got in 1954 and 1955 was on the Louisiana Hayride and from country disc jockeys.
Elvis was already starting to show signs of breaking out of the country market when his Sun contract was sold to RCA in November 1955, a deal masterminded by his new manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Parker persuaded RCA to pay an unprecedentedly high $35,000 for Presley, a singer of virtually untested appeal outside the country market. RCA, though, was able to catapult him into the national marketplace via television and concentrated promotion. By the end of March 1956, his first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” had sold 1 million copies. In a way that Bill Haley never could, Presley became both a figurehead for rock & roll and a lightning rod for all those who despised it. In his dress, his stage moves, and his few stage-managed interviews, he projected an image that was at once threatening and vulnerable.
Presley’s catholicity of taste and his innate conservatism quickly became apparent in his career direction. He wanted to do movies, Christmas albums, gospel albums, and pop ballads. Perhaps he, too, saw rock & roll as something that might blow over, and he wanted a broad-based career in case it did. The transition was helped by a stint in the army from March 1958 until March 1960. He had made four movies before he went into the army (Love Me Tender, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole), and movies rather than concerts or television became the medium by which Elvis met his public during the 1960s. There were twenty-seven of them in ten years, most of them frothy and inconsequential. G.I. Blues was followed by two quasi-serious dramatic roles in Flaming Star and Wild in the Country. When the latter two flopped, the pattern was reestablished with Blue Hawaii, which was a box-office smash. It was followed by Follow That Dream; Kid Galahad; Girls, Girls, Girls; It Happened at the World’s Fair; Fun in Acapulco; Kissin’ Cousins; Viva Las Vegas; Roustabout; Girl Happy; Tickle Me; Harum Scarum; Frankie and Johnny; Paradise Hawaiian Style; Spinout; Easy Come Easy Go; Double Trouble; Clambake; Stay Away Joe; Speedway; Live a Little Love A Little; Charro!; The Trouble With Girls; and Change of Habit.
By the late 1960s Presley’s career was in serious trouble. The movies and the accompanying soundtracks had almost destroyed his reputation. He hadn’t appeared live since March 1961, and so it must have been with some trepidation that he made a live appearance at the NBC studios in Burbank in June 1968 for the taping of a television special that did much to restore his credibility. Apparently reinvigorated, Presley put more effort into song choice and returned to the upper reaches of the charts with “If I Can Dream,” “In the Ghetto,” and “Suspicious Minds.” Some have attributed the new career direction to his marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, although financial pressures and a desire to escape from the stagnant pattern he had established were probably more important.
Presley began performing again in Las Vegas in July 1969, and his two remaining movies were of performances (Elvis: That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour). He continued performing live until his death eight years later. For an artist of his stature, he seemed to encounter problems in acquiring the best new material, and many of his 1970s recordings were of older songs (“The Wonder of You,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Promised Land”). It also became clear that Presley himself was starting to suffer from debilitating medical problems, most of them, it was later revealed, stemming from prescription drug abuse. Several posthumous biographies recounted an almost impossible level of drug ingestion. Priscilla divorced him on October 11, 1973, and the last years of his life were tragic indeed as he wrestled with failing health, and a career that once again appeared to stultify him. Presley was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998. - Colin Escott
- Adapted from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Encyclopedia of Country Music, published by Oxford University Press."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Denny Espinosa SSG Stephen Rogerson SPC Matthew Lamb LTC (Join to see)Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SSG Franklin Briant SPC Woody Bullard TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury MSgt Paul Connors SPC Michael Terrell
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LTC Stephen F.
I have taken the liberty to edit some of the rough language from this documentary. I still recommend that it be considered PG-13 due to subject matter and wh...
Elvis Last 24 Hours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kezAqHaDg2E
Images:
1. President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley - The Oval Office - December 21, 1970.
2. Elvis Presley - Las Vegas - August 17, 1969
3. Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley swap autographs, Overton Park Shell, Memphis June 1, 1956
4. Elvis Presley's Graceland - 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard
Background from {[https://www.graceland.com/biography//]}
EARLY CHILDHOOD
For Elvis Presley, childhood and adolescence were difficult and often involved working to help the family with finances. He picked up music early from local gospel groups and picked up the guitar when he was only 11 years old. Read on to learn more about Elvis Presley as a child and get to know what early life was like for America’s iconic singer.
JANUARY 8, 1935
In Tupelo, Mississippi, shortly before dawn, in a two-room house built by her husband, Vernon Presley, and her brother-in-law, Gladys Presley gives birth to twin sons. The first, Jessie Garon, is born stillborn. The second, Elvis Aaron, is born alive and healthy. Elvis would be their only child.
1935 - 1948
Elvis grows up within a close-knit, working class family, consisting of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who all live near one another in Tupelo. There is little money, but Vernon and Gladys do their best to provide for their son, who is the center of their lives. They move from one house to another in Tupelo. Elvis attends the Assembly of God Church with his family, and the music and preaching register deeplywith Elvis Presley. Childhood influences include black blues-men in the neighborhood and country music radio programs enjoyed by his family.
OCTOBER 3, 1945
Ten-year-old Elvis stands on a chair at a microphone and sings "Old Shep" in a youth talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, held in Tupelo. The talent show is broadcast over WELO Radio. Winning fifth prize, Elvis receives $5.00 in fair ride tickets. This is one of the first public musical performances for Elvis Presley as a child.
1946
Elvis’ parents cannot afford a bicycle that Elvis wants, so Gladys talks him into accepting a guitar instead. Elvis' first guitar costs $12.95 and is purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Company.
NOVEMBER 6, 1948
Elvis plays his guitar and sings "Leaf on a Tree" for his Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell. Elvis and his parents pack their belongings in a trunk, strap it to the roof of their 1939 Plymouth, and move to Memphis, Tennessee, in search of a better life economically. Other members of the Presley and Smith family would follow.
1948 - 1953
Elvis and his parents live in public housing or low rent homes in the poor neighborhoods of north Memphis. Life continues to be hard. Vernon and Gladys go from job to job and Elvis attends L.C. Humes High School. Elvis works at various jobs to help support himself and his parents. The Presley-Smith family remains close-knit, and Elvis and his family attend the Assembly of God Church. The teenage Elvis continues to be known for singing with his guitar. He buys his clothes on Beale Street and he absorbs the black blues and gospel he hears there. He’s also a regular audience member at the all-night, white and black, gospel sings that are held downtown. He wears his hair long (compared to the day’s standards) and slick, and lets his sideburns grow. He’s really different from the other kids, a good-natured misfit.
While at Humes High, Elvis nervously sings with his guitar at a student talent show. Much to his own amazement, he gets more applause than anyone else and wins, then performs an encore. The acceptance feels good.
JUNE 3, 1953
Elvis graduates from Humes High School.
1953
Elvis works at Parker Machinists Shop right after graduation. That summer, he drops by The Memphis Recording Service, home of the Sun label, and makes a demo acetate of "My Happiness" and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" for a cost of about $4.00 as a birthday present for his mother, Gladys. Sam Phillips records Elvis singing "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," and afterwards tells his assistant Marion Keisker something that made her write down in her notes, "Good ballad singer. Hold.”
1954 - 1957
JANUARY 1954
Elvis makes another demo acetate at Sun Studio. This is one of many early Elvis recording sessions.
APRIL 20, 1954
Elvis changes jobs again, going to work for Crown Electric Company. At Crown, he does various jobs, including driving a delivery truck and delivering supplies to job sites. He also goes to night school and studies to be an apprentice electrician.
JUNE 6, 1954
At Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Sam Phillips calls Elvis into the studio to try singing a song Sam hopes to put out on record. The song is "Without You" and Elvis does not sing it to Sam’s satisfaction. Sam asks Elvis what he can sing and Elvis runs through a number of popular tunes. Sam is impressed enough to team Elvis up with local musicians Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) to see if they together can come up with something worthwhile.
JULY 4, 1954
Elvis meets Scotty and Bill, but nothing really clicks until July 5, when after a tedious session, Elvis and the guys break into a sped-up version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right." This song, backed with “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” becomes the first of five singles of early Elvis songs recorded and released on the Sun label.
SUMMER OF 1954
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill start performing together, with Scotty acting as the group’s manager. Elvis continues to work at Crown Electric as the group starts to play small clubs and books other small-time gigs locally and throughout the South, enjoying moderate success with the records and personal appearances.
OCTOBER 2, 1954
Elvis’ one appearance on the “Grand Ole Opry” doesn’t go over particularly well, with one of the Opry officials reportedly suggesting that Elvis go back to driving a truck. The Opry is very important at this time. This is a painful disappointment in Elvis' early career.
Elvis, Scotty and Bill continue to record and to travel. They quit their day jobs in mid-October 1954.
OCTOBER 16, 1954
They appear for the first time on the ”Louisiana Hayride,” a live, Saturday night, country music radio show originating in Shreveport, Louisiana, broadcast over KWKH Radio. The show is the “Grand Ole Opry's” chief competitor, carried by 190 stations in thirteen states. This leads to regular appearances on the Hayride. In November, Elvis signs a one year contract for 52 Saturday night appearances. This is a great break, but as Elvis’ popularity grows, his commitment to the Hayride prevents him from traveling much outside the South to further his career on a larger scale.
JANUARY 1, 1955
Elvis signs a contract with Bob Neal, who now becomes his manager.
JANUARY 15, 1955
During his association with the Hayride, Elvis meets “Colonel” Tom Parker, a promoter and manager connected with various acts and the ”Louisiana Hayride.” Parker is also the manager for country star Hank Snow. A previous Parker client is country star Eddy Arnold.
1955
Elvis, Scotty and Bill continue touring on their own and in package shows with various country stars, including package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J. Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis fails to be accepted on “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts,” a network television show. As always, Elvis’ live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers, especially the females. His original and unusual style, sexy moves, and good looks start to cause more and more excitement wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and more popularity and begins to receive national attention. Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis’ career.
AUGUST 15, 1955
Elvis signs an official management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor. Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager from this time on and Snow is soon no longer connected to Elvis.
NOVEMBER 20, 1955
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and other early Elvis songs that are unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $35,000, with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time, Elvis signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company, which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the music business.
JANUARY 10, 1956
Two days after his twenty-first birthday, RCA holds the first of many Elvis recording sessions at their studio in Nashville. Among the early Elvis songs laid to tape during this studio session is "Heartbreak Hotel."
JANUARY 27, 1956
"Heartbreak Hotel" b/w "I Was the One" is released on vinyl by RCA and sells over 300,000 copies in its first three weeks on the market. It is soon to go to #1 on Billboard’s pop singles chart for eight weeks and hits #1 on the country chart and #5 on the R&B chart. It becomes the first Elvis single to sell over one million copies, thus earning Elvis his very first gold record award.
JANUARY 28, 1956
Elvis appears with Scotty, Bill and D.J. on the Jackie Gleason-produced “Stage Show,” starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, on CBS. This is Elvis’ first network television appearance. He appears five more nights on “Stage Show” over the weeks ahead and makes minor waves nationally. The last of these six appearances is March 24. Traveling and personal appearances continue during this time, including the “Louisiana Hayride” appearances for which he is still under contract.
FEBRUARY 1956
As "Heartbreak Hotel" makes its climb up the charts on its way to #1, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" b/w "Mystery Train," Elvis' fifth and last single to be released on the Sun label, hits #1 on Billboard’s national country singles chart. His first #1 hit on a national chart.
MARCH 23, 1956
RCA ships “Elvis Presley,” the first album in Elvis’ discography. This album full of early Elvis songs soon goes to #1 on Billboard’s pop album chart for 10 weeks. It is the first Elvis album to reach over $1 million in sales, thus earning Elvis his first gold album award.
MARCH 25, 1956
Elvis arrives in Los Angeles to begin a two-part screen test for Paramount Studios in Hollywood on the 26th and 27th. He lip syncs "Blue Suede Shoes" and performs a scene from the as yet unmade film, “The Rainmaker.”
APRIL 3, 1956
Elvis appears on “The Milton Berle Show” on NBC. This particular broadcast of the show originates from the deck of the aircraft carrier the USS Hancock.
APRIL 2 - 6, 1956
Elvis signs a one-picture movie contract with Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures. The contract includes options for six more pictures.
APRIL 23 - MAY 9, 1956
Compared to the usual hysteria, Elvis has lukewarm acceptance for his two-week engagement at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. He is not exactly what the adult audience of Vegas gamblers relates to very well. During these two weeks, the single “Heartbreak Hotel,” and the album “Elvis Presley,” both hit number one on the Billboard pop charts. Through all of this, the travel and personal appearances around the country and new Elvis recording sessions and releases continue. The crowds get bigger and bigger, wilder and wilder. Elvis’ fame grows dramatically. Some of these shows have to end early due to fans’ storming the stage. Elvis creates pandemonium wherever he goes.
JUNE 5, 1956
Elvis appears again on “The Milton Berle Show,” this time in the studio where the show usually originates, backed by The Jordanaires, Scotty, Bill and D.J. Among his selections is a playfully sensuous performance of "Hound Dog" that drives the kids in the audience wild and disgusts the press and some of the adult viewers. It is one of his most controversial performances. This merely serves to fuel his seemingly unstoppable popularity even more. Traveling, personal appearances and new record releases continue. By this time, his sexy moves and black-influenced sound is being condemned by certain factions of the “morally concerned” establishment and the religious community. But the kids love it.
JULY 1, 1956
Elvis appears on “The Steve Allen Show” on NBC. Among his performances this night is a much toned down version of "Hound Dog." Allen has Elvis dress in white tie and black tux with tails and has him sing the song to a live Basset Hound, a tongue-in-cheek response to all controversy created by the Berle appearance the month before. Elvis good-nature goes along with it, but is not too happy about it. Elvis also appears in a cowboy comedy sketch with Allen, Imogene Coca and Andy Griffith. The Elvis recording sessions, record releases and touring continue. The condemnation and controversy continues as well, along with the ever-growing popularity. Ed Sullivan, who had said that he would never have the likes of Elvis Presley on his show, changes his tune when he sees the big ratings that Elvis attracts to the Berle and Allen shows. A three-appearance deal is worked out for $50,000 and is the highest amount ever paid to a performer, up to that time, for appearing on a variety show.
JULY 2, 1956
The Jordanaires, a gospel quartet and popular country back-up group, begin working with Elvis in the studio during his fourth RCA session and soon begin touring with him. They will also appear with him in several films and remain his main back-up group until the late sixties.
AUGUST 1956
Elvis begins shooting his first movie, “Love Me Tender,” on loan-out from Paramount to Twentieth Century Fox. It is originally titled “The Reno Brothers,” but is re-titled before its release to capitalize on Elvis’ sure-to-be-a-hit single from the soundtrack.
SEPTEMBER 9, 1956
Elvis makes the first of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the top television program of the era. Elvis attracts the highest ratings ever for any television variety show, receiving 80% of the national viewing audience. Character actor Charles Laughton hosts in place of Sullivan, who is recuperating from a car accident.
SEPTEMBER 26, 1956
Elvis Presley Day is proclaimed in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis’ parents join him as he returns to the town of his birth as a big star. He performs two shows at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, the same fair at which he had performed at age 10. This time there are a hundred National Guardsmen surrounding the stage to control the crowds of excited fans.
By this time, souvenir merchandising using Elvis’ name, image and likeness has become a big part of the Elvis phenomenon. Licensees will soon be producing as many as thirty different products including hats, t-shirts, jeans, kerchiefs, sneakers, shirts, blouses, belts, purses, billfolds, wallets, charm bracelets, necklaces, magazines, gloves, bookends, a statue, lipstick, cologne, stuffed hound dogs, stationery, sweaters, crockery, and more. Elvis and the Colonel are to blaze new trails in the area of celebrity merchandising. This is to be forever a part of the marketing of Elvis Presley, feeding a never-ending demand.
OCTOBER 28, 1956
Elvis makes his second of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.
NOVEMBER 15, 1956
Elvis’ first movie, “Love Me Tender,” premieres at the Paramount Theater in New York City, opening nationwide in the days following. It becomes a smash hit and the critics’ reviews aren’t bad for his acting in this melodrama, which is set in the American South of the 1800’s Civil War era. The film has Elvis performing several songs.
DECEMBER 31, 1956
The front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that in the past few months, Elvis merchandise has grossed $22 million in sales. Elvis ends the pivotal year of his career, when regional popularity gave way to unprecedented national and international fame. The year of 1956 has seen the beginning of Elvis souvenir merchandising, the beginning of a successful movie career, huge record sales (five number one singles on the pop chart, two number one albums on the pop chart, and other hits), history-making television appearances, record-breaking personal appearances and more. Elvis has become the primary symbol of the new youth culture in America. He has also become one of society’s most controversial figures. His unique blending of white country and gospel music, black R&B and gospel, white pop music, his particular brand of charisma and talent, and the resulting success and controversy, have helped him greatly to begin, without premeditation, a cycle of change in music and pop culture and the mores of American society. Nothing will ever be the same for Elvis Presley or for the world.
JANUARY 6, 1957
Elvis makes his third and final appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” It is for this appearance, that Elvis is seen only from the waist up. It’s funny that after all of his television appearances the previous year, such censorship comes at this time. It is particularly amusing that this guideline remains in place during Elvis’ performance of the gospel standard, “Peace in the Valley,” one of five songs he performs on this Sullivan appearance. Ed Sullivan himself helps diffuse some of the controversy surrounding Elvis when he comes out on stage to thank Elvis and tells the studio audience and millions of American television viewers that “this is a decent, fine boy” and what a delight he has been to work with when appearing on the show. Ed Sullivan is the most influential person on television and one of the most powerful people in the television industry at the time. Personal appearances, recording sessions, record releases, controversy and publicity continue.
JANUARY 1957
Elvis begins production of his second movie, “Loving You.” Elvis also begins dying his hair black.
FEBRUARY 3, 1957
The New York Times runs a story entitled, "Presley Records a Craze in Soviet Union." Elvis records are not legally available in the Soviet Union. The article tells of bootleg recordings being cut on discarded X-ray plates and being sold in Leningrad on the black market for fifty rubles (about twelve and a half dollars) each, a lot of money at the time.
