123 Fun Facts About Elvis

In what U.S. state was Elvis Presley born?

Elvis was born in Mississippi in a two-room shotgun house his father built; the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in November 1948, when he was 13.

What was the name of Elvis Presley's mother?

Gladys Love Presley, née Smith, doted on her only surviving child; she died of heart failure in August 1958, aged 46, while Elvis was serving in the Army.

Which number-one hit, with what RCA called a 'mild rock beat', was Elvis's first single after leaving the Army in 1960?

'Stuck on You' shows how much the Army softened Elvis: RCA's own publicity sold its 'mild rock beat', and discographer Ernst Jorgensen just calls it upbeat pop. It was his first post-Army single and a number one.

In which city did Elvis Presley make his first recordings for RCA Victor on January 10, 1956?

Elvis's first RCA session took place in Nashville on January 10, 1956, with guitarist Chet Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer among the studio players.

What was the title of Elvis Presley's first commercial single, released in 1954?

'That's All Right' was released on July 19, 1954, after Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips played an acetate of it repeatedly on WHBQ's Red, Hot & Blue.

Elvis Presley's music blended country with what other major genre?

Rockabilly, Elvis's early style, is an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues; Sam Phillips had long wanted a white singer with a Black R&B feel.

Elvis's self-styled 'Colonel' manager Tom Parker was secretly an illegal immigrant who had entered the US at 20 from which country?

Parker was born in Breda in the Netherlands in 1909, ran off to work carnivals, entered the US illegally around 1929 and passed himself off as an American-born promoter.

Elvis Presley bought his 18-room mansion south of Memphis in what year?

Elvis paid $102,500 for the Whitehaven mansion on March 19, 1957, after asking his parents to find a farmhouse-style property with some buffer from the fans.

Elvis's 1956 film debut, later renamed after his hit single, was originally titled what?

Elvis was not even top-billed, yet the studio renamed The Reno Brothers to cash in on his latest number one. Four songs were added to a straight acting role; critics sneered, and he was top-billed ever after.

On which CBS variety show did Elvis Presley first appear on national TV, on January 28, 1956?

Stage Show, hosted by bandleaders Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, gave Elvis his first national TV exposure; Parker booked six appearances over two months from January 28, 1956.

Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army in what year?

Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army on March 24, 1958, and served until March 1960.

What rank had Elvis Presley reached by his honourable discharge in March 1960, after a promotion six weeks earlier?

Elvis left the Army a sergeant, promoted on January 20, 1960, six weeks before his March 5 discharge. The Army even held a press conference before he left West Germany.

In which country did Elvis Presley primarily serve during his overseas military deployment?

Elvis served in West Germany with the 3rd Armored Division from October 1958 to March 1960, posted to Ray Barracks near Friedberg, north of Frankfurt.

Elvis Presley's family attended which church in his boyhood, where he found his first musical inspiration?

The Presleys attended an Assembly of God church, where the Pentecostal congregation's singing gave Elvis his first musical inspiration; gospel remained central to his music.

What was Elvis Presley's first record label?

Elvis Presley began his recording career in 1954 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, with producer Sam Phillips.

What nickname did 1950s critics give Elvis for his gyrating hips?

'Elvis the Pelvis' was coined by the press in 1956 as his hip-swivelling TV performances of 'Hound Dog' drew outrage; Elvis called it one of the most childish expressions he had ever heard.

By what popular nickname was Elvis Presley widely known?

Elvis Presley earned the widespread nickname 'The King of Rock and Roll,' or simply 'The King,' due to his immense influence and success in popular music.

Which 1960 Elvis hit set English lyrics to the Neapolitan song 'O Sole Mio'?

'It's Now or Never' (1960) set new English lyrics to the 1898 Neapolitan song 'O Sole Mio'; it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks that summer.

Roughly how many viewers watched Elvis Presley's first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in September 1956?

About 60 million viewers, an 82.6 percent share of the TV audience, watched Elvis's first Ed Sullivan Show appearance on September 9, 1956; he was shown head to toe.

Elvis's only daughter married which pop superstar in 1994?

Michael Jackson married Elvis's only daughter in the Dominican Republic on May 26, 1994; they divorced in 1996, and she later married actor Nicolas Cage.

In what year did Elvis Presley's 'Comeback Special' air?

The comeback special, titled simply 'Elvis' and taped in June, aired on December 3, 1968; its black-leather stage segments marked his return to live performing after years of films.

On what date did Elvis Presley pass away?

Elvis died at Graceland on August 16, 1977, aged 42, hours before he was due to fly from Memphis to Portland, Maine to start a tour.

In which film did Elvis Presley make his acting debut?

Elvis Presley made his film debut in 'Love Me Tender,' which was released in November 1956.

What was the first name of Elvis Presley's only daughter?

Lisa Marie arrived in the middle of a career slump: of the eight singles Elvis released around then, only two made the top 40, and none climbed higher than number 28.

In what year did Elvis marry Priscilla Beaulieu?

Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, in a brief ceremony in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas; their daughter was born exactly nine months later.

How many times did Elvis Presley appear on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'?

Elvis Presley made three appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' between September 1956 and January 1957, which significantly boosted his national prominence.

For what sum did RCA Victor buy Elvis's contract from Sam Phillips in November 1955?

RCA paid $40,000, an unprecedented sum for a singer's contract: $35,000 to Sam Phillips and $5,000 to Elvis for back royalties; his parents co-signed because he was only 20.

How was Elvis Presley's middle name spelled on his birth certificate?

The doctor's ledger said Aaron but the birth certificate said Aron, and that single-A spelling followed him onto his high school diploma and RCA contract; he later favoured the biblical spelling, which is on his gravestone.

What was the name of Elvis Presley's identical twin brother, who was stillborn?

Elvis Presley was born an identical twin, but his brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn 35 minutes before him.

Elvis's 1961 concert-closing ballad borrows its melody from which 18th-century French song?

'Plaisir d'amour', composed by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini in 1784, supplied the melody; Peretti, Creatore and Weiss adapted it for Elvis, and Sunderland football fans adopted the result as a terrace anthem, 'Wise Men Say'.

In what year was Elvis Presley inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Elvis Presley was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, recognizing his foundational impact on the genre.

Elvis Presley received multiple Grammy Awards primarily for his work in which genre?

All three of his competitive Grammy wins, from fourteen nominations, were for gospel recordings; none of his rock-and-roll hits ever won one.

What were the tapes of Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis jamming at Sun Studio in 1956 later dubbed?

The Million Dollar Quartet name came from a Memphis Press-Scimitar story on the December 4, 1956 jam; the tapes lay unheard for decades before their first release in 1981.

Which Elvis Presley song begins with the lyrics 'Wise men say only fools rush in'?

The romantic ballad 'Can't Help Falling in Love' famously starts with the line 'Wise men say only fools rush in,' becoming one of Elvis Presley's signature songs.

What year was the film 'Viva Las Vegas' starring Elvis Presley released?

The popular musical film 'Viva Las Vegas,' starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, was released in 1964.

Elvis Presley's 1969 return to live shows was a four-week run at which new Las Vegas venue?

The International Hotel, newly opened with the biggest showroom in Las Vegas, booked Elvis for 57 shows in four weeks from July 31, 1969, his first live shows since 1961.

Which of these Elvis Presley songs was a major hit in 1969?

'Suspicious Minds', recorded in Memphis in January 1969 and released that August, topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 1, 1969.

'Aloha from Hawaii' (1973) was the first solo concert broadcast worldwide via what technology?

The show was beamed live by satellite from the Honolulu International Center on January 14, 1973 to audiences across Asia and Australia, with Europe and the US receiving it later.