MARCH 1957
Elvis buys Graceland Mansion for himself, his parents, and his paternal grandmother to live in for $102,500. It will be ready for them to move into on May 16th, 1957. Elvis doesn't spend his first night in Graceland until June 26th, 1957.
APRIL 1957
While touring with his show, Elvis performs outside the U.S. for the first time when he appears in Canada. Two shows are in Toronto on April 2 and two shows are in Ottawa on April 3.
MAY 1957
Elvis begins work on his third motion picture, “Jailhouse Rock,” for MGM.
JULY 9, 1957
Elvis' second motion picture, “Loving You,” premieres in Memphis. It opens nationwide on July 30 and is on the Variety’s National Box Office Survey for four weeks, peaking at #7. Elvis skips the premiere, but takes Anita and his parents to see a private midnight screening. Hit records include early Elvis songs such as the title track and classic smash "Teddy Bear." Traveling, touring, record releases and personal appearances continue.
AUGUST 31, 1957
Elvis performs in Vancouver. This is the third Canadian city he has performed in and marks the last time he will perform a concert outside the United States.
SEPTEMBER 27, 1957
Elvis returns once more to the town of his birth to perform. This time it is a benefit for the proposed Elvis Presley Youth Recreation Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. The grounds include Elvis’ birthplace home. He will donate regularly to the center for the rest of his life.
OCTOBER 17, 1957
“Jailhouse Rock,” Elvis’ third motion picture, premieres in Memphis. “Jailhouse Rock” opens nationally on November 8 and peaks at #3. It ends up being #14 for the year. By 1969, its earnings in the U.S. and Canada were roughly comparable with those of “The Wizard of Oz.” The title song is a smash hit. Years later, this film will be considered one of Elvis’ best acting performances, surpassed only by “King Creole,” which is to follow in 1958. “Jailhouse Rock” will come to be considered the ultimate classic of all “rock opera” movies. The "Jailhouse Rock" production number in the film is to be recognized as the grandfather of pop/rock music videos, a music format to become widely popular by the 1980’s.
NOVEMBER 10 – 11, 1957
Elvis performs shows in Hawaii for the first time. This would also be his last public appearance before entering the Army.
DECEMBER 1957
Elvis and family enjoy their first [Christmas at Graceland]. Elvis also officially receives his draft notice, a day he has known would be coming soon.
1958 - 1961
LATE JANUARY- EARLY MARCH 1958
Elvis films and records for his fourth motion picture, "King Creole," often recognized as one of the best Elvis movies.
MARCH 24, 1958
The Elvis Army years begin as Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army at the Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number 53310761.
MARCH 25, 1958
Elvis gets his famous G.I. haircut at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.
MARCH 28, 1958
Elvis arrives at Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training and is stationed there for six months.
JUNE 10, 1958
After basic training, while on his first leave, Elvis has a recording session. This is his last recording session until 1960. Among the songs recorded is "A Big Hunk O' Love."
JUNE 20, 1958
Elvis' parents soon move into a temporary trailer near the Army base at Fort Hood, Texas. They move into a house on July 1.
JULY 2, 1958
“King Creole,” Elvis’ fourth motion picture opens nationally and the reviews are the best he will ever have for his acting. Its impressive list of co-stars and supporting cast includes Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger and Vic Morrow. It becomes a top five film at the box office. The movie is set in New Orleans and based upon the Harold Robbins novel, "A Stone for Danny Fisher." This is Elvis in his prime – The film will come to be regarded as one of the best Elvis movies, his greatest acting performance, and proof of his potential to have become a respected serious actor, though the realization of this desire will remain forever out of his grasp.
AUGUST 8, 1958
Gladys Presley becomes ill and returns to Memphis via train to be hospitalized with acute hepatitis. Elvis is granted emergency leave and arrives in Memphis on the afternoon of August 12. He visits her that night, and the next day and night. A few hours after Elvis goes home to Graceland to rest, she dies in the early hours of August 14 at age 46. Her body lies in state at Graceland that afternoon. Services are at the Memphis Funeral Home on the 15, with the Blackwood Brothers singing "Precious Memories" and "Rock of Ages," two of Gladys Presley’s favorite hymns. She is laid to rest at Forest Hill Cemetery, close to Graceland. Elvis is devastated.
AUGUST 24, 1958
Elvis reports back to Fort Hood.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1958
Elvis boards a troop train to New York on September 19, and then later boards the USS Randall and sails to Germany, arriving on October 1. He will be stationed in Friedberg for 18 months, maintaining an off-base residence in Bad Nauheim, shared with his father, grandmother and some friends from Memphis. Elvis’ Army years expose him to fans in Europe and he finds them to be as enthusiastic as those in the U.S.
JANUARY 8, 1959
Elvis is interviewed off-camera via trans-Atlantic telephone by Dick Clark on “American Bandstand” on ABC-TV. The show commemorates the star’s 24th birthday. Later in January, the family moves from a hotel to a rented house. Also, Elvis poses with actress Vera Tschechowa and the March of Dimes poster child. Colonel Parker continues to keep Elvis’ career alive with promotions and hit record releases.
MARCH 3 – 5, 1959
On a three-day leave, Elvis travels to Munich where he visits actress Vera Tschechow and the Moulin Rouge.
JUNE 13 – 27, 1959
Elvis visits Paris and Munich.
AUGUST 15, 1959
Captain Joseph Beaulieu moves from Texas to Weisbaden Air Force Base near Friedberg, Germany, accompanied by his wife and children, including his 14 year-old stepdaughter, Priscilla Ann. Priscilla is the only child from Ann Beaulieu’s marriage to her first husband, James Wagner, a Navy pilot who was killed in a plane crash when Priscilla was an infant.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1959
Through a mutual friend, Priscilla is invited to a party at Elvis’ home soon after her arrival in Germany. They meet and the rest is history.
JANUARY 8, 1960
Elvis does a second phone interview with Dick Clark. A birthday party for Elvis includes 200 invited guests, including Priscilla. Joe Esposito and others present him with a trophy inscribed, "Elvis Presley. Most Valuable Player. Bad Nauheim Sunday Afternoon Football Association, 1959.”
JANUARY 12 – 17, 1960
Elvis goes on a second leave to Paris with his karate instructor, Jurgen Seydel, to study with Japanese karate teacher, Tetsuji Murakami. He takes lessons every day in the shotokan technique.
JANUARY 20, 1960
Elvis is promoted to Sergeant. He leaves on maneuvers on the 24th and will get his full sergeant's stripes on February 11, 1960.
MARCH 1960
The Elvis Army years come to an end on March 2 at 5:25 p.m. as Elvis leaves Germany and arrives in New Jersey the next day for a press conference. He is officially discharged from active duty on March 5, 1960, at 9:25 a.m. He boards a train for Memphis, arriving on March 8. Press and crowds of fans are everywhere for this historic series of events. He holds a press conference at Graceland in his father’s office behind the mansion on March 8. He has served his country just like any other G.I., with no special privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him. These two years away from his career have been a time to mature. He has also worried constantly that his lengthy absence might have damaged his career progress.
MARCH 20, 1960
Elvis has his first post-Army recording session. Some of the recording work is for the album “Elvis is Back!,” which will hit #2 on the Billboard pop chart. The album includes the single “Stuck On You,” which is rushed to the pressing plant and packaged in a generic sleeve without waiting for orders. Debuting at #84, it took only three weeks to hit #1. Sessions will continue in early April.
MARCH 26, 1960
Elvis tapes a special "Welcome Home, Elvis" edition of Frank Sinatra’s ABC-TV variety show, for which he is paid $125,000, a record sum for a variety show appearance at the time.
APRIL 21, 1960
Elvis begins filming video and recording audio for his first post-Army movie, his fifth film, “GI Blues,” for Paramount. This is the third of nine Elvis films to be produced (not consecutively) by Hal Wallis. “GI Blues” co-stars dancer/actress Juliet Prowse. Director Norman Taurog would end up working with Elvis on several other films throughout his acting career.
MAY 12, 1960
ABC airs “Frank Sinatra’s Welcome Home, Elvis” edition of his variety show, which attracts a 41.5% share of the national television audience.
JULY 3, 1960
Vernon Presley marries divorcee and mother of three sons, Davada (Dee) Stanley, an American whom he met Germany, where she had been stationed with her military husband. They live at Graceland briefly, then move to a home nearby.
JULY 21, 1960
Elvis receives his first degree black belt in karate, an interest he developed while in the Army. Elvis carries the certificate in his wallet until his death.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1960
Elvis records and films for his sixth movie, “Flaming Star,” a drama with limited music. Elvis plays the son of a white father and a Native American mother, torn between the two cultures in the 1800's. The film co-stars Barbara Eden.
OCTOBER 1960
The soundtrack album for “GI Blues” enters the Billboard album chart and soon goes to #1. It remains #1 for 10 weeks and stays on the chart for 111 weeks. It is to be the most successful album of Elvis’ entire career on the Billboard charts. (“GI Blues” was the most successful album on the music charts. However, “Blue Hawaii” was the biggest selling album during Elvis’ life, selling 2 million copies in the first 12 months.)
NOVEMBER 6, 1960
Elvis begins recording and filming for his seventh film, “Wild in the Country,” which will be completed in January. “GI Blues” opens nationally on November 23 to warm reviews and big box office sales, making it one of the best Elvis movies of his post-Army career. It was #2 the first week and for the year on Variety’s list. By 1969, Variety reports it had grossed 4.3 million, equal to “The African Q.”
DECEMBER 22, 1960
“Flaming Star” opens nationally to warm reviews, but unlike “GI Blues,” this dramatic film with little singing, does not set the box office on fire. It was #12 for the week. Elvis does however earn recognition from a tribal council for his positive portrayal of a Native American in this racially charged drama. The film is banned in South Africa due to its interracial theme.
FEBRUARY 25, 1961
Elvis appears at a luncheon in his honor in Memphis. His most recent awards are on display for the press and guests. Following a press conference, Elvis performs an afternoon and evening show at Ellis Auditorium to benefit around 38 Memphis-area charities. Other than the Sinatra television show, these shows are the only times Elvis has performed live since his Army discharge.
“Elvis Presley Day” is proclaimed by Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington. Every year after this, Elvis donates money to a list of Memphis-area charities, eventually reaching 50 or more, usually around Christmas time. Within a few years, to show their appreciation, the city gives him a massive plaque listing 50 charities.
MARCH 25, 1961
Elvis arrives in Hawaii for a press conference, then an evening concert at Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor. He is there to perform a benefit to help fund the building of the USS Arizona Memorial. Hundreds of fans mob the airport as he arrives. His show raises around $62,000 for the memorial. The event also helps bring publicity, public awareness and support to the project. The fund-raising efforts, for the most part, had been difficult up to this point. The rest of the needed funds are soon raised and the memorial is completed a year later. Elvis receives numerous official honors in appreciation for this benefit. This turns out to be Elvis’ last live, non-movie performance until his 1968 television special.
LATE MARCH/MID-APRIL 1961
Elvis remains in Hawaii to do location filming for his eighth motion picture, “Blue Hawaii,” having already done soundtrack recording. Later, there is additional filming to be done back in Hollywood for this film, which will open later in the year. With this second and longer visit, Hawaii would become one of Elvis’ lifelong favorite places to vacation.
JUNE 22, 1961
“Wild in the Country,” co-starring Hope Lange, Millie Perkins and Tuesday Weld, opens nationally to mixed reviews. Like “Flaming Star,” it is a melodrama with limited singing by Elvis, and not one of his most successful motion pictures. Also in June, the album “Something For Everybody” is shipped. It hits the charts in July, staying for 25 weeks and spending three of those weeks at #1.
JULY - AUGUST, 1961
Elvis records and films for his ninth motion picture, “Follow That Dream.” Filming includes some location shooting in Florida.
SEPTEMBER 1961
Elvis spends the month vacationing in Las Vegas.
OCTOBER 1961
The soundtrack album for “Blue Hawaii” enters the Billboard chart for a year-and-a-half run, staying at #1 for 20 weeks, second only to "GI Blues" as the biggest album of Elvis’ career on the Billboard charts. It also yields a #2 single destined to become an Elvis classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Non-movie-related recordings and hit records have continued through this period, with “Good Luck Charm” hitting #1 in 1962, his last number one pop hit until “Suspicious Minds” in 1969.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER, 1961
Elvis records and films for his 10th motion picture, “Kid Galahad,” completing it on December 20, 1961.
NOVEMBER 22, 1961
“Blue Hawaii” opens nationally to warm reviews. The film hits #18 on the box office charts for 1961 and #14 for 1962. It earns recognition as one of the Best Elvis movies, and is top-grossing film of his career thus far. Its characteristics of a non-cerebral plot, lavish scenery, lots of songs by Elvis, and lots of pretty girls, become the basis for the “Presley formula” movies of the sixties.
DECEMBER 1961
Other than the Elvis Army years, this is the only Christmas Elvis will spend away from Graceland. He will spend from December 22 to January 29 in Las Vegas.
1962 - 1965
Fame and fortune only grew for Elvis in the ‘60s as he continued to release worldwide hits and star in box-office-topping roles, and In 1964 Elvis starred in his highest-grossing film ever. The actor and singer also began to spend his money in earnest, both for personal items and charitable causes.
JANUARY 1962
Elvis has a new RCA contract that runs until 1966. He also celebrates his 27th birthday.
MARCH 12, 1962
Elvis Purchases a 1962 Dodge House Car complete with air conditioning, a double bed, two bunks and a kitchen. He plans to have George Barris customize it and to use it to drive back and forth to California.
MAY 23, 1962
“Follow That Dream” opens nationally and gets to #5 on the box office charts. It is warmly reviewed and does fairly well in sales.
MARCH 26 - JUNE 11, 1962
Elvis records and films in Hollywood, and does location filming in Hawaii, for his 11th motion picture, “Girls! Girls! Girls!”
JUNE 17 - JULY 1, 1962
Priscilla, now 17 years old, visits Elvis from Germany. It will be the first time they see each other since Elvis left Germany over two years before. They spend the time in Las Vegas.
AUGUST 28, 1962
Elvis records and films for his 12th motion picture, “It Happened at the World’s Fair.” Shooting is done in Hollywood and on location at the World’s Fair in Seattle.
AUGUST 29, 1962
“Kid Galahad” opens nationally and does relatively well with a brief stay in the top 10 on the box office chart.
OCTOBER 1962
In Mexico, riot behavior in a theater showing “GI Blues” prompts the Mexican government to ban Elvis movies. Torn seats, broken windows and other damage is reported.
NOVEMBER 21, 1962
“Girls! Girls! Girls!” opens and lands at on the #6 Variety chart and #31 for the year. Soundtrack album goes to #3 and the single "Return to Sender" hits #2. For 1962, Elvis’ movies at the box office are “Blue Hawaii” at #14, “Girls! Girls! Girls!” at #31 and “Kid Galahad” at #37.
DECEMBER 19, 1962 - JANUARY 11, 1963
Priscilla visits Elvis for the holidays in Memphis, only her second time visiting Elvis in the 60s.
JANUARY 21 - MARCH 22, 1963
Elvis records and films for his 13th film, “Fun in Acapulco.” Priscilla moves to Memphis in early March 1963 while Elvis is in Hollywood filming. She graduates from high school on May 29, 1963, five days after turning 18 years old.
APRIL 10, 1963
“It Happened at the World's Fair” opens nationally and does relatively well at the box office, though its plot is the most frivolous of any Elvis film so far. The soundtrack album hits #4.
JULY 1963
Elvis begins recording and filming for “Viva Las Vegas,” co-starring Ann-Margret. It will be his 15th movie to be released, as “Kissin’ Cousins,” which he is to shoot next, will actually be released before “Viva Las Vegas.”
OCTOBER 1963
Elvis records and shoots for his next motion picture, “Kissin’ Cousins.” He also receives his 2nd degree black belt on October 17, 1963, and carries the card in his wallet until his death.
LATE NOVEMBER 1963
Elvis finishes filming “Kissin’ Cousins” on November 14. He is devastated when President Kennedy is assassinated on November 22.
NOVEMBER 27, 1963
“Fun in Acapulco” opens nationally and quickly goes to number five at the box office. The soundtrack goes to the top five on the pop chart.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1964
Elvis purchases the Potomac, former presidential yacht of Franklin Roosevelt, for $55,000 on January 30. He intends to donate it to the March of Dimes for use as a national shrine (FDR suffered from polio, the main disease fought by the March of Dimes). Costs of maintaining the yacht would be prohibitive, so the March of Dimes declines the gift. Elvis attempts to give it to the 7th Coast Guard District Auxiliary in Miami, which also doesn’t work out. Finally, on February 13, he presents the yacht as a gift to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis for them to use to raise funds as they see fit. The ceremony takes place in Long Beach, California, on February 14, with actor and hospital founder, Danny Thomas, accepting.
During this saga of trying to donate the yacht, the Beatles make their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and Sullivan reads on the air a congratulatory telegram from Elvis and the Colonel. American music and pop culture will soon change dramatically with the "British invasion" of the sixties, much as it had after Elvis made rock history in the fifties.
FEBRUARY 26 - MAY 14, 1964
Elvis begins filming for his 16th motion picture, “Roustabout,” co-starring Hollywood legend Barbara Stanwyck.
MARCH 6, 1964
“Kissin’ Cousins” opens nationally. One of the poorest quality films of his career, it still quickly hits #11 at the box office, then quickly falls. The record hits #6.
APRIL 30, 1964
Elvis meets Larry Geller and starts his spiritual studying in earnest.
JUNE 9 - AUGUST 3, 1964
Elvis records music for his 17th film, “Girl Happy,” which co-stars Shelley Fabares and former Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley.
JUNE 17, 1964
“Viva Las Vegas” opens nationally and goes to #14 at the box office. It’s one of the better movies from Elvis in the ‘60s and the songs on this record are better as well. By the end of the year, it is #11, outranking The Beatles “A Hard Day's Night” and becoming Elvis' highest grossing film ever.
SEPTEMBER 21, 1964
Elvis becomes an official “Special Deputy Sheriff” for Shelby County.
OCTOBER 6, 1964
Elvis begins shooting his 18th motion picture, “Tickle Me.” The soundtrack has no new recordings. Instead, previously released non-movie recordings are used, apparently to keep production costs to a minimum. Filming continues until November 24, 1964.
NOVEMBER 1964
“Roustabout” opens nationally and hits #8 at the box office. The soundtrack, which represents some of the best Elvis movie music in a while, goes to #1 on the Billboard pop album chart. Elvis is ranked as the sixth-biggest-money-making star of 1964. The single "Blue Christmas/Wooden Heart" reach #1 on the Christmas Chart.
DECEMBER 1964
Col. Parker renegotiates future movie contracts with both United Artists and MGM. The deals, with salary and % of profits, finally reaches his goal for Elvis of $1,000,000 a movie.
JANUARY 8, 1965
Elvis celebrates his 30th birthday.
MARCH 9, 1965
Elvis records the soundtrack and does the filming for his 19th motion picture, “Harum Scarum,” which co-stars Mary Ann Mobley.
APRIL 7, 1965
“Girl Happy” opens and is the 25th top-grossing film of the year. The soundtrack hits #8, while the single “Crying in the Chapel” hits #3.
APRIL 19, 1965
“Harum Scarum” is released.
APRIL 1965
“Girl Happy” opens nationally and does relatively good business. The soundtrack album goes top 10.
MAY 1965
Elvis records music and does filming for “Frankie and Johnny,” co-starring Donna Douglas. On May 9, 1965 Col. Parker has arranged for a special Mother’s Day radio show to be broadcast on radio stations across the country.
MAY 19, 1965
Elvis’ gold Cadillac will go on tour to promote the film “Tickle Me.” The song, “Such An Easy Question,” reaches #11 on the charts.
1966 -1969
The mid-to late-60s were a time of change for Elvis. While he continued to release hit songs and movies, this is also the time period when Elvis married Priscilla and Lisa Marie was born. The Elvis Christmas special aired in 1968, his first ever TV special and a turning point in his career. Elvis also wins his first Grammy award and performs a long series of shows in Las Vegas to rave reviews.
JANUARY 1966
MGM extends Elvis’ contract for four more movies. Plans are made to add onto the house what is now known as the trophy room to accommodate Elvis’ slot-car tracks. On January 22, 1966, Elvis and Priscilla, along with their friends, build a huge snowman on the front lawn.
FEBRUARY - APRIL 1966
Elvis records the soundtrack music and shoots his 22nd motion picture, “Spinout,” co-starring Shelley Fabares. Elvis has a renewed interest in music which prompts him to buy a great deal of new equipment and spend his free time working on music at home with Red and Charlie. He is especially interested in folk music. Elvis has also purchased a Greyhound bus that is now being customized by George Barris.
MARCH 30, 1966
“Frankie and Johnny” opens nationally and doesn’t do particularly well. The soundtrack album goes to #20.
MAY 25, 1966
Elvis meets his new record producer Felton Jarvis and begins working on what will become the album “How Great Thou Art.” Also during this session, he is especially enthusiastic about working with one of his mentors Jake Hess and his group The Imperials.
JUNE - SEPTEMBER 1966
Elvis does soundtrack recording and shooting for “Double Trouble.”
JULY 6, 1966
“Paradise, Hawaiian Style” is released. It lands at #40 for the year. The soundtrack album peaks at #15, while the single "Love Letter" makes it to #19 on the charts.
JULY 12, 1966
Colonel Parker turns down a Japanese movie deal saying that Elvis is booked through 1969.
AUGUST 30, 1966
Deciding not to wait until the end of 1967, RCA goes ahead and picks up its option to extend Elvis’ contract until 1974.
SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 1966
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Easy Come, Easy Go.”
SEPTEMBER 21, 1966
Elvis signs a lease on a Palm Springs house at 1350 Ladera Circle.
NOVEMBER 23, 1966
“Spinout” opens nationally and is #57 for the year. The soundtrack album goes to #18. Elvis Presley is the 10th highest paid star for the year.
DECEMBER 1966
Elvis’ interest in horses becomes serious by December 5 and he purchases riding clothing and equipment. On December 20, he buys Priscilla a horse for Christmas. He also formally proposes marriage just before Christmas, presenting her with a ring.
FEBRUARY 8, 1967
Elvis buys a 163-acre ranch in Mississippi, minutes across the Tennessee state line from Graceland for $437,000. Elvis, his entourage and their wives have become interested in horseback riding after Elvis purchased a horse for Priscilla as a gift. The hobby has outgrown the pasture at Graceland. Over the months to come, Elvis and the gang enjoy spending a lot of time at the Circle G. It becomes a happy diversion for Elvis as his frustration and unhappiness over the state of his career reaches its height.
RCA releases Elvis’ second gospel music album, “How Great Thou Art,” which was recorded in mid-1966. It gets very good reviews and goes on to earn Elvis the Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. This is the first of his three Grammy wins.
MARCH 22, 1967
“Easy Come, Easy Go” opens nationally and is #50 for the year.
MARCH – APRIL 1967
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Clambake.” It is the third of three Elvis movies to co-star Shelley Fabares.
APRIL 5, 1967
“Double Trouble” opens nationally. Although better than some of his recent screen efforts, it is #58 for the year.
APRIL, 12 1967
Ironwork is added to Graceland’s windows and doors.
MAY 1967
On May 1, Elvis married Priscilla in a private ceremony amongst a small group of family and friends at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, just after 11:40 a.m. A press conference and breakfast reception follow. The couple honeymoon for a few days in Palm Springs. Then they return to Memphis.
MAY 24, 1967
Elvis and Priscilla Presley celebrate her 22nd birthday.
MAY 29, 1967
Elvis and Priscilla dress in their wedding clothes and have a second wedding reception in the trophy room at Graceland to accommodate family and friends who were not in Las Vegas for the wedding.
JUNE - AUGUST 1967
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Speedway,” co-starring Nancy Sinatra. During the production, news of Priscilla's pregnancy is announced.
SEPTEMBER 29, 1967
Memphis Mayor William Ingram and Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington each declare “Elvis Presley Day” in recognition of Elvis' many charitable contributions. Elvis names one of his horses Mare Ingram in the mayor’s honor.
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER, 1967
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Stay Away Joe.” In this western-themed comedy, he once again plays a character who is part Native American. It's a real departure from the virtually interchangeable plots and characters in most of the films over the past several grueling years. He has fun with this one.
OCTOBER 26, 1967
Priscilla and several other wives and girlfriends of the entourage travel to Sedona, Arizona, to visit the set of “Stay Away Joe.”
NOVEMBER 1967
Elvis and Priscilla pay $400,000 for their first Beverly Hills home, at 1174 Hillcrest.
NOVEMBER 22, 1967
“Clambake” is released nationally and goes to #15 at the box office. The soundtrack album goes to #40.
JANUARY 12, 1968
NBC vice president Tom Sarnoff announces an Elvis Christmas Special, Elvis’ first TV appearance since 1960.
FEBRUARY 1, 1968
Nine months to the day after Elvis married Priscilla, she gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley. It is a time of great happiness.
MARCH 8, 1968
“Stay Away Joe” opens to mixed reviews and is #65 for the year.
MARCH - MAY 1968
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Live a Little, Love a Little.” It is a sexy, more adult kind of comedy/melodrama. It, like “Stay Away, Joe” is a real departure from the typical Presley film. It is yet another breath of fresh air.
APRIL 8, 1968
Elvis is deeply distressed by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Elvis has been a long-time admirer and often quotes his “I Have a Dream” speech.
JUNE 6, 1968
Robert Kennedy is killed. Elvis' thoughts and feelings on the losses of both Dr. King and Robert Kennedy
eventually lead to a song being written that he sings in his upcoming TV special.
JUNE 12, 1968
“Speedway” is released nationally and is #40. The soundtrack album goes only as far up the chart as #82.
JUNE 1968
Starting on June 3, Elvis rehearses for the taping of his first television special. A press conference is held on June 25. Videotaping is done June 27, 28, 29 and 30. Commonly referred to as the “’68 Special” or the “’68 Comeback”. The actual name of this landmark television special is “Elvis.”
The sixties have brought about great change in music and pop culture, change for which Elvis helped pave the way over a decade earlier when he exploded onto the scene with his unique blending of pop, rock, country, R&B and gospel influences. Focusing on his Hollywood movie career in the sixties, Elvis has become less a part of the current pop cultural scene. He has been making one movie after another and many of the records he has put out in these years have been movie soundtrack albums. Elvis’ films in the fifties and early sixties were wonderfully successful, but as the sixties have worn on, the movies and records, though still profitable, have not been nearly so successful as they were before. Elvis has reached the supreme level of frustration with the state of his career and all its limitations on his creativity and artistic expression. He had hoped to become a serious actor, but Hollywood had other ideas and Elvis went along with them. His opportunities to show his true talents as an actor have been few. He is beyond ready for a change. By now, it has been more than seven years since Elvis has appeared in front of a live audience. Elvis has missed the closeness of his audience, the energy and excitement of live performing he had back in his prime touring days.
The “’68 Special” opens with Elvis singing a hot new version of the gutsy "Trouble," from his 1958 film “King Creole.” This segues into “Guitar Man,” which becomes the underlying theme of the show. Elvis is then reunited with two of his original fifties band members, guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana. They sit together on stage in the round, along with several other friends and associates of Elvis, for an informal session of singing, jamming and swapping stories. Parts of this jam session are woven throughout the show. There are also sequences of Elvis taking the stage alone and performing many of his greatest hit rockers and ballads. He also introduces a new song, “Memories.”
One can surmise that he pours out years of career frustration and pent-up creative energy into the performance of these songs. His natural talent, charisma, sensuality and stage presence have not been diminished by the years in Hollywood. In fact, Elvis looks, sounds, moves and grooves better than he ever has. At 33, he is better than he has ever been and better than anybody in the business. For the group jam session segments and solo stage performances, Elvis wears a two-piece, black leather outfit specially designed for the show by Bill Belew, who also designed the other wardrobe Elvis and the cast wear in the show. The look evokes the era of James Dean and the Marlon Brando type motorcycle films of the fifties, the era when Elvis was first proclaimed the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
In one of the jam session segments, Elvis speaks of the gospel origins of rock ‘n’ roll. This segues into the gospel music portion of the show, which has Elvis wearing a two-piece burgundy suit, singing "Where Could I Go But to the Lord," "Up Above My Head" and "I’m Saved.” During this segment, Elvis is backed by the female vocal group, The Blossoms, and accompanied by a troupe of dancers.
Toward the end of the special, Elvis appears in a lengthy production number that includes song, dance, karate and various situations. The number traces a young man’s journey from a struggling guitar player, through the challenges, dangers and compromises on the path to his dreams of success and super-stardom. Something is lost along the way. Once the dream is achieved, the man realizes that he remains unfulfilled and that he has abandoned his true self. He decides to return to his roots, doing what made him happiest, what he does best. He sings “I’ll never be more than what I am... a swingin’ little guitar man.” The parallels to Elvis' own life are clear and deliberate, and his doing the “’68 Special” represents his own return to his true self, to his roots. Free from the confines of his Hollywood grind, this is Elvis the singer, the performer, the musician, the man - the real Elvis.
At the end of the special, Elvis appears alone wearing a simple white two-piece suit, standing in front of the towering backdrop of red lights that spell ELVIS. He sings a brand new song, "If I Can Dream," specially written for the show. The writers created the song based in part upon conversations with Elvis about his own thoughts on what was happening in the turbulent sixties. It seems appropriate that he closes the show with some sort of personal statement. His powerful and passionate performance of this song of hope for mankind is one of the most brilliant moments of his singing career.
JULY - AUGUST 1968
Elvis records the theme and does filming for his 29th movie, “Charro!,” a dramatic western from director Charles Marquis Warren. Elvis grows a beard for this. The theme song will be heard over the opening credits, but there will be no other Elvis songs used. This will be the first and only film in which Elvis does not sing on camera.
OCTOBER - DECEMBER 1968
Elvis records the soundtrack and does filming for his 30th movie, “The Trouble with Girls.” He sings in this one, but in very natural situations for a change. It is yet another film quite different from the typical Elvis films.
OCTOBER 23, 1968
“Live A Little, Love A Little” opens.
NOVEMBER 1968
“If I Can Dream” ships and hits #12. “Elvis” LP is ships and hits #8.
DECEMBER 3, 1968
“Elvis,” the 1968 TV special, airs on NBC-TV and is one of the biggest television hits of the year, receiving 40% of the viewing audience, rave reviews from the public, and the critics alike. The soundtrack album to this Elvis Christmas special goes to #8 on the pop chart.
Reviewing the show, rock writer John Landau says, “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 from rock ‘n’ roll singers.”
Years later, rock writer Greil Marcus remembers it by saying, “It was the finest music of his life. If ever there was music that bleeds, this was it.”
"Elvis," the 1968 TV special, is to become widely regarded as one of the truly great television moments in pop/rock music history history and was a truly helpful endeavor for Elvis’ career. After this show, everything changes for Elvis as his career takes a turn back toward music. He pours renewed creative energy into his recording work, is soon to wrap up his movie contract obligations and to return full-time to the concert stage, beginning a new and exciting era of his career. His super stardom is yet to reach its ultimate height. The NBC-TV show, also known as the ‘68 Comeback Special, was recorded in June. It is considered one of the crowning achievements by the King of Rock ’n’ Roll—it’s such a classic that Elvis fans can buy ’68 Comeback Special DVDs and view the historic performance at home.
DECEMBER 1968
Elvis wraps shooting on “The Trouble With Girls” on December 18. The International Hotel deal is accepted on December 19. This will be Lisa's first Christmas and Vernon will dress up as Santa.
ELVIS AT AMERICAN SOUND JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1969
Elvis has been doing all of his recording work in Nashville or Hollywood since signing with RCA. Now however he records in Memphis again for the first time since 1955. He has all-night marathon sessions at American Sound Studio. His work here will become regarded as some of the finest music of his career, his best work since the innovative days at Sun and the exciting early days at RCA before he went into the Army. Elvis has excellent material to choose from and pours his heart and soul into the sessions. He works with a lot of top-notch Memphis musicians. The sound is fresh and gutsy. On every track, one can sense his creative excitement and energy. This is joyful work after years of movie boredom. Two albums will result from these sessions. The sessions will also yield four hit singles to be released starting later this year and going into 1970: "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "Don’t Cry, Daddy" and "Kentucky Rain."
FEBRUARY 1, 1969
They spend Lisa's first birthday in Aspen, Colorado.
MARCH/APRIL 1969
Elvis returns to Hollywood to film and record the soundtrack music for his 31st, and what will turn out to be his last, acting role in a motion picture. It is “Change of Habit,” co-starring Mary Tyler Moore. Elvis plays a hip ghetto doctor in a Northern city, having come from Tennessee. Mary Tyler Moore and two others play nuns who go “undercover” into the ghetto to assist with health and societal troubles in the community. The theme, though serious and timely, is not particularly well carried out by the script in the opinion of many, and the title is frivolous. Elvis however looks magnificent and gives a natural, easy, understated performance that is a refreshing pleasure to see after the silliness he endured in his films through most of the sixties. The few songs in the movie are good and they’re performed in natural, rather than the usual badly contrived, situations.
MARCH 1969
“Charro!” opens in theaters and doesn’t do much at the box office.
MAY 1969
Elvis, his family and friends vacation in Hawaii. Circle G is sold for $440,000.
JULY 1969
Elvis works on his song list and putting together his band for the International Hotel engagement
JULY 10, 1969
Elvis obtains the easement from the church next door to Graceland for a back driveway.
JULY 31 - AUGUST 28, 1969
Elvis is booked for a four-week, 57 show engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, which has just been built and has the largest showroom in the city. Elvis puts together top-notch rock ‘n’ roll musicians, an orchestra, a male gospel back-up group, and a black female soul/gospel back-up group for his show. They rehearse for several weeks and open on July 31, 1969. The show is a delightful mix of fresh arrangements of classic Elvis hits, exciting new material he has recorded, a few covers of current and past hits of other artists, and charming on-stage antics and sharing of personal recollections of his career. A press conference follows the first of his two opening night shows.
This engagement breaks all existing Las Vegas attendance records and attracts rave reviews from the public and the critics. It is a triumph. Elvis' first live album, “Elvis in Person at the International Hotel,” is recorded during this engagement and is soon released. Elvis’ opening night is so successful that Colonel Parker renegotiates his contract on a tablecloth in the hotel’s coffee shop. Elvis also receives a gold belt from the hotel for his championship attendance.
For these shows, a lean Elvis in top physical form, wears simple, unique, karate-inspired two-piece outfits in black or white. These are designed by Bill Belew, who did the wardrobe for the “’68 Special.” These are the predecessors to the famous one-piece jumpsuits which will be simple at first, then become flashier and more elaborate over the years.
Almost every review of the show was positive—here are a few excerpts from music writers:
"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."
- “Newsweek,” August 11, 1969 issue
"...a style and panache that come close to pure magic. Lithe, raunchy, the sweat pouring down his face, he now moves with the precision of an athlete, the grace of a dancer...flamboyant and flashy, sexy and self-mocking, he works with the instincts of a genius to give poetry to the basic rock performance."
- W.A. Harbinson, from his 1975 book, “The Illustrated Elvis.”
*NOTE: The orchestra was conducted by Bobby Morris. The band consisted of James Burton (lead guitar), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass guitar), Larry Muhoberac (piano) and Ronnie Tutt (drums). The female singers were The Sweet Inspirations. The male singers were The Imperials. Charlie Hodge provided additional guitar and vocals and general on-stage assistance. Over the concert years, there were changes in the show cast. Joe Guercio became Elvis' conductor. Millie Kirkham, who had worked on Elvis' studio recordings, joined the show as soprano, a position later taken over by Kathy Westmoreland. Glen D. Hardin became the piano player. J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet became the male back-up group. Various other personnel changes occurred over the years.