What cause of death did medical examiner Jerry Francisco announce for Elvis, mid-autopsy?

Francisco announced cardiac arrhythmia while the autopsy was still in progress and said drugs played no role; Elvis's physician had prescribed him over 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines and narcotics in the first eight months of 1977.

Which director, best known for Casablanca, made the Elvis Presley film King Creole?

Michael Curtiz, the Hungarian-born Casablanca director, shot King Creole in early 1958; the draft board gave Elvis a 60-day deferment to finish it, and he called it his favourite role.

In what year did Elvis Presley release the hit song 'Burning Love'?

'Burning Love' came out on August 1, 1972, and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, his last top-ten pop hit.

Which 1958 RCA Victor compilation, with 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel', is called rock's first greatest-hits album?

Elvis' Golden Records, released by RCA Victor in March 1958, gathered his 1956-57 million-sellers and is widely regarded as rock and roll's first greatest-hits album.

Which choreographer helped Elvis Presley create the dance sequence in 'Jailhouse Rock'?

While Elvis Presley's natural moves inspired the sequence, Alex Romero was the official choreographer for the famous 'Jailhouse Rock' production number in the 1957 film.

In which 1961 film set on Oahu does Elvis play Chad Gates, who defies his family business?

'Blue Hawaii,' released in 1961, is one of Elvis Presley's most successful films, featuring him as a former soldier returning home to work as a tour guide.

What kind of car was Elvis Presley famously known for owning in pink?

His first pink Cadillac burned to the ground by an Arkansas roadside in June 1955 after a brake lining failed; the famous 1955 Fleetwood Sixty Special survives in his Memphis auto museum.

In what year was Elvis Presley born?

He was born on January 8, 1935; in 1938 the family lost their home when his father Vernon was jailed for eight months for altering a check.

Which MGM concert documentary about the singer won the Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary Film?

Elvis on Tour, shot by MGM across his April 1972 concert tour and edited with split-screen montages, won the Golden Globe for Best Documentary Film at the January 1973 ceremony.

What was the name of the fashion designer known for creating Elvis Presley's elaborate jumpsuits?

Bill Belew also made the black leather suit for the televised comeback special and the high Napoleonic collars, wide belts and capes that defined Elvis's Las Vegas years.

On which network did Presley's acclaimed comeback special air?

The comeback special, titled simply 'Elvis', aired on NBC on December 3 and ended most of a decade lost to formula films, leading straight to his Las Vegas residency.

In which small town was Elvis Presley born?

Elvis was born in Tupelo in a two-room shotgun house his father built; he got his first guitar there for his eleventh birthday in January 1946.

Outside the United States, in which country did Elvis give the only concerts of his career?

Canada was the only foreign country Elvis ever played: concerts in Toronto and Ottawa in April 1957 and Vancouver that August were his only shows outside the United States.

In which 1962 film did Elvis sing 'Return to Sender'?

'Return to Sender' was sung by Elvis in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls!, set among Hawaii's charter-boat crews; the single reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Which song, written by Earl Brown, closed Elvis's comeback special?

'If I Can Dream', written by Earl Brown days after Robert Kennedy's assassination, closed the comeback special; Elvis sang it in a white suit in place of the planned Christmas carol.

In which city did Elvis give his final concert, at Market Square Arena?

Elvis's last concert was at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on June 26, the final night of a ten-day Midwestern tour; the arena was demolished in 2001.

At what age did Elvis receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award?

Elvis was 36 when the Recording Academy gave him its Lifetime Achievement honour, then called the Bing Crosby Award, in 1971; he was the first rock and roll singer to receive it.

What grade did Elvis get in music in eighth grade at Humes High School?

Elvis got a C in music in eighth grade at Humes; his teacher told him he had no aptitude for singing, and he answered by bringing his guitar to class the next day.

Which two songs did Elvis pay to record on an acetate in 1953?