SEPTEMBER 1969
“The Trouble with Girls,” Elvis’ 30th movie, opens in theaters and doesn’t do much at the box office. From the American Sound Studio sessions RCA releases "Suspicious Minds," which will soon become Elvis' first number one single since "Good Luck Charm" in 1962 and will be his last #1 pop single, though he’ll have many big hits.
NOVEMBER 11, 1969
“Change of Habit,” Elvis' 31st movie, opens in theaters and it will be on Variety's Box Office Survey for four weeks, peaking at #17.
1970 - 1973
The early ‘70s were huge for Elvis. Shows in Las Vegas – complete with the now-iconic Elvis jumpsuits – broke attendance records and he continued to record. He made history with his “Aloha from Hawaii” special and returned to the top of the music charts. Elvis and Priscilla also divorced during this time.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1970
Elvis returns to the International Hotel for another month-long engagement. This time, he breaks his own attendance records. The iconic one-piece Elvis jumpsuits debut and karate moves are now an even bigger part of his stage show. The live album for these Elvis shows in Las Vegas, dubbed "On Stage," is recorded in February and will be shipped in June. It will reach #13 on the album chart.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 1970
A press conference is held in Houston on the 27th. Elvis performs afternoon and evening shows at the Houston Astrodome. Two more shows follow on both February 28 and March 1. A closing press conference and banquet follow and Elvis is presented an armload of recent gold record awards. The six shows attract 207,494 people and sets records. There is speculation among the press and the public that Elvis might tour in concert for the first time since the fifties.
APRIL 20, 1970
The single “The Wonder of You” is released and hits #9.
JUNE 1970
In Nashville, Elvis records several singles and the material for the albums “Elvis Country” and “Love Letters From Elvis.”
JULY/SEPTEMBER 1970
Elvis returns to Vegas for what the Colonel has now dubbed “The Elvis Presley Summer Festival.” This is another month-long engagement of Elvis shows in Las Vegas at the International. He opens on August 10 and closes on September 7. MGM is on hand to shoot a documentary film called “Elvis -That’s the Way It Is” that will show Elvis off stage, in rehearsals, in the recording studio, and on stage. RCA will also release an album with the same title.
SEPTEMBER 1970
Starting on September 9 through September 14, Elvis takes his show on a nine-city tour. It is a smashing success, the first tour since 1957. MGM films portions of the first show on this tour for use in “Elvis - That’s the Way It Is.”
Elvis has a recording session in Nashville to finish up the albums started in June.
OCTOBER 9, 1970
Elvis buys his first Stutz Blackhawk, a 1971 model.
OCTOBER 19, 1970
The first order of 12 TCB necklaces is picked up from Schwartz and Ableser Jewelers in Beverly Hills.
NOVEMBER 11, 1970
“Elvis, That’s The Way It Is,” Elvis' 32nd film, opens in theaters to good reviews and good box office. An album of the same title is released, but only one song, "I Just Can't Help Believin'," is actually from a stage performance included in the film. The other songs are studio recordings, some of which Elvis performs live on stage or in rehearsal footage in the film. The album peaks at #21 on the album chart.
DECEMBER 4, 1970
Elvis and Priscilla complete the purchase of another home in California at 144 Monovale for $339,000.
DECEMBER 21, 1970
Elvis’ famous visit with President Richard Nixon at the White House occurs. Today, copies of the photos from that meeting are the most requested documents from our National Archives.
JANUARY 16, 1971
Elvis attends a day of functions culminating in an evening awards banquet. He and nine others accept the honor of being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). He is nervous about his acceptance speech. He is touched, excited and deeply proud. This national honor has been given each year since the late 1930’s and recognizes young men who have made great achievements in their field of endeavor, illustrating the opportunities available in the free enterprise system. It also applauds humanitarianism and community service. Scientists, inventors, performers, film makers, politicians bound for the Presidency, and men of greatness in all fields, have been selected for this award over the years. For Elvis, a man who grew up poor, and, in his early career knew the sting of ridicule from the Establishment, who, through the years has known criticism of his work, this is one of his proudest moments. It is a sign that he has achieved acceptance, recognition, and respect for his work.
LATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1971
Elvis plays another month-long engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas.
MARCH 1971
Elvis begins a recording session in Nashville, but cancels it due to pain and inflammation in an eye. He is treated at a Nashville hospital where he is diagnosed with secondary glaucoma.
MAY 1971
Elvis is featured on the cover of “Look Magazine,” which carries an installment of the forthcoming biography on Elvis by Jerry Hopkins. Many books and articles have been written over the years, but this is the first in-depth, serious biography. The book, “Elvis : A Biography,” will be released in October.
Elvis has recording sessions in Nashville. Much of the work is for his forthcoming album “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas.”
JUNE 1971
The two-room house Elvis was born in opens to the public for tours in Tupelo. The house was restored by the East Heights Garden Club in Tupelo. Elvis has more recording sessions in Nashville, this time mostly for an upcoming gospel album, “He Touched Me.” In addition, a long stretch of Highway 51 South, part of which runs in front of Graceland, is officially renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. The first of the new street signs will go up in January of 1972. Various albums and singles continue to be released to various degrees of success during this period.
JULY/AUGUST 1971
Elvis plays a two-week engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. With this first appearance at the Sahara Tahoe, “2001” will now be Elvis’ entrance theme for his concert shows. He breaks attendance records for this venue.
AUGUST 9 - SEPTEMBER 6, 1971
Elvis plays an engagement in Las Vegas at the International Hotel, which has been renamed the Las Vegas Hilton International Hotel. This run of Elvis shows in Las Vegas tops his previous attendance records once again. During the engagement, an award is presented to Elvis in his dressing room. It is the Bing Crosby Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that also presents Grammy awards. This award is a special means of recognition from NARAS and is named for its first recipient. The award is not given every year as a rule. It will later be renamed the Lifetime Achievement Award. Elvis is 36 years old.
NOVEMBER 5 - 12, 1971
Elvis goes on a 12-city concert tour. J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet have now replaced The Imperials and Jackie Kahane is now the opening comedian. The famous Elvis jumpsuits now feature matching capes.
LATE 1971 - EARLY 1972
Elvis and Priscilla separate. She moves out on her own with Lisa Marie.
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 23, 1972
Elvis plays another successful engagement at the Hilton in Vegas.
MARCH/APRIL 1972
In April, MGM films Elvis in a Hollywood recording studio and then on and off stage during his 15-city concert tour. MGM will use the footage for another theatrically released documentary, “Elvis on Tour.” In April, the gospel album “He Touched Me” is released to good reviews. The album will go on to win Elvis his second Grammy Award, this one for the category of Best Inspirational Performance.
JUNE 1972
Elvis continues touring in concert, beginning with a press conference in New York on the June 9. MGM is on hand to film the conference for use in “Elvis on Tour.” Elvis makes entertainment history by performing four sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden. John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Art Garfunkel are among the music stars spotted at the shows. Nine days after it is recorded, RCA rush-releases a live album from one of the shows, “Elvis as Recorded at Madison Square Garden.” Elvis tours to seven more cities.
Elvis' Vegas and concert tour career is hot during the early to mid-seventies. He breaks attendance records in cities all over America. Record releases also continue.
JULY 26, 1972
Elvis and Priscilla’s separation is formalized. A divorce is to come. Elvis has begun seeing Linda Thompson, who will be his main female companion until late 1976.
AUGUST 4 - SEPTEMBER 4, 1972
Elvis plays a month-long engagement at the Hilton in Vegas.
SEPTEMBER 4, 1972
A press conference held between the dinner and midnight Elvis shows in Las Vegas, announces plans for a television concert to be broadcast via satellite around the world from Hawaii. It is predicted that the show will reach the largest audience in television history and that the live album will be a big hit.
OCTOBER 1972
Elvis has a number two pop hit with the single “Burning Love,” one of his biggest records in recent years.
NOVEMBER 1972
“Elvis on Tour” opens to good reviews and good box office performance in theaters. Later, its producers will receive the Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary of 1972. Elvis also tours seven cities in concert. The last is Honolulu, Hawaii, where he does three shows at the Honolulu International Center Arena, the same venue that will host his satellite special in January.
NOVEMBER 20, 1972
Elvis appears at a press conference in Hawaii regarding his upcoming satellite show. It is announced that it will be a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
JANUARY 1973
Elvis makes television and entertainment history with his “Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite” special. The show is performed at the Honolulu International Center Arena on January 14, 1973, broadcast live at 12:30 a.m. Hawaiian time, and beamed via Globecam Satellite to Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, South Vietnam and other countries. It is seen on a delayed basis in around 30 European countries. A tape of the show is seen in America on April 4 on NBC. The live broadcast in January attracts 37.8% of the viewers in Japan, 91.8% in the Philippines, 70% in Hong Kong, and 70-80% of the viewers in Korea. The April showing in America attracts 57% of the television viewing audience and is seen in more American households than man’s first walk on the moon. In all, it will be seen in about 40 countries by one billion to 1.5 billion people. Elvis commissions an American Eagle design for his jumpsuit for this show, his patriotic message to his worldwide audience and one of the most memorable Elvis jumpsuits. Never has one performer held the world’s attention in such a way. Elvis is in top form physically and vocally. This is probably the pinnacle of his super-stardom, one of the all-time great moments of his career.
Audience tickets for the January 12 pre-broadcast rehearsal show and January 14 concert carry no price. Each audience member is asked to pay whatever he or she can. The performances and concert merchandise sales are a benefit raising $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii. Kui Lee was a Hawaiian composer who had died of cancer while still in his thirties.
On stage with Elvis is an orchestra and his current show cast: Joe Guercio (conductor); J.D. Sumner & the Stamps (vocals); The Sweet Inspirations (vocals); Kathy Westmoreland (soprano vocals); Charlie Hodge (guitar/vocals/on-stage assistance); James Burton (lead guitar); John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar); Jerry Scheff (bass guitar); Glen D. Hardin (piano); and Ronnie Tutt (drums).
The soundtrack album is soon released and goes to #1 on the Billboard pop album chart, and stays on the chart at various positions for 52 weeks.
In the special, Elvis' recording of the theme song from his 1965 movie “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” plays over the opening credits with scenes of his helicopter arrival at the airport and his walking among the fans who are there to greet him. The concert opens with Elvis' band playing his traditional introduction for his seventies concerts, the “Theme from 2001.” He sings “See, See Rider,” “Burning Love,” “Something,” “You Gave Me a Mountain,” “Steamroller Blues,” “My Way,” “Love Me,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “It’s Over,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Hound Dog,” “What Now, My Love,” “Fever,” “Welcome to My World,” “Suspicious Minds,” “I’ll Remember You” (a Kui Lee composition Elvis sings after announcing the sum raised for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.), “Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “An American Trilogy,” “Big Hunk o’ Love,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The show is one hour, including commercials. After the show, Elvis and his bandmates come back out on stage in the empty arena and videotape performances of the songs “Blue Hawaii,” “Ku-u-i-po” and “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” which he had first done for his 1961 hit movie “Blue Hawaii,” plus “Early Morning Rain” and “No More.” All but the song “No More” will be inserted into the American broadcast with Elvis seen on a montage screen with footage of Hawaiian scenery.
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 23, 1973
Elvis plays an engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton.
JANUARY 28, 1973
“Elvis on Tour” co-wins a Golden Globe Award with “Walls of Fire” as best feature documentary of 1972.
FEBRUARY 1973
In Las Vegas, Elvis presents boxer Muhammad Ali with a specially made robe for Ali’s upcoming title fight with Joe Bugner. Ali gave Elvis autographed boxing gloves.
MARCH 1, 1973
Elvis and Colonel Parker sell Elvis’ music rights to date to RCA and Elvis enters into a new seven-year recording contract with RCA. Elvis and Colonel Parker also sign a new management contract as well, becoming 50 – 50 partners.
MARCH 19, 1973
Elvis’ paternal grandfather Jessie Presley dies of a heart attack in Louisville.
APRIL 4, 1973
The Aloha special is seen on American television for the first time and garners 57% of the viewing audience.
LATE APRIL 1973
Elvis goes on an eight-city concert tour.
MAY 4 - 16, 1973
Elvis plays an engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
MAY 1973
The Aloha from Hawaii concert album hits #1 on the Billboard pop album chart. It is his first #1 album since the “Roustabout” soundtrack album in 1965. It will also be his last #1 album on the pop chart.
JUNE 20 - JULY 3, 1973
Elvis goes out on concert tour.
JULY 1973
Elvis records a few songs at the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis for the album "Raised on Rock.” This was his first time to record in Memphis since 1969.
AUGUST 6 - SEPTEMBER 3, 1973
Elvis goes back to the Vegas Hilton for another engagement.
OCTOBER 9, 1973
Elvis and Priscilla make a court appearance together and their divorce is granted. They continue to be close friends. Though Elvis and Priscilla have joint custody of Lisa Marie, there will be no formal schedule of visitation for Elvis, and he and his daughter will spend time together regularly.
DECEMBER 1973
Elvis returns to the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis for a week of sessions. He records the albums "Promised Land" and "Good Times."
1974 - 1977
In the final years leading up to Elvis’ death, he toured and recorded constantly, selling out venues everywhere and earning a third and final Grammy award. He also performed for a CBS television special called “Elvis in Concert” that aired posthumously. For friends, family and fans of Elvis, 1977 would be a tragic year.
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 9, 1974
Elvis plays the Vegas Hilton again.
MARCH - JULY 1974
Elvis is on tour through much of March. In March, he returns to the Houston Astrodome and sets a one-day attendance record with his two shows. Also in March, he plays Memphis for the first time since 1961 and does four shows on March 16 and 17 to meet the demand for tickets. Another live album results from the excitement in Memphis, and on March 20, “Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis,” is recorded at one of the shows. Included on the album is a live performance of “How Great Thou Art” that will go on to win Elvis his third Grammy award. He resumes touring in May and plays the Sahara in Lake Tahoe May 16 - 26. He’s back on tour in mid-June and takes a few weeks off, starting in early July.
Graceland’s den is being redecorated into its present Polynesian décor and Elvis is working on the script to the movie “The New Gladiators.”
AUGUST 19 - SEPTEMBER 2, 1974
Elvis goes back to the Hilton in Vegas for an engagement. Elvis talks on stage about karate.
SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 14, 1974
Elvis is on tour again. He also plays the Sahara-Tahoe on October 11-14. Record releases have continued through this period with varying degrees of success.
MARCH 1, 1975
Elvis’ live recording of "How Great Thou Art" from the album recorded at one of his Memphis concerts on March 20, 1974, wins the Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance. This is Elvis’ third and final Grammy win out of fourteen nominations (one nomination posthumously). All three Grammy wins have been for his gospel music.
MARCH 10 - 12, 1975
Elvis records material for the “Today” album at RCA’s Sunset Blvd. Studio.
MARCH 18 - APRIL 1, 1975
Elvis has another engagement at the Hilton. On March 28, 1975, Barbra Streisand talks to Elvis about “Star Is Born.” A formal offer will be made on April 4, 1975, and the Colonel responds with a counter offer for Elvis’ services on the 14, which was subsequently rejected.
APRIL 17, 1975
Elvis purchases a Convair 880 jet and renames it the “Lisa Marie.”
APRIL - JULY 1975
Elvis tours in concert.
AUGUST 18 - SEPTEMBER 5, 1975
Elvis opens in Vegas but ends his engagement on the 20th and is hospitalized in Memphis until September 5.
NOVEMBER 11, 1975
The renovation of a Convair 880 jet Elvis bought earlier in the year is complete and he takes his first flight on the Lisa Marie jet.
DECEMBER 2 - 15, 1975
Elvis returns to the Hilton in Vegas to make up for the shows that were canceled during his previous engagement.
DECEMBER 31, 1975
Elvis performs a special New Year’s Eve concert in Pontiac, Michigan, and sets a single performance attendance record of 62,500.
FEBRUARY 1976
Elvis has a week of recording sessions in the den at Graceland, with RCA bringing in mobile recording equipment. Songs from this will comprise the forthcoming album “From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee” and over half of the forthcoming “Moody Blue” album.
MARCH 17 - 22, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
APRIL 21 - 27, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
APRIL 30 - MAY 9, 1976
Elvis performs an engagement at the Sahara Tahoe in Nevada.
MAY - OCTOBER, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
OCTOBER 29 - 30, 1976
Elvis continues recording in the den at Graceland, including his last single "Way Down."
EARLY NOVEMBER 1976
Elvis and Linda Thompson, his steady girlfriend since 1972, split up.
NOVEMBER 19, 1976
Elvis meets Ginger Alden who will be his steady girlfriend until his death.
NOVEMBER 24 - 30, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
DECEMBER 2 - 12, 1976
Elvis plays the Hilton in Vegas for the last time. Evangelist Rex Humbard and his wife visit Elvis’ show and meet with him backstage on December 12, 1976. Humbard will be asked to speak at Elvis’ funeral the next year.
DECEMBER 27 - 31, 1976
Elvis tours in concert, ending with a special New Year’s Eve concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unbeknownst to Elvis, 1977 will be his final year of touring and performing.
FEBRUARY 12 - 21, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
MARCH 3 - 13, 1977
Elvis and his friends enjoy a vacation in Hawaii.
MARCH 23 - 30, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
APRIL 1 - 5, 1977
Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis and tour shows scheduled for March 31-April 3 are canceled.
APRIL 21 - MAY 31/JUNE 1 - 2, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
JUNE 1977
The single “Way Down” is released and peaks at #18.
JUNE 17 - 26, 1977
Elvis tours in concert. The shows on June 19, 20, and 21 are recorded by RCA for an upcoming live album and are videotaped for an upcoming CBS-TV television special. The special will be called “Elvis in Concert.” It will first air on October 3 after Elvis’ death in August. The camera gives a shocking picture of Elvis’ poor health in his final days, but his voice is strong.
JUNE 26, 1977
Elvis performs his last concert at Indianapolis’ Market Square Arena.