In summer 1953 Elvis paid about $4 at the Memphis Recording Service to cut 'My Happiness' and 'That's When Your Heartaches Begin', an acetate he said was a gift for his mother.

Which TV host persuaded Elvis to leave his guitar backstage in June 1956?

Milton Berle persuaded Elvis to leave his guitar backstage for the June 5, 1956 show, telling him 'Let 'em see you, son'; the hip-swivelling 'Hound Dog' that followed caused a national uproar.

On The Steve Allen Show in July 1956, to whom did Elvis sing his hit about a dog?

On July 1, 1956, Steve Allen had Elvis, in white tie and tails, sing 'Hound Dog' to a basset hound wearing a top hat and bow tie, a stunt meant to tame the uproar over his hip-swivelling a month earlier.

In his first full year at RCA, what share of the label's singles sales was Elvis?

In 1956, his first full year at RCA, Elvis accounted for over fifty percent of the label's singles sales, an astonishing share for one of the industry's biggest companies.

At which Arkansas fort was Elvis inducted into the Army?

Elvis was inducted at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, where the Army gave him his famous buzz cut before photographers, then sent him to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic and tank training.

Who gave Elvis his first karate lessons, in 1959?

Jürgen Seydel, known as the father of German karate, gave Elvis his first lessons in 1959 during his Army service; Elvis later trained with Ed Parker and Kang Rhee and built karate moves into his shows.

In which town did the 24-year-old Elvis meet 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu?

They met in September 1959 at a party in the house Elvis rented at Goethestrasse 14 in Bad Nauheim, a spa town near his base at Friedberg.

Which two Elvis dramas disappointed at the box office, pushing him back to formula musicals?

Flaming Star (1960) and Wild in the Country (1961) gave Elvis serious dramatic roles but sold fewer tickets than his musicals; the runaway success of his next musical in 1961 then locked in the formula.

What did Elvis ask President Nixon for at their 1970 White House meeting?

Elvis asked Nixon for a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge on December 21, 1970, offering to help fight drug abuse; Nixon had one delivered to him that same day.

How many consecutive sold-out shows did Elvis play at Madison Square Garden in 1972?

Elvis played four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden from June 9 to 11, 1972, his first New York concerts; RCA released the Saturday night show as a live album within days.

Who found Elvis unresponsive on his bathroom floor on the day he died?

His fiancée Ginger Alden found Elvis on the bathroom floor at Graceland at about 2 pm; he was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital at 3:30 pm.

Where was Elvis originally buried before being moved to Graceland?

Elvis was entombed in a mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis beside his mother; after an attempted theft of his body weeks later, both were moved to Graceland's Meditation Garden that October.

What was the name of Elvis's favourite horse, a golden palomino?

Rising Sun, a golden palomino Elvis bought in 1967, was his favourite horse; he nicknamed the Graceland stable the 'House of the Rising Sun' and rode him around the grounds for years.

Which former Miss Tennessee lived with Elvis from 1972 to 1976?

Linda Thompson, Miss Tennessee of 1972, met Elvis that July and lived with him at Graceland for four years; she later married Bruce Jenner and then producer David Foster.

Which 1957 film was Elvis's first in colour?

Loving You (1957), Elvis's second film and his first in colour, cast him as a small-town singer; his parents appear as extras in the audience during the finale.

In which Graceland room did Elvis record his last studio sessions in 1976?

RCA set up mobile recording gear in Graceland's Jungle Room in February and October 1976, producing the albums From Elvis Presley Boulevard and Moody Blue, the last studio recordings of his life.

Which band spent an evening with Elvis at his Bel Air home on August 27, 1965?

The Beatles spent the evening of August 27, 1965 at Elvis's rented house on Perugia Way in Bel Air, jamming and playing pool; it was the only time the two acts met.

Priscilla's stepfather, whose overseas posting led her to meet Elvis, was an officer in which service?

Paul Beaulieu, Priscilla's stepfather, was a US Air Force captain; his posting to Wiesbaden in 1959 put the family near enough for Priscilla to meet Elvis at a party that September.

What was Colonel Tom Parker's birth name?

Parker was born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in 1909; he slipped into the United States illegally around 1929, took the name Tom Parker, and never held a passport, one reason Elvis never toured overseas.

Whose Louisiana governor campaign earned Parker his honorary 'colonel' rank?

Jimmie Davis, the singing governor famous for 'You Are My Sunshine', made Parker an honorary Louisiana colonel in 1948 for his help in the campaign; Parker used the title for the rest of his life.

Which two songwriters wrote Heartbreak Hotel, inspired by a newspaper suicide story?

Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden wrote 'Heartbreak Hotel' after a Miami Herald story about a suicide who left a note reading 'I walk a lonely street'; Axton promised Elvis it would be his first million-seller.

Who first recorded Hound Dog, in 1952?

Big Mama Thornton cut 'Hound Dog' in Los Angeles in August 1952 with Johnny Otis's band; her version topped the R&B chart for seven weeks in 1953, three years before Elvis's.

Which real Prohibition-era gang is name-checked in the lyrics of Jailhouse Rock?

Leiber and Stoller's lyric runs 'the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang', a nod to the Detroit bootlegging mob of the 1920s; Shifty Henry, also named, was a real Los Angeles bassist.

Which songwriter wrote and first recorded Suspicious Minds in 1968?

Mark James wrote 'Suspicious Minds' and released his own version on Scepter in 1968; it flopped, and producer Chips Moman brought the song to Elvis's Memphis sessions the next January.

Suspicious Minds was Elvis's how-manyth and final Billboard Hot 100 number one?

Chips Moman produced it at American Sound Studio.

What was the original title of In the Ghetto?

Mac Davis wrote the song under the title 'The Vicious Circle'; it was renamed 'In the Ghetto' before Elvis recorded it in January 1969 for the album From Elvis in Memphis.

Can't Help Falling in Love was originally written from whose perspective?

The song was written from a woman's perspective as 'Can't Help Falling in Love with Him', hence the first verse's 'rush in' and 'sin' rhyming with the missing 'him'; Elvis's 1961 recording reached number two on the Hot 100.

Why did Elvis record Are You Lonesome Tonight? in 1960?

Colonel Parker's wife loved it: 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' was Marie Mott's favourite song, so Elvis cut it in April 1960 at his manager's suggestion. RCA delayed the release, thinking it didn't fit him.

Love Me Tender borrows its melody from which Civil War ballad?

'Love Me Tender' sets new words by Ken Darby, credited to his wife Vera Matson and Elvis, to the tune of 'Aura Lea', an 1861 ballad by George Poulton that was popular with Civil War soldiers.

Who wrote both Don't Be Cruel and All Shook Up?

Otis Blackwell wrote both; he had sold 'Don't Be Cruel' to a publisher for $25 on Christmas Eve 1955, and Elvis's recordings of it and 'All Shook Up' each topped the Billboard charts.

What inspired the phrase behind All Shook Up?

Al Stanton of Shalimar Music suggested the title in 1956.

Who originally released Burning Love, months before Elvis covered it?

Arthur Alexander, the soul singer behind 'Anna (Go to Him)', released Dennis Linde's 'Burning Love' first, on a Warner Bros album; Elvis cut it weeks later in Hollywood and took it to number two.

Which director turned the planned Christmas special into the Comeback Special?

Steve Binder, a young TV director, talked Elvis out of Parker's plan for an hour of Christmas carols and built the show around leather-clad live segments taped in Burbank that June.

Which 1972 event gave Colonel Parker the idea for the Aloha from Hawaii broadcast?

Parker saw how Nixon's February 1972 visit to China was televised around the world and decided Elvis should do the same; Aloha from Hawaii went out live to Asia and Australia on January 14, 1973.