JUNE 27 - AUGUST 15, 1977
Elvis relaxes in Memphis and prepares for the next leg of touring for 1977.
JULY 1977
The album “Moody Blue” is released. After Elvis' death, it will hit #3, selling more than two million copies.
AUGUST 16, 1977
Shortly after midnight, Elvis returns to Graceland from a late-night visit to the dentist. Through the early morning of the 16, he takes care of last minute tour details and relaxes with family and staff. He is to fly to Portland, Maine, that night and do a show there on the 17, then continue the scheduled tour. He retires to his master suite at Graceland around 7:00 a.m. to rest for his evening flight. By late morning, Elvis Presley has passed away due to heart failure. It is announced by mid-afternoon. In a matter of hours the shock of Elvis’ death registers around the world.
AUGUST 18, 1977
Elvis’ funeral is held.
OCTOBER 2, 1977
Gladys' and Elvis' bodies are moved to Graceland.
OCTOBER 3, 1977
The CBS special “Elvis In Concert” airs. The album is also released and peaks at #5 quickly, selling 1.5 million copies.
FYI LTC John Shaw SPC Diana D. LTC Hillary Luton
1SG Steven ImermanSSG Pete FishGySgt Gary CordeiroPO1 H Gene LawrenceSPC Chris Bayner-CwikSgt Jim BelanusSGM Bill FrazerMSG Tom EarleySSgt Marian MitchellSGT Michael HearnPO2 Frederick DunnSP5 Dennis LobergerCPO John BjorgeSGT Randell RoseSSG Jimmy CernichSGT Denny EspinosaMSG Fred Bucci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kezAqHaDg2E
Images:
1. President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley - The Oval Office - December 21, 1970.
2. Elvis Presley - Las Vegas - August 17, 1969
3. Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley swap autographs, Overton Park Shell, Memphis June 1, 1956
4. Elvis Presley's Graceland - 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard
Background from {[https://www.graceland.com/biography//]}
EARLY CHILDHOOD
For Elvis Presley, childhood and adolescence were difficult and often involved working to help the family with finances. He picked up music early from local gospel groups and picked up the guitar when he was only 11 years old. Read on to learn more about Elvis Presley as a child and get to know what early life was like for America’s iconic singer.
JANUARY 8, 1935
In Tupelo, Mississippi, shortly before dawn, in a two-room house built by her husband, Vernon Presley, and her brother-in-law, Gladys Presley gives birth to twin sons. The first, Jessie Garon, is born stillborn. The second, Elvis Aaron, is born alive and healthy. Elvis would be their only child.
1935 - 1948
Elvis grows up within a close-knit, working class family, consisting of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who all live near one another in Tupelo. There is little money, but Vernon and Gladys do their best to provide for their son, who is the center of their lives. They move from one house to another in Tupelo. Elvis attends the Assembly of God Church with his family, and the music and preaching register deeplywith Elvis Presley. Childhood influences include black blues-men in the neighborhood and country music radio programs enjoyed by his family.
OCTOBER 3, 1945
Ten-year-old Elvis stands on a chair at a microphone and sings "Old Shep" in a youth talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, held in Tupelo. The talent show is broadcast over WELO Radio. Winning fifth prize, Elvis receives $5.00 in fair ride tickets. This is one of the first public musical performances for Elvis Presley as a child.
1946
Elvis’ parents cannot afford a bicycle that Elvis wants, so Gladys talks him into accepting a guitar instead. Elvis' first guitar costs $12.95 and is purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Company.
NOVEMBER 6, 1948
Elvis plays his guitar and sings "Leaf on a Tree" for his Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell. Elvis and his parents pack their belongings in a trunk, strap it to the roof of their 1939 Plymouth, and move to Memphis, Tennessee, in search of a better life economically. Other members of the Presley and Smith family would follow.
1948 - 1953
Elvis and his parents live in public housing or low rent homes in the poor neighborhoods of north Memphis. Life continues to be hard. Vernon and Gladys go from job to job and Elvis attends L.C. Humes High School. Elvis works at various jobs to help support himself and his parents. The Presley-Smith family remains close-knit, and Elvis and his family attend the Assembly of God Church. The teenage Elvis continues to be known for singing with his guitar. He buys his clothes on Beale Street and he absorbs the black blues and gospel he hears there. He’s also a regular audience member at the all-night, white and black, gospel sings that are held downtown. He wears his hair long (compared to the day’s standards) and slick, and lets his sideburns grow. He’s really different from the other kids, a good-natured misfit.
While at Humes High, Elvis nervously sings with his guitar at a student talent show. Much to his own amazement, he gets more applause than anyone else and wins, then performs an encore. The acceptance feels good.
JUNE 3, 1953
Elvis graduates from Humes High School.
1953
Elvis works at Parker Machinists Shop right after graduation. That summer, he drops by The Memphis Recording Service, home of the Sun label, and makes a demo acetate of "My Happiness" and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" for a cost of about $4.00 as a birthday present for his mother, Gladys. Sam Phillips records Elvis singing "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," and afterwards tells his assistant Marion Keisker something that made her write down in her notes, "Good ballad singer. Hold.”
1954 - 1957
JANUARY 1954
Elvis makes another demo acetate at Sun Studio. This is one of many early Elvis recording sessions.
APRIL 20, 1954
Elvis changes jobs again, going to work for Crown Electric Company. At Crown, he does various jobs, including driving a delivery truck and delivering supplies to job sites. He also goes to night school and studies to be an apprentice electrician.
JUNE 6, 1954
At Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Sam Phillips calls Elvis into the studio to try singing a song Sam hopes to put out on record. The song is "Without You" and Elvis does not sing it to Sam’s satisfaction. Sam asks Elvis what he can sing and Elvis runs through a number of popular tunes. Sam is impressed enough to team Elvis up with local musicians Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) to see if they together can come up with something worthwhile.
JULY 4, 1954
Elvis meets Scotty and Bill, but nothing really clicks until July 5, when after a tedious session, Elvis and the guys break into a sped-up version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right." This song, backed with “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” becomes the first of five singles of early Elvis songs recorded and released on the Sun label.
SUMMER OF 1954
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill start performing together, with Scotty acting as the group’s manager. Elvis continues to work at Crown Electric as the group starts to play small clubs and books other small-time gigs locally and throughout the South, enjoying moderate success with the records and personal appearances.
OCTOBER 2, 1954
Elvis’ one appearance on the “Grand Ole Opry” doesn’t go over particularly well, with one of the Opry officials reportedly suggesting that Elvis go back to driving a truck. The Opry is very important at this time. This is a painful disappointment in Elvis' early career.
Elvis, Scotty and Bill continue to record and to travel. They quit their day jobs in mid-October 1954.
OCTOBER 16, 1954
They appear for the first time on the ”Louisiana Hayride,” a live, Saturday night, country music radio show originating in Shreveport, Louisiana, broadcast over KWKH Radio. The show is the “Grand Ole Opry's” chief competitor, carried by 190 stations in thirteen states. This leads to regular appearances on the Hayride. In November, Elvis signs a one year contract for 52 Saturday night appearances. This is a great break, but as Elvis’ popularity grows, his commitment to the Hayride prevents him from traveling much outside the South to further his career on a larger scale.
JANUARY 1, 1955
Elvis signs a contract with Bob Neal, who now becomes his manager.
JANUARY 15, 1955
During his association with the Hayride, Elvis meets “Colonel” Tom Parker, a promoter and manager connected with various acts and the ”Louisiana Hayride.” Parker is also the manager for country star Hank Snow. A previous Parker client is country star Eddy Arnold.
1955
Elvis, Scotty and Bill continue touring on their own and in package shows with various country stars, including package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J. Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis fails to be accepted on “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts,” a network television show. As always, Elvis’ live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers, especially the females. His original and unusual style, sexy moves, and good looks start to cause more and more excitement wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and more popularity and begins to receive national attention. Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis’ career.
AUGUST 15, 1955
Elvis signs an official management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor. Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager from this time on and Snow is soon no longer connected to Elvis.
NOVEMBER 20, 1955
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and other early Elvis songs that are unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $35,000, with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time, Elvis signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company, which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the music business.
JANUARY 10, 1956
Two days after his twenty-first birthday, RCA holds the first of many Elvis recording sessions at their studio in Nashville. Among the early Elvis songs laid to tape during this studio session is "Heartbreak Hotel."
JANUARY 27, 1956
"Heartbreak Hotel" b/w "I Was the One" is released on vinyl by RCA and sells over 300,000 copies in its first three weeks on the market. It is soon to go to #1 on Billboard’s pop singles chart for eight weeks and hits #1 on the country chart and #5 on the R&B chart. It becomes the first Elvis single to sell over one million copies, thus earning Elvis his very first gold record award.
JANUARY 28, 1956
Elvis appears with Scotty, Bill and D.J. on the Jackie Gleason-produced “Stage Show,” starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, on CBS. This is Elvis’ first network television appearance. He appears five more nights on “Stage Show” over the weeks ahead and makes minor waves nationally. The last of these six appearances is March 24. Traveling and personal appearances continue during this time, including the “Louisiana Hayride” appearances for which he is still under contract.
FEBRUARY 1956
As "Heartbreak Hotel" makes its climb up the charts on its way to #1, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" b/w "Mystery Train," Elvis' fifth and last single to be released on the Sun label, hits #1 on Billboard’s national country singles chart. His first #1 hit on a national chart.
MARCH 23, 1956
RCA ships “Elvis Presley,” the first album in Elvis’ discography. This album full of early Elvis songs soon goes to #1 on Billboard’s pop album chart for 10 weeks. It is the first Elvis album to reach over $1 million in sales, thus earning Elvis his first gold album award.
MARCH 25, 1956
Elvis arrives in Los Angeles to begin a two-part screen test for Paramount Studios in Hollywood on the 26th and 27th. He lip syncs "Blue Suede Shoes" and performs a scene from the as yet unmade film, “The Rainmaker.”
APRIL 3, 1956
Elvis appears on “The Milton Berle Show” on NBC. This particular broadcast of the show originates from the deck of the aircraft carrier the USS Hancock.
APRIL 2 - 6, 1956
Elvis signs a one-picture movie contract with Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures. The contract includes options for six more pictures.
APRIL 23 - MAY 9, 1956
Compared to the usual hysteria, Elvis has lukewarm acceptance for his two-week engagement at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. He is not exactly what the adult audience of Vegas gamblers relates to very well. During these two weeks, the single “Heartbreak Hotel,” and the album “Elvis Presley,” both hit number one on the Billboard pop charts. Through all of this, the travel and personal appearances around the country and new Elvis recording sessions and releases continue. The crowds get bigger and bigger, wilder and wilder. Elvis’ fame grows dramatically. Some of these shows have to end early due to fans’ storming the stage. Elvis creates pandemonium wherever he goes.
JUNE 5, 1956
Elvis appears again on “The Milton Berle Show,” this time in the studio where the show usually originates, backed by The Jordanaires, Scotty, Bill and D.J. Among his selections is a playfully sensuous performance of "Hound Dog" that drives the kids in the audience wild and disgusts the press and some of the adult viewers. It is one of his most controversial performances. This merely serves to fuel his seemingly unstoppable popularity even more. Traveling, personal appearances and new record releases continue. By this time, his sexy moves and black-influenced sound is being condemned by certain factions of the “morally concerned” establishment and the religious community. But the kids love it.
JULY 1, 1956
Elvis appears on “The Steve Allen Show” on NBC. Among his performances this night is a much toned down version of "Hound Dog." Allen has Elvis dress in white tie and black tux with tails and has him sing the song to a live Basset Hound, a tongue-in-cheek response to all controversy created by the Berle appearance the month before. Elvis good-nature goes along with it, but is not too happy about it. Elvis also appears in a cowboy comedy sketch with Allen, Imogene Coca and Andy Griffith. The Elvis recording sessions, record releases and touring continue. The condemnation and controversy continues as well, along with the ever-growing popularity. Ed Sullivan, who had said that he would never have the likes of Elvis Presley on his show, changes his tune when he sees the big ratings that Elvis attracts to the Berle and Allen shows. A three-appearance deal is worked out for $50,000 and is the highest amount ever paid to a performer, up to that time, for appearing on a variety show.
JULY 2, 1956
The Jordanaires, a gospel quartet and popular country back-up group, begin working with Elvis in the studio during his fourth RCA session and soon begin touring with him. They will also appear with him in several films and remain his main back-up group until the late sixties.
AUGUST 1956
Elvis begins shooting his first movie, “Love Me Tender,” on loan-out from Paramount to Twentieth Century Fox. It is originally titled “The Reno Brothers,” but is re-titled before its release to capitalize on Elvis’ sure-to-be-a-hit single from the soundtrack.
SEPTEMBER 9, 1956
Elvis makes the first of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the top television program of the era. Elvis attracts the highest ratings ever for any television variety show, receiving 80% of the national viewing audience. Character actor Charles Laughton hosts in place of Sullivan, who is recuperating from a car accident.
SEPTEMBER 26, 1956
Elvis Presley Day is proclaimed in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis’ parents join him as he returns to the town of his birth as a big star. He performs two shows at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, the same fair at which he had performed at age 10. This time there are a hundred National Guardsmen surrounding the stage to control the crowds of excited fans.
By this time, souvenir merchandising using Elvis’ name, image and likeness has become a big part of the Elvis phenomenon. Licensees will soon be producing as many as thirty different products including hats, t-shirts, jeans, kerchiefs, sneakers, shirts, blouses, belts, purses, billfolds, wallets, charm bracelets, necklaces, magazines, gloves, bookends, a statue, lipstick, cologne, stuffed hound dogs, stationery, sweaters, crockery, and more. Elvis and the Colonel are to blaze new trails in the area of celebrity merchandising. This is to be forever a part of the marketing of Elvis Presley, feeding a never-ending demand.
OCTOBER 28, 1956
Elvis makes his second of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.
NOVEMBER 15, 1956
Elvis’ first movie, “Love Me Tender,” premieres at the Paramount Theater in New York City, opening nationwide in the days following. It becomes a smash hit and the critics’ reviews aren’t bad for his acting in this melodrama, which is set in the American South of the 1800’s Civil War era. The film has Elvis performing several songs.
DECEMBER 31, 1956
The front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that in the past few months, Elvis merchandise has grossed $22 million in sales. Elvis ends the pivotal year of his career, when regional popularity gave way to unprecedented national and international fame. The year of 1956 has seen the beginning of Elvis souvenir merchandising, the beginning of a successful movie career, huge record sales (five number one singles on the pop chart, two number one albums on the pop chart, and other hits), history-making television appearances, record-breaking personal appearances and more. Elvis has become the primary symbol of the new youth culture in America. He has also become one of society’s most controversial figures. His unique blending of white country and gospel music, black R&B and gospel, white pop music, his particular brand of charisma and talent, and the resulting success and controversy, have helped him greatly to begin, without premeditation, a cycle of change in music and pop culture and the mores of American society. Nothing will ever be the same for Elvis Presley or for the world.
JANUARY 6, 1957
Elvis makes his third and final appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” It is for this appearance, that Elvis is seen only from the waist up. It’s funny that after all of his television appearances the previous year, such censorship comes at this time. It is particularly amusing that this guideline remains in place during Elvis’ performance of the gospel standard, “Peace in the Valley,” one of five songs he performs on this Sullivan appearance. Ed Sullivan himself helps diffuse some of the controversy surrounding Elvis when he comes out on stage to thank Elvis and tells the studio audience and millions of American television viewers that “this is a decent, fine boy” and what a delight he has been to work with when appearing on the show. Ed Sullivan is the most influential person on television and one of the most powerful people in the television industry at the time. Personal appearances, recording sessions, record releases, controversy and publicity continue.
JANUARY 1957
Elvis begins production of his second movie, “Loving You.” Elvis also begins dying his hair black.
FEBRUARY 3, 1957
The New York Times runs a story entitled, "Presley Records a Craze in Soviet Union." Elvis records are not legally available in the Soviet Union. The article tells of bootleg recordings being cut on discarded X-ray plates and being sold in Leningrad on the black market for fifty rubles (about twelve and a half dollars) each, a lot of money at the time.
MARCH 1957
Elvis buys Graceland Mansion for himself, his parents, and his paternal grandmother to live in for $102,500. It will be ready for them to move into on May 16th, 1957. Elvis doesn't spend his first night in Graceland until June 26th, 1957.
APRIL 1957
While touring with his show, Elvis performs outside the U.S. for the first time when he appears in Canada. Two shows are in Toronto on April 2 and two shows are in Ottawa on April 3.
MAY 1957
Elvis begins work on his third motion picture, “Jailhouse Rock,” for MGM.
JULY 9, 1957
Elvis' second motion picture, “Loving You,” premieres in Memphis. It opens nationwide on July 30 and is on the Variety’s National Box Office Survey for four weeks, peaking at #7. Elvis skips the premiere, but takes Anita and his parents to see a private midnight screening. Hit records include early Elvis songs such as the title track and classic smash "Teddy Bear." Traveling, touring, record releases and personal appearances continue.
AUGUST 31, 1957
Elvis performs in Vancouver. This is the third Canadian city he has performed in and marks the last time he will perform a concert outside the United States.
SEPTEMBER 27, 1957
Elvis returns once more to the town of his birth to perform. This time it is a benefit for the proposed Elvis Presley Youth Recreation Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. The grounds include Elvis’ birthplace home. He will donate regularly to the center for the rest of his life.
OCTOBER 17, 1957
“Jailhouse Rock,” Elvis’ third motion picture, premieres in Memphis. “Jailhouse Rock” opens nationally on November 8 and peaks at #3. It ends up being #14 for the year. By 1969, its earnings in the U.S. and Canada were roughly comparable with those of “The Wizard of Oz.” The title song is a smash hit. Years later, this film will be considered one of Elvis’ best acting performances, surpassed only by “King Creole,” which is to follow in 1958. “Jailhouse Rock” will come to be considered the ultimate classic of all “rock opera” movies. The "Jailhouse Rock" production number in the film is to be recognized as the grandfather of pop/rock music videos, a music format to become widely popular by the 1980’s.