Who directed Blue Hawaii and G.I. Blues?

Norman Taurog directed nine Elvis films, more than anyone else, starting with G.I. Blues in 1960 and Blue Hawaii in 1961; decades earlier he had won an Oscar for Skippy (1931).

What is the name of Elvis's convict character in Jailhouse Rock?

Elvis plays Vince Everett, a hothead jailed for manslaughter who learns guitar from his cellmate and becomes a star on release; the film premiered in Memphis on October 17, 1957.

Which Harold Robbins novel was King Creole based on?

Harold Robbins's 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher, about a boxer in New York, was relocated to New Orleans and made a singer's story for King Creole (1958), the role Elvis called his favourite.

Which songwriting duo wrote the theme song Viva Las Vegas?

Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, who also gave Elvis 'Little Sister' and '(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame', wrote 'Viva Las Vegas' for the film of the same name, co-starring Ann-Margret.

Which actress starred opposite Elvis in G.I. Blues, his first film after the Army?

Juliet Prowse, the South African dancer, played the cabaret star Lili opposite Elvis in G.I. Blues (1960); background footage was shot on location while Elvis was still serving overseas.

Who played Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film Elvis?

Tom Hanks, so rarely a villain, played Colonel Tom Parker under heavy prosthetics opposite Austin Butler's Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film.

Which director made the 1979 TV film Elvis starring Kurt Russell?

John Carpenter directed the three-hour ABC film Elvis (1979), his first collaboration with Kurt Russell, who went on to star in his Escape from New York and The Thing.

Who won the Venice Volpi Cup for playing Priscilla in Sofia Coppola's 2023 film?

Cailee Spaeny won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2023 Venice Film Festival for Priscilla, Sofia Coppola's adaptation of the memoir Elvis and Me, with Jacob Elordi as Elvis.

Who played Elvis in the 2016 comedy-drama Elvis & Nixon?

Michael Shannon played Elvis opposite Kevin Spacey's Nixon in Elvis & Nixon (2016), a comic take on the December 1970 Oval Office meeting that produced the most-requested photograph in the National Archives.

Which vocal quartet backed Elvis on records and in films from 1956 to 1970?

The Jordanaires, a gospel quartet formed in Missouri in 1948, first sang behind Elvis at the July 1956 'Hound Dog' session and stayed with him on records and film soundtracks through the 1960s.

Which guitarist played in the Blue Moon Boys, Elvis's first backing band, from 1954?

Scotty Moore's lead guitar backed Elvis from his first recording session in July 1954, and Moore briefly acted as the trio's manager; critic Dave Marsh credits him with inventing the power chord on 'Jailhouse Rock'.

Which bassist played in Elvis's early trio and later led his own Combo?

Bill Black slapped the upright bass in Elvis's early trio and on his first RCA hits; he quit over pay in 1957 and formed Bill Black's Combo, whose instrumentals opened for the Beatles on their 1964 US tour.

Drummer D. J. Fontana was hired in 1955 from which radio show?

D. J. Fontana was the staff drummer of the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport when Elvis hired him in 1955; he stayed until 1968 and played on more than 460 RCA recordings.

What do the initials of Elvis's TCB Band stand for?

TCB was Elvis's personal motto in the early 1970s: Taking Care of Business. James Burton played lead guitar in the band from August 1969.

Who first said 'Elvis has left the building', in December 1956?

Horace Logan, announcer and producer of the radio barn dance Elvis had outgrown, used the line on December 15, 1956 to stop fans leaving a charity show early; Al Dvorin made it a catchphrase in the 1970s.

What was the B-side of Elvis's debut single That's All Right?

The B-side was Bill Monroe's bluegrass waltz 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', sped up and given a rockabilly beat at Sun on July 6, 1954; the single came out on July 19.

Whose 2002 remix of A Little Less Conversation topped charts around the world?