NOVEMBER 10 – 11, 1957
Elvis performs shows in Hawaii for the first time. This would also be his last public appearance before entering the Army.
DECEMBER 1957
Elvis and family enjoy their first [Christmas at Graceland]. Elvis also officially receives his draft notice, a day he has known would be coming soon.
1958 - 1961
LATE JANUARY- EARLY MARCH 1958
Elvis films and records for his fourth motion picture, "King Creole," often recognized as one of the best Elvis movies.
MARCH 24, 1958
The Elvis Army years begin as Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army at the Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number 53310761.
MARCH 25, 1958
Elvis gets his famous G.I. haircut at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.
MARCH 28, 1958
Elvis arrives at Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training and is stationed there for six months.
JUNE 10, 1958
After basic training, while on his first leave, Elvis has a recording session. This is his last recording session until 1960. Among the songs recorded is "A Big Hunk O' Love."
JUNE 20, 1958
Elvis' parents soon move into a temporary trailer near the Army base at Fort Hood, Texas. They move into a house on July 1.
JULY 2, 1958
“King Creole,” Elvis’ fourth motion picture opens nationally and the reviews are the best he will ever have for his acting. Its impressive list of co-stars and supporting cast includes Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger and Vic Morrow. It becomes a top five film at the box office. The movie is set in New Orleans and based upon the Harold Robbins novel, "A Stone for Danny Fisher." This is Elvis in his prime – The film will come to be regarded as one of the best Elvis movies, his greatest acting performance, and proof of his potential to have become a respected serious actor, though the realization of this desire will remain forever out of his grasp.
AUGUST 8, 1958
Gladys Presley becomes ill and returns to Memphis via train to be hospitalized with acute hepatitis. Elvis is granted emergency leave and arrives in Memphis on the afternoon of August 12. He visits her that night, and the next day and night. A few hours after Elvis goes home to Graceland to rest, she dies in the early hours of August 14 at age 46. Her body lies in state at Graceland that afternoon. Services are at the Memphis Funeral Home on the 15, with the Blackwood Brothers singing "Precious Memories" and "Rock of Ages," two of Gladys Presley’s favorite hymns. She is laid to rest at Forest Hill Cemetery, close to Graceland. Elvis is devastated.
AUGUST 24, 1958
Elvis reports back to Fort Hood.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1958
Elvis boards a troop train to New York on September 19, and then later boards the USS Randall and sails to Germany, arriving on October 1. He will be stationed in Friedberg for 18 months, maintaining an off-base residence in Bad Nauheim, shared with his father, grandmother and some friends from Memphis. Elvis’ Army years expose him to fans in Europe and he finds them to be as enthusiastic as those in the U.S.
JANUARY 8, 1959
Elvis is interviewed off-camera via trans-Atlantic telephone by Dick Clark on “American Bandstand” on ABC-TV. The show commemorates the star’s 24th birthday. Later in January, the family moves from a hotel to a rented house. Also, Elvis poses with actress Vera Tschechowa and the March of Dimes poster child. Colonel Parker continues to keep Elvis’ career alive with promotions and hit record releases.
MARCH 3 – 5, 1959
On a three-day leave, Elvis travels to Munich where he visits actress Vera Tschechow and the Moulin Rouge.
JUNE 13 – 27, 1959
Elvis visits Paris and Munich.
AUGUST 15, 1959
Captain Joseph Beaulieu moves from Texas to Weisbaden Air Force Base near Friedberg, Germany, accompanied by his wife and children, including his 14 year-old stepdaughter, Priscilla Ann. Priscilla is the only child from Ann Beaulieu’s marriage to her first husband, James Wagner, a Navy pilot who was killed in a plane crash when Priscilla was an infant.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1959
Through a mutual friend, Priscilla is invited to a party at Elvis’ home soon after her arrival in Germany. They meet and the rest is history.
JANUARY 8, 1960
Elvis does a second phone interview with Dick Clark. A birthday party for Elvis includes 200 invited guests, including Priscilla. Joe Esposito and others present him with a trophy inscribed, "Elvis Presley. Most Valuable Player. Bad Nauheim Sunday Afternoon Football Association, 1959.”
JANUARY 12 – 17, 1960
Elvis goes on a second leave to Paris with his karate instructor, Jurgen Seydel, to study with Japanese karate teacher, Tetsuji Murakami. He takes lessons every day in the shotokan technique.
JANUARY 20, 1960
Elvis is promoted to Sergeant. He leaves on maneuvers on the 24th and will get his full sergeant's stripes on February 11, 1960.
MARCH 1960
The Elvis Army years come to an end on March 2 at 5:25 p.m. as Elvis leaves Germany and arrives in New Jersey the next day for a press conference. He is officially discharged from active duty on March 5, 1960, at 9:25 a.m. He boards a train for Memphis, arriving on March 8. Press and crowds of fans are everywhere for this historic series of events. He holds a press conference at Graceland in his father’s office behind the mansion on March 8. He has served his country just like any other G.I., with no special privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him. These two years away from his career have been a time to mature. He has also worried constantly that his lengthy absence might have damaged his career progress.
MARCH 20, 1960
Elvis has his first post-Army recording session. Some of the recording work is for the album “Elvis is Back!,” which will hit #2 on the Billboard pop chart. The album includes the single “Stuck On You,” which is rushed to the pressing plant and packaged in a generic sleeve without waiting for orders. Debuting at #84, it took only three weeks to hit #1. Sessions will continue in early April.
MARCH 26, 1960
Elvis tapes a special "Welcome Home, Elvis" edition of Frank Sinatra’s ABC-TV variety show, for which he is paid $125,000, a record sum for a variety show appearance at the time.
APRIL 21, 1960
Elvis begins filming video and recording audio for his first post-Army movie, his fifth film, “GI Blues,” for Paramount. This is the third of nine Elvis films to be produced (not consecutively) by Hal Wallis. “GI Blues” co-stars dancer/actress Juliet Prowse. Director Norman Taurog would end up working with Elvis on several other films throughout his acting career.
MAY 12, 1960
ABC airs “Frank Sinatra’s Welcome Home, Elvis” edition of his variety show, which attracts a 41.5% share of the national television audience.
JULY 3, 1960
Vernon Presley marries divorcee and mother of three sons, Davada (Dee) Stanley, an American whom he met Germany, where she had been stationed with her military husband. They live at Graceland briefly, then move to a home nearby.
JULY 21, 1960
Elvis receives his first degree black belt in karate, an interest he developed while in the Army. Elvis carries the certificate in his wallet until his death.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1960
Elvis records and films for his sixth movie, “Flaming Star,” a drama with limited music. Elvis plays the son of a white father and a Native American mother, torn between the two cultures in the 1800's. The film co-stars Barbara Eden.
OCTOBER 1960
The soundtrack album for “GI Blues” enters the Billboard album chart and soon goes to #1. It remains #1 for 10 weeks and stays on the chart for 111 weeks. It is to be the most successful album of Elvis’ entire career on the Billboard charts. (“GI Blues” was the most successful album on the music charts. However, “Blue Hawaii” was the biggest selling album during Elvis’ life, selling 2 million copies in the first 12 months.)
NOVEMBER 6, 1960
Elvis begins recording and filming for his seventh film, “Wild in the Country,” which will be completed in January. “GI Blues” opens nationally on November 23 to warm reviews and big box office sales, making it one of the best Elvis movies of his post-Army career. It was #2 the first week and for the year on Variety’s list. By 1969, Variety reports it had grossed 4.3 million, equal to “The African Q.”
DECEMBER 22, 1960
“Flaming Star” opens nationally to warm reviews, but unlike “GI Blues,” this dramatic film with little singing, does not set the box office on fire. It was #12 for the week. Elvis does however earn recognition from a tribal council for his positive portrayal of a Native American in this racially charged drama. The film is banned in South Africa due to its interracial theme.
FEBRUARY 25, 1961
Elvis appears at a luncheon in his honor in Memphis. His most recent awards are on display for the press and guests. Following a press conference, Elvis performs an afternoon and evening show at Ellis Auditorium to benefit around 38 Memphis-area charities. Other than the Sinatra television show, these shows are the only times Elvis has performed live since his Army discharge.
“Elvis Presley Day” is proclaimed by Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington. Every year after this, Elvis donates money to a list of Memphis-area charities, eventually reaching 50 or more, usually around Christmas time. Within a few years, to show their appreciation, the city gives him a massive plaque listing 50 charities.
MARCH 25, 1961
Elvis arrives in Hawaii for a press conference, then an evening concert at Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor. He is there to perform a benefit to help fund the building of the USS Arizona Memorial. Hundreds of fans mob the airport as he arrives. His show raises around $62,000 for the memorial. The event also helps bring publicity, public awareness and support to the project. The fund-raising efforts, for the most part, had been difficult up to this point. The rest of the needed funds are soon raised and the memorial is completed a year later. Elvis receives numerous official honors in appreciation for this benefit. This turns out to be Elvis’ last live, non-movie performance until his 1968 television special.
LATE MARCH/MID-APRIL 1961
Elvis remains in Hawaii to do location filming for his eighth motion picture, “Blue Hawaii,” having already done soundtrack recording. Later, there is additional filming to be done back in Hollywood for this film, which will open later in the year. With this second and longer visit, Hawaii would become one of Elvis’ lifelong favorite places to vacation.
JUNE 22, 1961
“Wild in the Country,” co-starring Hope Lange, Millie Perkins and Tuesday Weld, opens nationally to mixed reviews. Like “Flaming Star,” it is a melodrama with limited singing by Elvis, and not one of his most successful motion pictures. Also in June, the album “Something For Everybody” is shipped. It hits the charts in July, staying for 25 weeks and spending three of those weeks at #1.
JULY - AUGUST, 1961
Elvis records and films for his ninth motion picture, “Follow That Dream.” Filming includes some location shooting in Florida.
SEPTEMBER 1961
Elvis spends the month vacationing in Las Vegas.
OCTOBER 1961
The soundtrack album for “Blue Hawaii” enters the Billboard chart for a year-and-a-half run, staying at #1 for 20 weeks, second only to "GI Blues" as the biggest album of Elvis’ career on the Billboard charts. It also yields a #2 single destined to become an Elvis classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Non-movie-related recordings and hit records have continued through this period, with “Good Luck Charm” hitting #1 in 1962, his last number one pop hit until “Suspicious Minds” in 1969.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER, 1961
Elvis records and films for his 10th motion picture, “Kid Galahad,” completing it on December 20, 1961.
NOVEMBER 22, 1961
“Blue Hawaii” opens nationally to warm reviews. The film hits #18 on the box office charts for 1961 and #14 for 1962. It earns recognition as one of the Best Elvis movies, and is top-grossing film of his career thus far. Its characteristics of a non-cerebral plot, lavish scenery, lots of songs by Elvis, and lots of pretty girls, become the basis for the “Presley formula” movies of the sixties.
DECEMBER 1961
Other than the Elvis Army years, this is the only Christmas Elvis will spend away from Graceland. He will spend from December 22 to January 29 in Las Vegas.
1962 - 1965
Fame and fortune only grew for Elvis in the ‘60s as he continued to release worldwide hits and star in box-office-topping roles, and In 1964 Elvis starred in his highest-grossing film ever. The actor and singer also began to spend his money in earnest, both for personal items and charitable causes.
JANUARY 1962
Elvis has a new RCA contract that runs until 1966. He also celebrates his 27th birthday.
MARCH 12, 1962
Elvis Purchases a 1962 Dodge House Car complete with air conditioning, a double bed, two bunks and a kitchen. He plans to have George Barris customize it and to use it to drive back and forth to California.
MAY 23, 1962
“Follow That Dream” opens nationally and gets to #5 on the box office charts. It is warmly reviewed and does fairly well in sales.
MARCH 26 - JUNE 11, 1962
Elvis records and films in Hollywood, and does location filming in Hawaii, for his 11th motion picture, “Girls! Girls! Girls!”
JUNE 17 - JULY 1, 1962
Priscilla, now 17 years old, visits Elvis from Germany. It will be the first time they see each other since Elvis left Germany over two years before. They spend the time in Las Vegas.
AUGUST 28, 1962
Elvis records and films for his 12th motion picture, “It Happened at the World’s Fair.” Shooting is done in Hollywood and on location at the World’s Fair in Seattle.
AUGUST 29, 1962
“Kid Galahad” opens nationally and does relatively well with a brief stay in the top 10 on the box office chart.
OCTOBER 1962
In Mexico, riot behavior in a theater showing “GI Blues” prompts the Mexican government to ban Elvis movies. Torn seats, broken windows and other damage is reported.
NOVEMBER 21, 1962
“Girls! Girls! Girls!” opens and lands at on the #6 Variety chart and #31 for the year. Soundtrack album goes to #3 and the single "Return to Sender" hits #2. For 1962, Elvis’ movies at the box office are “Blue Hawaii” at #14, “Girls! Girls! Girls!” at #31 and “Kid Galahad” at #37.
DECEMBER 19, 1962 - JANUARY 11, 1963
Priscilla visits Elvis for the holidays in Memphis, only her second time visiting Elvis in the 60s.
JANUARY 21 - MARCH 22, 1963
Elvis records and films for his 13th film, “Fun in Acapulco.” Priscilla moves to Memphis in early March 1963 while Elvis is in Hollywood filming. She graduates from high school on May 29, 1963, five days after turning 18 years old.
APRIL 10, 1963
“It Happened at the World's Fair” opens nationally and does relatively well at the box office, though its plot is the most frivolous of any Elvis film so far. The soundtrack album hits #4.
JULY 1963
Elvis begins recording and filming for “Viva Las Vegas,” co-starring Ann-Margret. It will be his 15th movie to be released, as “Kissin’ Cousins,” which he is to shoot next, will actually be released before “Viva Las Vegas.”
OCTOBER 1963
Elvis records and shoots for his next motion picture, “Kissin’ Cousins.” He also receives his 2nd degree black belt on October 17, 1963, and carries the card in his wallet until his death.
LATE NOVEMBER 1963
Elvis finishes filming “Kissin’ Cousins” on November 14. He is devastated when President Kennedy is assassinated on November 22.
NOVEMBER 27, 1963
“Fun in Acapulco” opens nationally and quickly goes to number five at the box office. The soundtrack goes to the top five on the pop chart.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1964
Elvis purchases the Potomac, former presidential yacht of Franklin Roosevelt, for $55,000 on January 30. He intends to donate it to the March of Dimes for use as a national shrine (FDR suffered from polio, the main disease fought by the March of Dimes). Costs of maintaining the yacht would be prohibitive, so the March of Dimes declines the gift. Elvis attempts to give it to the 7th Coast Guard District Auxiliary in Miami, which also doesn’t work out. Finally, on February 13, he presents the yacht as a gift to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis for them to use to raise funds as they see fit. The ceremony takes place in Long Beach, California, on February 14, with actor and hospital founder, Danny Thomas, accepting.
During this saga of trying to donate the yacht, the Beatles make their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and Sullivan reads on the air a congratulatory telegram from Elvis and the Colonel. American music and pop culture will soon change dramatically with the "British invasion" of the sixties, much as it had after Elvis made rock history in the fifties.
FEBRUARY 26 - MAY 14, 1964
Elvis begins filming for his 16th motion picture, “Roustabout,” co-starring Hollywood legend Barbara Stanwyck.
MARCH 6, 1964
“Kissin’ Cousins” opens nationally. One of the poorest quality films of his career, it still quickly hits #11 at the box office, then quickly falls. The record hits #6.
APRIL 30, 1964
Elvis meets Larry Geller and starts his spiritual studying in earnest.
JUNE 9 - AUGUST 3, 1964
Elvis records music for his 17th film, “Girl Happy,” which co-stars Shelley Fabares and former Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley.
JUNE 17, 1964
“Viva Las Vegas” opens nationally and goes to #14 at the box office. It’s one of the better movies from Elvis in the ‘60s and the songs on this record are better as well. By the end of the year, it is #11, outranking The Beatles “A Hard Day's Night” and becoming Elvis' highest grossing film ever.
SEPTEMBER 21, 1964
Elvis becomes an official “Special Deputy Sheriff” for Shelby County.
OCTOBER 6, 1964
Elvis begins shooting his 18th motion picture, “Tickle Me.” The soundtrack has no new recordings. Instead, previously released non-movie recordings are used, apparently to keep production costs to a minimum. Filming continues until November 24, 1964.
NOVEMBER 1964
“Roustabout” opens nationally and hits #8 at the box office. The soundtrack, which represents some of the best Elvis movie music in a while, goes to #1 on the Billboard pop album chart. Elvis is ranked as the sixth-biggest-money-making star of 1964. The single "Blue Christmas/Wooden Heart" reach #1 on the Christmas Chart.
DECEMBER 1964
Col. Parker renegotiates future movie contracts with both United Artists and MGM. The deals, with salary and % of profits, finally reaches his goal for Elvis of $1,000,000 a movie.
JANUARY 8, 1965
Elvis celebrates his 30th birthday.
MARCH 9, 1965
Elvis records the soundtrack and does the filming for his 19th motion picture, “Harum Scarum,” which co-stars Mary Ann Mobley.
APRIL 7, 1965
“Girl Happy” opens and is the 25th top-grossing film of the year. The soundtrack hits #8, while the single “Crying in the Chapel” hits #3.
APRIL 19, 1965
“Harum Scarum” is released.
APRIL 1965
“Girl Happy” opens nationally and does relatively good business. The soundtrack album goes top 10.
MAY 1965
Elvis records music and does filming for “Frankie and Johnny,” co-starring Donna Douglas. On May 9, 1965 Col. Parker has arranged for a special Mother’s Day radio show to be broadcast on radio stations across the country.
MAY 19, 1965
Elvis’ gold Cadillac will go on tour to promote the film “Tickle Me.” The song, “Such An Easy Question,” reaches #11 on the charts.