Junkie XL's 'Elvis vs JXL' remix, made for a 2002 Nike World Cup advert, took the film song from Live a Little, Love a Little to number one in Britain and across Europe and Australia.

Who wrote and first recorded Blue Suede Shoes in 1955?

Elvis's cover opens his 1956 debut album, but 'Blue Suede Shoes' belongs to Carl Perkins, who wrote and first recorded the rock and roll standard in 1955.

Elvis's 1956 debut album spent how many weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart?

Elvis Presley, released in March 1956, was the first rock and roll album to reach number one on Billboard's album chart, where it stayed for ten weeks.

Where in Memphis was From Elvis in Memphis recorded in early 1969?

From Elvis in Memphis came out of Chips Moman's American Sound Studio, where his house band, the Memphis Boys, backed Elvis over two sessions in January and February 1969.

Which 1967 album won Elvis his first Grammy?

How Great Thou Art (1967) won Elvis his first Grammy, for Best Sacred Performance; its title track, cut in Nashville in May 1966, became a showpiece of his 1970s concerts.

Which single, released in June 1977, was Elvis's last before his death?

'Way Down', cut in the den at Graceland in October 1976, was released on June 6, 1977 and was climbing the charts when Elvis died; it then went to number one on Billboard's country chart and in Britain.

Which future famous director assisted on the 1972 film Elvis on Tour?

Martin Scorsese, then a year away from Mean Streets, served as montage supervisor on Elvis on Tour, whose makers Pierre Adidge and Robert Abel had filmed Joe Cocker's 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour.

Under which later name was the Las Vegas hotel of Elvis's 1969 residency best known?

Opened in 1969 as the biggest hotel in the world, the venue became the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971, the name under which Elvis played most of his 636 sold-out Vegas shows; it was renamed the Westgate in 2014.

Where did Elvis play his first big show, opening for Slim Whitman on July 30, 1954?

The Overton Park Shell in Memphis, a WPA bandshell from 1936, hosted the trio's first big show on July 30, 1954, opening for Slim Whitman; the crowd's screams at Elvis's leg-shaking startled him.

Who joined Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis for the famous December 1956 Sun jam?

Johnny Cash made up the fourth when he dropped by Sun Studio on December 4, 1956 and joined Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis in an impromptu jam that an engineer left the tape rolling on.

At what Memphis address did Sam Phillips open his recording service in 1950?

Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue in January 1950, recording weddings and funerals as well as blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf before launching his own label there in 1952.

What was the name of Elvis's pet chimpanzee?

Scatter, a chimpanzee Elvis acquired in the early 1960s, lived at Graceland and travelled with the Memphis Mafia to Hollywood, where his drunken antics became legend.

Which song did ten-year-old Elvis sing at a 1945 fair contest, his first public performance?

Elvis's first public performance was a singing contest at the Mississippi–Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on October 3, 1945, when he sang 'Old Shep' and recalled placing fifth. He got his first guitar months later.

Where in Memphis did teenage Elvis go to admire the flashy clothes at Lansky Brothers?

Lansky Brothers stood at 126 Beale Street, the heart of Memphis's blues district, where teenage Elvis window-shopped the flashy clothes; by his senior year at Humes he was wearing them.

Which brand of guitar did Elvis buy in 1955 after an $8 trade-in?

The new guitar was a Martin D-28, which went on tour with the trio as it played Houston and Texarkana in early 1955; Elvis then failed a March audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.

Who hosted Elvis's first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in September 1956 while Sullivan recovered from a car crash?

Charles Laughton introduced Elvis from New York while Sullivan recovered from a car crash; Elvis performed from CBS's Los Angeles studio and, contrary to legend, was shown head to toe that night.

Why was Elvis's entourage nicknamed the Memphis Mafia?

The name came from their matching black mohair suits and sunglasses: as two black limousines pulled up at Las Vegas's Riviera Hotel, a bystander reportedly asked 'Who are they, the Mafia?', and the press ran with it.