1966 -1969
The mid-to late-60s were a time of change for Elvis. While he continued to release hit songs and movies, this is also the time period when Elvis married Priscilla and Lisa Marie was born. The Elvis Christmas special aired in 1968, his first ever TV special and a turning point in his career. Elvis also wins his first Grammy award and performs a long series of shows in Las Vegas to rave reviews.
JANUARY 1966
MGM extends Elvis’ contract for four more movies. Plans are made to add onto the house what is now known as the trophy room to accommodate Elvis’ slot-car tracks. On January 22, 1966, Elvis and Priscilla, along with their friends, build a huge snowman on the front lawn.
FEBRUARY - APRIL 1966
Elvis records the soundtrack music and shoots his 22nd motion picture, “Spinout,” co-starring Shelley Fabares. Elvis has a renewed interest in music which prompts him to buy a great deal of new equipment and spend his free time working on music at home with Red and Charlie. He is especially interested in folk music. Elvis has also purchased a Greyhound bus that is now being customized by George Barris.
MARCH 30, 1966
“Frankie and Johnny” opens nationally and doesn’t do particularly well. The soundtrack album goes to #20.
MAY 25, 1966
Elvis meets his new record producer Felton Jarvis and begins working on what will become the album “How Great Thou Art.” Also during this session, he is especially enthusiastic about working with one of his mentors Jake Hess and his group The Imperials.
JUNE - SEPTEMBER 1966
Elvis does soundtrack recording and shooting for “Double Trouble.”
JULY 6, 1966
“Paradise, Hawaiian Style” is released. It lands at #40 for the year. The soundtrack album peaks at #15, while the single "Love Letter" makes it to #19 on the charts.
JULY 12, 1966
Colonel Parker turns down a Japanese movie deal saying that Elvis is booked through 1969.
AUGUST 30, 1966
Deciding not to wait until the end of 1967, RCA goes ahead and picks up its option to extend Elvis’ contract until 1974.
SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 1966
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Easy Come, Easy Go.”
SEPTEMBER 21, 1966
Elvis signs a lease on a Palm Springs house at 1350 Ladera Circle.
NOVEMBER 23, 1966
“Spinout” opens nationally and is #57 for the year. The soundtrack album goes to #18. Elvis Presley is the 10th highest paid star for the year.
DECEMBER 1966
Elvis’ interest in horses becomes serious by December 5 and he purchases riding clothing and equipment. On December 20, he buys Priscilla a horse for Christmas. He also formally proposes marriage just before Christmas, presenting her with a ring.
FEBRUARY 8, 1967
Elvis buys a 163-acre ranch in Mississippi, minutes across the Tennessee state line from Graceland for $437,000. Elvis, his entourage and their wives have become interested in horseback riding after Elvis purchased a horse for Priscilla as a gift. The hobby has outgrown the pasture at Graceland. Over the months to come, Elvis and the gang enjoy spending a lot of time at the Circle G. It becomes a happy diversion for Elvis as his frustration and unhappiness over the state of his career reaches its height.
RCA releases Elvis’ second gospel music album, “How Great Thou Art,” which was recorded in mid-1966. It gets very good reviews and goes on to earn Elvis the Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. This is the first of his three Grammy wins.
MARCH 22, 1967
“Easy Come, Easy Go” opens nationally and is #50 for the year.
MARCH – APRIL 1967
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Clambake.” It is the third of three Elvis movies to co-star Shelley Fabares.
APRIL 5, 1967
“Double Trouble” opens nationally. Although better than some of his recent screen efforts, it is #58 for the year.
APRIL, 12 1967
Ironwork is added to Graceland’s windows and doors.
MAY 1967
On May 1, Elvis married Priscilla in a private ceremony amongst a small group of family and friends at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, just after 11:40 a.m. A press conference and breakfast reception follow. The couple honeymoon for a few days in Palm Springs. Then they return to Memphis.
MAY 24, 1967
Elvis and Priscilla Presley celebrate her 22nd birthday.
MAY 29, 1967
Elvis and Priscilla dress in their wedding clothes and have a second wedding reception in the trophy room at Graceland to accommodate family and friends who were not in Las Vegas for the wedding.
JUNE - AUGUST 1967
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Speedway,” co-starring Nancy Sinatra. During the production, news of Priscilla's pregnancy is announced.
SEPTEMBER 29, 1967
Memphis Mayor William Ingram and Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington each declare “Elvis Presley Day” in recognition of Elvis' many charitable contributions. Elvis names one of his horses Mare Ingram in the mayor’s honor.
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER, 1967
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Stay Away Joe.” In this western-themed comedy, he once again plays a character who is part Native American. It's a real departure from the virtually interchangeable plots and characters in most of the films over the past several grueling years. He has fun with this one.
OCTOBER 26, 1967
Priscilla and several other wives and girlfriends of the entourage travel to Sedona, Arizona, to visit the set of “Stay Away Joe.”
NOVEMBER 1967
Elvis and Priscilla pay $400,000 for their first Beverly Hills home, at 1174 Hillcrest.
NOVEMBER 22, 1967
“Clambake” is released nationally and goes to #15 at the box office. The soundtrack album goes to #40.
JANUARY 12, 1968
NBC vice president Tom Sarnoff announces an Elvis Christmas Special, Elvis’ first TV appearance since 1960.
FEBRUARY 1, 1968
Nine months to the day after Elvis married Priscilla, she gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley. It is a time of great happiness.
MARCH 8, 1968
“Stay Away Joe” opens to mixed reviews and is #65 for the year.
MARCH - MAY 1968
Elvis does soundtrack recording and filming for “Live a Little, Love a Little.” It is a sexy, more adult kind of comedy/melodrama. It, like “Stay Away, Joe” is a real departure from the typical Presley film. It is yet another breath of fresh air.
APRIL 8, 1968
Elvis is deeply distressed by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Elvis has been a long-time admirer and often quotes his “I Have a Dream” speech.
JUNE 6, 1968
Robert Kennedy is killed. Elvis' thoughts and feelings on the losses of both Dr. King and Robert Kennedy
eventually lead to a song being written that he sings in his upcoming TV special.
JUNE 12, 1968
“Speedway” is released nationally and is #40. The soundtrack album goes only as far up the chart as #82.
JUNE 1968
Starting on June 3, Elvis rehearses for the taping of his first television special. A press conference is held on June 25. Videotaping is done June 27, 28, 29 and 30. Commonly referred to as the “’68 Special” or the “’68 Comeback”. The actual name of this landmark television special is “Elvis.”
The sixties have brought about great change in music and pop culture, change for which Elvis helped pave the way over a decade earlier when he exploded onto the scene with his unique blending of pop, rock, country, R&B and gospel influences. Focusing on his Hollywood movie career in the sixties, Elvis has become less a part of the current pop cultural scene. He has been making one movie after another and many of the records he has put out in these years have been movie soundtrack albums. Elvis’ films in the fifties and early sixties were wonderfully successful, but as the sixties have worn on, the movies and records, though still profitable, have not been nearly so successful as they were before. Elvis has reached the supreme level of frustration with the state of his career and all its limitations on his creativity and artistic expression. He had hoped to become a serious actor, but Hollywood had other ideas and Elvis went along with them. His opportunities to show his true talents as an actor have been few. He is beyond ready for a change. By now, it has been more than seven years since Elvis has appeared in front of a live audience. Elvis has missed the closeness of his audience, the energy and excitement of live performing he had back in his prime touring days.
The “’68 Special” opens with Elvis singing a hot new version of the gutsy "Trouble," from his 1958 film “King Creole.” This segues into “Guitar Man,” which becomes the underlying theme of the show. Elvis is then reunited with two of his original fifties band members, guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana. They sit together on stage in the round, along with several other friends and associates of Elvis, for an informal session of singing, jamming and swapping stories. Parts of this jam session are woven throughout the show. There are also sequences of Elvis taking the stage alone and performing many of his greatest hit rockers and ballads. He also introduces a new song, “Memories.”
One can surmise that he pours out years of career frustration and pent-up creative energy into the performance of these songs. His natural talent, charisma, sensuality and stage presence have not been diminished by the years in Hollywood. In fact, Elvis looks, sounds, moves and grooves better than he ever has. At 33, he is better than he has ever been and better than anybody in the business. For the group jam session segments and solo stage performances, Elvis wears a two-piece, black leather outfit specially designed for the show by Bill Belew, who also designed the other wardrobe Elvis and the cast wear in the show. The look evokes the era of James Dean and the Marlon Brando type motorcycle films of the fifties, the era when Elvis was first proclaimed the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
In one of the jam session segments, Elvis speaks of the gospel origins of rock ‘n’ roll. This segues into the gospel music portion of the show, which has Elvis wearing a two-piece burgundy suit, singing "Where Could I Go But to the Lord," "Up Above My Head" and "I’m Saved.” During this segment, Elvis is backed by the female vocal group, The Blossoms, and accompanied by a troupe of dancers.
Toward the end of the special, Elvis appears in a lengthy production number that includes song, dance, karate and various situations. The number traces a young man’s journey from a struggling guitar player, through the challenges, dangers and compromises on the path to his dreams of success and super-stardom. Something is lost along the way. Once the dream is achieved, the man realizes that he remains unfulfilled and that he has abandoned his true self. He decides to return to his roots, doing what made him happiest, what he does best. He sings “I’ll never be more than what I am... a swingin’ little guitar man.” The parallels to Elvis' own life are clear and deliberate, and his doing the “’68 Special” represents his own return to his true self, to his roots. Free from the confines of his Hollywood grind, this is Elvis the singer, the performer, the musician, the man - the real Elvis.
At the end of the special, Elvis appears alone wearing a simple white two-piece suit, standing in front of the towering backdrop of red lights that spell ELVIS. He sings a brand new song, "If I Can Dream," specially written for the show. The writers created the song based in part upon conversations with Elvis about his own thoughts on what was happening in the turbulent sixties. It seems appropriate that he closes the show with some sort of personal statement. His powerful and passionate performance of this song of hope for mankind is one of the most brilliant moments of his singing career.
JULY - AUGUST 1968
Elvis records the theme and does filming for his 29th movie, “Charro!,” a dramatic western from director Charles Marquis Warren. Elvis grows a beard for this. The theme song will be heard over the opening credits, but there will be no other Elvis songs used. This will be the first and only film in which Elvis does not sing on camera.
OCTOBER - DECEMBER 1968
Elvis records the soundtrack and does filming for his 30th movie, “The Trouble with Girls.” He sings in this one, but in very natural situations for a change. It is yet another film quite different from the typical Elvis films.
OCTOBER 23, 1968
“Live A Little, Love A Little” opens.
NOVEMBER 1968
“If I Can Dream” ships and hits #12. “Elvis” LP is ships and hits #8.
DECEMBER 3, 1968
“Elvis,” the 1968 TV special, airs on NBC-TV and is one of the biggest television hits of the year, receiving 40% of the viewing audience, rave reviews from the public, and the critics alike. The soundtrack album to this Elvis Christmas special goes to #8 on the pop chart.
Reviewing the show, rock writer John Landau says, “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 from rock ‘n’ roll singers.”
Years later, rock writer Greil Marcus remembers it by saying, “It was the finest music of his life. If ever there was music that bleeds, this was it.”
"Elvis," the 1968 TV special, is to become widely regarded as one of the truly great television moments in pop/rock music history history and was a truly helpful endeavor for Elvis’ career. After this show, everything changes for Elvis as his career takes a turn back toward music. He pours renewed creative energy into his recording work, is soon to wrap up his movie contract obligations and to return full-time to the concert stage, beginning a new and exciting era of his career. His super stardom is yet to reach its ultimate height. The NBC-TV show, also known as the ‘68 Comeback Special, was recorded in June. It is considered one of the crowning achievements by the King of Rock ’n’ Roll—it’s such a classic that Elvis fans can buy ’68 Comeback Special DVDs and view the historic performance at home.
DECEMBER 1968
Elvis wraps shooting on “The Trouble With Girls” on December 18. The International Hotel deal is accepted on December 19. This will be Lisa's first Christmas and Vernon will dress up as Santa.
ELVIS AT AMERICAN SOUND JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1969
Elvis has been doing all of his recording work in Nashville or Hollywood since signing with RCA. Now however he records in Memphis again for the first time since 1955. He has all-night marathon sessions at American Sound Studio. His work here will become regarded as some of the finest music of his career, his best work since the innovative days at Sun and the exciting early days at RCA before he went into the Army. Elvis has excellent material to choose from and pours his heart and soul into the sessions. He works with a lot of top-notch Memphis musicians. The sound is fresh and gutsy. On every track, one can sense his creative excitement and energy. This is joyful work after years of movie boredom. Two albums will result from these sessions. The sessions will also yield four hit singles to be released starting later this year and going into 1970: "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "Don’t Cry, Daddy" and "Kentucky Rain."
FEBRUARY 1, 1969
They spend Lisa's first birthday in Aspen, Colorado.
MARCH/APRIL 1969
Elvis returns to Hollywood to film and record the soundtrack music for his 31st, and what will turn out to be his last, acting role in a motion picture. It is “Change of Habit,” co-starring Mary Tyler Moore. Elvis plays a hip ghetto doctor in a Northern city, having come from Tennessee. Mary Tyler Moore and two others play nuns who go “undercover” into the ghetto to assist with health and societal troubles in the community. The theme, though serious and timely, is not particularly well carried out by the script in the opinion of many, and the title is frivolous. Elvis however looks magnificent and gives a natural, easy, understated performance that is a refreshing pleasure to see after the silliness he endured in his films through most of the sixties. The few songs in the movie are good and they’re performed in natural, rather than the usual badly contrived, situations.
MARCH 1969
“Charro!” opens in theaters and doesn’t do much at the box office.
MAY 1969
Elvis, his family and friends vacation in Hawaii. Circle G is sold for $440,000.
JULY 1969
Elvis works on his song list and putting together his band for the International Hotel engagement
JULY 10, 1969
Elvis obtains the easement from the church next door to Graceland for a back driveway.
JULY 31 - AUGUST 28, 1969
Elvis is booked for a four-week, 57 show engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, which has just been built and has the largest showroom in the city. Elvis puts together top-notch rock ‘n’ roll musicians, an orchestra, a male gospel back-up group, and a black female soul/gospel back-up group for his show. They rehearse for several weeks and open on July 31, 1969. The show is a delightful mix of fresh arrangements of classic Elvis hits, exciting new material he has recorded, a few covers of current and past hits of other artists, and charming on-stage antics and sharing of personal recollections of his career. A press conference follows the first of his two opening night shows.
This engagement breaks all existing Las Vegas attendance records and attracts rave reviews from the public and the critics. It is a triumph. Elvis' first live album, “Elvis in Person at the International Hotel,” is recorded during this engagement and is soon released. Elvis’ opening night is so successful that Colonel Parker renegotiates his contract on a tablecloth in the hotel’s coffee shop. Elvis also receives a gold belt from the hotel for his championship attendance.
For these shows, a lean Elvis in top physical form, wears simple, unique, karate-inspired two-piece outfits in black or white. These are designed by Bill Belew, who did the wardrobe for the “’68 Special.” These are the predecessors to the famous one-piece jumpsuits which will be simple at first, then become flashier and more elaborate over the years.
Almost every review of the show was positive—here are a few excerpts from music writers:
"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."
- “Newsweek,” August 11, 1969 issue
"...a style and panache that come close to pure magic. Lithe, raunchy, the sweat pouring down his face, he now moves with the precision of an athlete, the grace of a dancer...flamboyant and flashy, sexy and self-mocking, he works with the instincts of a genius to give poetry to the basic rock performance."
- W.A. Harbinson, from his 1975 book, “The Illustrated Elvis.”
*NOTE: The orchestra was conducted by Bobby Morris. The band consisted of James Burton (lead guitar), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass guitar), Larry Muhoberac (piano) and Ronnie Tutt (drums). The female singers were The Sweet Inspirations. The male singers were The Imperials. Charlie Hodge provided additional guitar and vocals and general on-stage assistance. Over the concert years, there were changes in the show cast. Joe Guercio became Elvis' conductor. Millie Kirkham, who had worked on Elvis' studio recordings, joined the show as soprano, a position later taken over by Kathy Westmoreland. Glen D. Hardin became the piano player. J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet became the male back-up group. Various other personnel changes occurred over the years.
SEPTEMBER 1969
“The Trouble with Girls,” Elvis’ 30th movie, opens in theaters and doesn’t do much at the box office. From the American Sound Studio sessions RCA releases "Suspicious Minds," which will soon become Elvis' first number one single since "Good Luck Charm" in 1962 and will be his last #1 pop single, though he’ll have many big hits.
NOVEMBER 11, 1969
“Change of Habit,” Elvis' 31st movie, opens in theaters and it will be on Variety's Box Office Survey for four weeks, peaking at #17.
1970 - 1973
The early ‘70s were huge for Elvis. Shows in Las Vegas – complete with the now-iconic Elvis jumpsuits – broke attendance records and he continued to record. He made history with his “Aloha from Hawaii” special and returned to the top of the music charts. Elvis and Priscilla also divorced during this time.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1970
Elvis returns to the International Hotel for another month-long engagement. This time, he breaks his own attendance records. The iconic one-piece Elvis jumpsuits debut and karate moves are now an even bigger part of his stage show. The live album for these Elvis shows in Las Vegas, dubbed "On Stage," is recorded in February and will be shipped in June. It will reach #13 on the album chart.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 1970
A press conference is held in Houston on the 27th. Elvis performs afternoon and evening shows at the Houston Astrodome. Two more shows follow on both February 28 and March 1. A closing press conference and banquet follow and Elvis is presented an armload of recent gold record awards. The six shows attract 207,494 people and sets records. There is speculation among the press and the public that Elvis might tour in concert for the first time since the fifties.
APRIL 20, 1970
The single “The Wonder of You” is released and hits #9.
JUNE 1970
In Nashville, Elvis records several singles and the material for the albums “Elvis Country” and “Love Letters From Elvis.”
JULY/SEPTEMBER 1970
Elvis returns to Vegas for what the Colonel has now dubbed “The Elvis Presley Summer Festival.” This is another month-long engagement of Elvis shows in Las Vegas at the International. He opens on August 10 and closes on September 7. MGM is on hand to shoot a documentary film called “Elvis -That’s the Way It Is” that will show Elvis off stage, in rehearsals, in the recording studio, and on stage. RCA will also release an album with the same title.
SEPTEMBER 1970
Starting on September 9 through September 14, Elvis takes his show on a nine-city tour. It is a smashing success, the first tour since 1957. MGM films portions of the first show on this tour for use in “Elvis - That’s the Way It Is.”
Elvis has a recording session in Nashville to finish up the albums started in June.
OCTOBER 9, 1970
Elvis buys his first Stutz Blackhawk, a 1971 model.
OCTOBER 19, 1970
The first order of 12 TCB necklaces is picked up from Schwartz and Ableser Jewelers in Beverly Hills.
NOVEMBER 11, 1970
“Elvis, That’s The Way It Is,” Elvis' 32nd film, opens in theaters to good reviews and good box office. An album of the same title is released, but only one song, "I Just Can't Help Believin'," is actually from a stage performance included in the film. The other songs are studio recordings, some of which Elvis performs live on stage or in rehearsal footage in the film. The album peaks at #21 on the album chart.
DECEMBER 4, 1970
Elvis and Priscilla complete the purchase of another home in California at 144 Monovale for $339,000.
DECEMBER 21, 1970
Elvis’ famous visit with President Richard Nixon at the White House occurs. Today, copies of the photos from that meeting are the most requested documents from our National Archives.
JANUARY 16, 1971
Elvis attends a day of functions culminating in an evening awards banquet. He and nine others accept the honor of being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). He is nervous about his acceptance speech. He is touched, excited and deeply proud. This national honor has been given each year since the late 1930’s and recognizes young men who have made great achievements in their field of endeavor, illustrating the opportunities available in the free enterprise system. It also applauds humanitarianism and community service. Scientists, inventors, performers, film makers, politicians bound for the Presidency, and men of greatness in all fields, have been selected for this award over the years. For Elvis, a man who grew up poor, and, in his early career knew the sting of ridicule from the Establishment, who, through the years has known criticism of his work, this is one of his proudest moments. It is a sign that he has achieved acceptance, recognition, and respect for his work.
LATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1971
Elvis plays another month-long engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas.
MARCH 1971
Elvis begins a recording session in Nashville, but cancels it due to pain and inflammation in an eye. He is treated at a Nashville hospital where he is diagnosed with secondary glaucoma.
MAY 1971
Elvis is featured on the cover of “Look Magazine,” which carries an installment of the forthcoming biography on Elvis by Jerry Hopkins. Many books and articles have been written over the years, but this is the first in-depth, serious biography. The book, “Elvis : A Biography,” will be released in October.
Elvis has recording sessions in Nashville. Much of the work is for his forthcoming album “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas.”
JUNE 1971
The two-room house Elvis was born in opens to the public for tours in Tupelo. The house was restored by the East Heights Garden Club in Tupelo. Elvis has more recording sessions in Nashville, this time mostly for an upcoming gospel album, “He Touched Me.” In addition, a long stretch of Highway 51 South, part of which runs in front of Graceland, is officially renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. The first of the new street signs will go up in January of 1972. Various albums and singles continue to be released to various degrees of success during this period.
JULY/AUGUST 1971
Elvis plays a two-week engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. With this first appearance at the Sahara Tahoe, “2001” will now be Elvis’ entrance theme for his concert shows. He breaks attendance records for this venue.
AUGUST 9 - SEPTEMBER 6, 1971
Elvis plays an engagement in Las Vegas at the International Hotel, which has been renamed the Las Vegas Hilton International Hotel. This run of Elvis shows in Las Vegas tops his previous attendance records once again. During the engagement, an award is presented to Elvis in his dressing room. It is the Bing Crosby Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that also presents Grammy awards. This award is a special means of recognition from NARAS and is named for its first recipient. The award is not given every year as a rule. It will later be renamed the Lifetime Achievement Award. Elvis is 36 years old.
NOVEMBER 5 - 12, 1971
Elvis goes on a 12-city concert tour. J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet have now replaced The Imperials and Jackie Kahane is now the opening comedian. The famous Elvis jumpsuits now feature matching capes.
LATE 1971 - EARLY 1972
Elvis and Priscilla separate. She moves out on her own with Lisa Marie.
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 23, 1972
Elvis plays another successful engagement at the Hilton in Vegas.
MARCH/APRIL 1972
In April, MGM films Elvis in a Hollywood recording studio and then on and off stage during his 15-city concert tour. MGM will use the footage for another theatrically released documentary, “Elvis on Tour.” In April, the gospel album “He Touched Me” is released to good reviews. The album will go on to win Elvis his second Grammy Award, this one for the category of Best Inspirational Performance.
JUNE 1972
Elvis continues touring in concert, beginning with a press conference in New York on the June 9. MGM is on hand to film the conference for use in “Elvis on Tour.” Elvis makes entertainment history by performing four sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden. John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Art Garfunkel are among the music stars spotted at the shows. Nine days after it is recorded, RCA rush-releases a live album from one of the shows, “Elvis as Recorded at Madison Square Garden.” Elvis tours to seven more cities.
Elvis' Vegas and concert tour career is hot during the early to mid-seventies. He breaks attendance records in cities all over America. Record releases also continue.
JULY 26, 1972
Elvis and Priscilla’s separation is formalized. A divorce is to come. Elvis has begun seeing Linda Thompson, who will be his main female companion until late 1976.
AUGUST 4 - SEPTEMBER 4, 1972
Elvis plays a month-long engagement at the Hilton in Vegas.
SEPTEMBER 4, 1972
A press conference held between the dinner and midnight Elvis shows in Las Vegas, announces plans for a television concert to be broadcast via satellite around the world from Hawaii. It is predicted that the show will reach the largest audience in television history and that the live album will be a big hit.
OCTOBER 1972
Elvis has a number two pop hit with the single “Burning Love,” one of his biggest records in recent years.
NOVEMBER 1972
“Elvis on Tour” opens to good reviews and good box office performance in theaters. Later, its producers will receive the Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary of 1972. Elvis also tours seven cities in concert. The last is Honolulu, Hawaii, where he does three shows at the Honolulu International Center Arena, the same venue that will host his satellite special in January.
NOVEMBER 20, 1972
Elvis appears at a press conference in Hawaii regarding his upcoming satellite show. It is announced that it will be a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
JANUARY 1973
Elvis makes television and entertainment history with his “Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite” special. The show is performed at the Honolulu International Center Arena on January 14, 1973, broadcast live at 12:30 a.m. Hawaiian time, and beamed via Globecam Satellite to Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, South Vietnam and other countries. It is seen on a delayed basis in around 30 European countries. A tape of the show is seen in America on April 4 on NBC. The live broadcast in January attracts 37.8% of the viewers in Japan, 91.8% in the Philippines, 70% in Hong Kong, and 70-80% of the viewers in Korea. The April showing in America attracts 57% of the television viewing audience and is seen in more American households than man’s first walk on the moon. In all, it will be seen in about 40 countries by one billion to 1.5 billion people. Elvis commissions an American Eagle design for his jumpsuit for this show, his patriotic message to his worldwide audience and one of the most memorable Elvis jumpsuits. Never has one performer held the world’s attention in such a way. Elvis is in top form physically and vocally. This is probably the pinnacle of his super-stardom, one of the all-time great moments of his career.
Audience tickets for the January 12 pre-broadcast rehearsal show and January 14 concert carry no price. Each audience member is asked to pay whatever he or she can. The performances and concert merchandise sales are a benefit raising $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii. Kui Lee was a Hawaiian composer who had died of cancer while still in his thirties.
On stage with Elvis is an orchestra and his current show cast: Joe Guercio (conductor); J.D. Sumner & the Stamps (vocals); The Sweet Inspirations (vocals); Kathy Westmoreland (soprano vocals); Charlie Hodge (guitar/vocals/on-stage assistance); James Burton (lead guitar); John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar); Jerry Scheff (bass guitar); Glen D. Hardin (piano); and Ronnie Tutt (drums).
The soundtrack album is soon released and goes to #1 on the Billboard pop album chart, and stays on the chart at various positions for 52 weeks.
In the special, Elvis' recording of the theme song from his 1965 movie “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” plays over the opening credits with scenes of his helicopter arrival at the airport and his walking among the fans who are there to greet him. The concert opens with Elvis' band playing his traditional introduction for his seventies concerts, the “Theme from 2001.” He sings “See, See Rider,” “Burning Love,” “Something,” “You Gave Me a Mountain,” “Steamroller Blues,” “My Way,” “Love Me,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “It’s Over,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Hound Dog,” “What Now, My Love,” “Fever,” “Welcome to My World,” “Suspicious Minds,” “I’ll Remember You” (a Kui Lee composition Elvis sings after announcing the sum raised for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.), “Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “An American Trilogy,” “Big Hunk o’ Love,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The show is one hour, including commercials. After the show, Elvis and his bandmates come back out on stage in the empty arena and videotape performances of the songs “Blue Hawaii,” “Ku-u-i-po” and “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” which he had first done for his 1961 hit movie “Blue Hawaii,” plus “Early Morning Rain” and “No More.” All but the song “No More” will be inserted into the American broadcast with Elvis seen on a montage screen with footage of Hawaiian scenery.
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 23, 1973
Elvis plays an engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton.
JANUARY 28, 1973
“Elvis on Tour” co-wins a Golden Globe Award with “Walls of Fire” as best feature documentary of 1972.
FEBRUARY 1973
In Las Vegas, Elvis presents boxer Muhammad Ali with a specially made robe for Ali’s upcoming title fight with Joe Bugner. Ali gave Elvis autographed boxing gloves.
MARCH 1, 1973
Elvis and Colonel Parker sell Elvis’ music rights to date to RCA and Elvis enters into a new seven-year recording contract with RCA. Elvis and Colonel Parker also sign a new management contract as well, becoming 50 – 50 partners.
MARCH 19, 1973
Elvis’ paternal grandfather Jessie Presley dies of a heart attack in Louisville.
APRIL 4, 1973
The Aloha special is seen on American television for the first time and garners 57% of the viewing audience.
LATE APRIL 1973
Elvis goes on an eight-city concert tour.
MAY 4 - 16, 1973
Elvis plays an engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
MAY 1973
The Aloha from Hawaii concert album hits #1 on the Billboard pop album chart. It is his first #1 album since the “Roustabout” soundtrack album in 1965. It will also be his last #1 album on the pop chart.
JUNE 20 - JULY 3, 1973
Elvis goes out on concert tour.
JULY 1973
Elvis records a few songs at the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis for the album "Raised on Rock.” This was his first time to record in Memphis since 1969.
AUGUST 6 - SEPTEMBER 3, 1973
Elvis goes back to the Vegas Hilton for another engagement.
OCTOBER 9, 1973
Elvis and Priscilla make a court appearance together and their divorce is granted. They continue to be close friends. Though Elvis and Priscilla have joint custody of Lisa Marie, there will be no formal schedule of visitation for Elvis, and he and his daughter will spend time together regularly.
DECEMBER 1973
Elvis returns to the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis for a week of sessions. He records the albums "Promised Land" and "Good Times."
1974 - 1977
In the final years leading up to Elvis’ death, he toured and recorded constantly, selling out venues everywhere and earning a third and final Grammy award. He also performed for a CBS television special called “Elvis in Concert” that aired posthumously. For friends, family and fans of Elvis, 1977 would be a tragic year.
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 9, 1974
Elvis plays the Vegas Hilton again.
MARCH - JULY 1974
Elvis is on tour through much of March. In March, he returns to the Houston Astrodome and sets a one-day attendance record with his two shows. Also in March, he plays Memphis for the first time since 1961 and does four shows on March 16 and 17 to meet the demand for tickets. Another live album results from the excitement in Memphis, and on March 20, “Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis,” is recorded at one of the shows. Included on the album is a live performance of “How Great Thou Art” that will go on to win Elvis his third Grammy award. He resumes touring in May and plays the Sahara in Lake Tahoe May 16 - 26. He’s back on tour in mid-June and takes a few weeks off, starting in early July.
Graceland’s den is being redecorated into its present Polynesian décor and Elvis is working on the script to the movie “The New Gladiators.”
AUGUST 19 - SEPTEMBER 2, 1974
Elvis goes back to the Hilton in Vegas for an engagement. Elvis talks on stage about karate.
SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 14, 1974
Elvis is on tour again. He also plays the Sahara-Tahoe on October 11-14. Record releases have continued through this period with varying degrees of success.
MARCH 1, 1975
Elvis’ live recording of "How Great Thou Art" from the album recorded at one of his Memphis concerts on March 20, 1974, wins the Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance. This is Elvis’ third and final Grammy win out of fourteen nominations (one nomination posthumously). All three Grammy wins have been for his gospel music.
MARCH 10 - 12, 1975
Elvis records material for the “Today” album at RCA’s Sunset Blvd. Studio.
MARCH 18 - APRIL 1, 1975
Elvis has another engagement at the Hilton. On March 28, 1975, Barbra Streisand talks to Elvis about “Star Is Born.” A formal offer will be made on April 4, 1975, and the Colonel responds with a counter offer for Elvis’ services on the 14, which was subsequently rejected.
APRIL 17, 1975
Elvis purchases a Convair 880 jet and renames it the “Lisa Marie.”
APRIL - JULY 1975
Elvis tours in concert.
AUGUST 18 - SEPTEMBER 5, 1975
Elvis opens in Vegas but ends his engagement on the 20th and is hospitalized in Memphis until September 5.
NOVEMBER 11, 1975
The renovation of a Convair 880 jet Elvis bought earlier in the year is complete and he takes his first flight on the Lisa Marie jet.
DECEMBER 2 - 15, 1975
Elvis returns to the Hilton in Vegas to make up for the shows that were canceled during his previous engagement.
DECEMBER 31, 1975
Elvis performs a special New Year’s Eve concert in Pontiac, Michigan, and sets a single performance attendance record of 62,500.
FEBRUARY 1976
Elvis has a week of recording sessions in the den at Graceland, with RCA bringing in mobile recording equipment. Songs from this will comprise the forthcoming album “From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee” and over half of the forthcoming “Moody Blue” album.
MARCH 17 - 22, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
APRIL 21 - 27, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
APRIL 30 - MAY 9, 1976
Elvis performs an engagement at the Sahara Tahoe in Nevada.
MAY - OCTOBER, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
OCTOBER 29 - 30, 1976
Elvis continues recording in the den at Graceland, including his last single "Way Down."
EARLY NOVEMBER 1976
Elvis and Linda Thompson, his steady girlfriend since 1972, split up.
NOVEMBER 19, 1976
Elvis meets Ginger Alden who will be his steady girlfriend until his death.
NOVEMBER 24 - 30, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
DECEMBER 2 - 12, 1976
Elvis plays the Hilton in Vegas for the last time. Evangelist Rex Humbard and his wife visit Elvis’ show and meet with him backstage on December 12, 1976. Humbard will be asked to speak at Elvis’ funeral the next year.
DECEMBER 27 - 31, 1976
Elvis tours in concert, ending with a special New Year’s Eve concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unbeknownst to Elvis, 1977 will be his final year of touring and performing.
FEBRUARY 12 - 21, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
MARCH 3 - 13, 1977
Elvis and his friends enjoy a vacation in Hawaii.
MARCH 23 - 30, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
APRIL 1 - 5, 1977
Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis and tour shows scheduled for March 31-April 3 are canceled.
APRIL 21 - MAY 31/JUNE 1 - 2, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
JUNE 1977
The single “Way Down” is released and peaks at #18.
JUNE 17 - 26, 1977
Elvis tours in concert. The shows on June 19, 20, and 21 are recorded by RCA for an upcoming live album and are videotaped for an upcoming CBS-TV television special. The special will be called “Elvis in Concert.” It will first air on October 3 after Elvis’ death in August. The camera gives a shocking picture of Elvis’ poor health in his final days, but his voice is strong.
JUNE 26, 1977
Elvis performs his last concert at Indianapolis’ Market Square Arena.
JUNE 27 - AUGUST 15, 1977
Elvis relaxes in Memphis and prepares for the next leg of touring for 1977.
JULY 1977
The album “Moody Blue” is released. After Elvis' death, it will hit #3, selling more than two million copies.
AUGUST 16, 1977
Shortly after midnight, Elvis returns to Graceland from a late-night visit to the dentist. Through the early morning of the 16, he takes care of last minute tour details and relaxes with family and staff. He is to fly to Portland, Maine, that night and do a show there on the 17, then continue the scheduled tour. He retires to his master suite at Graceland around 7:00 a.m. to rest for his evening flight. By late morning, Elvis Presley has passed away due to heart failure. It is announced by mid-afternoon. In a matter of hours the shock of Elvis’ death registers around the world.
AUGUST 18, 1977
Elvis’ funeral is held.
OCTOBER 2, 1977
Gladys' and Elvis' bodies are moved to Graceland.
OCTOBER 3, 1977
The CBS special “Elvis In Concert” airs. The album is also released and peaks at #5 quickly, selling 1.5 million copies.
FYI LTC John Shaw SPC Diana D. LTC Hillary Luton
1SG Steven ImermanSSG Pete FishGySgt Gary CordeiroPO1 H Gene LawrenceSPC Chris Bayner-CwikSgt Jim BelanusSGM Bill FrazerMSG Tom EarleySSgt Marian MitchellSGT Michael HearnPO2 Frederick DunnSP5 Dennis LobergerCPO John BjorgeSGT Randell RoseSSG Jimmy CernichSGT Denny EspinosaMSG Fred Bucci
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SPC Woody Bullard
Army life was a big change from the million selling records and Hollywood movies
but Elvis served honorably in a divided Germany. A brother Cold War veteran. RIP
but Elvis served honorably in a divided Germany. A brother Cold War veteran. RIP
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I remember this, he was my favorite singer for quite a while, in fact, I used do a pretty good impersonation, so I was told. Just havin fun and trying to impress the ladies.
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