The King is almost more famous since his death than he was before, and that’s saying something! Fans remain as devoted to his music as they ever were, and this article looks at some interesting snippets of info about quite probably the world’s most well-known musician.
- Elvis’ famous black pompadour was dyed. As wonderfully as his black hair suited him, his natural colour was brown.
- The singer was just 11-years old when he bought his first guitar. He had planned on purchasing a rifle, but his mom convinced to get an instrument instead.
- At the age of 12, Elvis was offered the chance to singe live, on a local radio station. He missed the chance, though, paralysed by shyness.
- It cost the King a grand total of US$4 to press his first record, and he did so as a gift for his mother.
- The singer auditioned for a gospel quartet in 1954, the Songfellows. They rejected him!
- That same year saw a local DJ playing That’s All Right by the young singer. He liked it so much he played it 13 times in one day, but couldn’t convince his radio audience that Elvis was a white man. This wonderful track is great background music for online betting. Find a copy, press play, and let the energy it embodies fuel your entertainment.
- He christened his, uh, manhood. It went by the name of Little Elvis.
- Heartbreak Hotel is the song that put him on the map, in 1956. It was inspired by an article printed in a local newspaper about someone who had committed suicide.
- Elvis appeared on the Milton Berle show in 1956, too, and the host asked him to sing without his guitar. After saying Let ‘em see you, son, the performer’s gyrating hips scandalised viewers across the country. He was nicknamed Elvis the Pelvis almost immediately.
- 1956 also saw a judge in Florida calling Presley a savage, and warning the public about his music’s potential to undermine youngsters. Presley was forbidden form shaking his hips for a while, and cheekily waggled his finger in protest instead.
- The singer stood six foot tall, and wore a size 11 shoe.
- He was a perfectionist when it came to recording. It took a total of 31 takes before he was happy with Hound Dog.
- He purchased Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA in 1957 for US$100 000. It got its name from the previous owner, who bestowed the moniker as a tribute to his daughter, Grace.
- Elvis famously changed lyrics when performing live, amusing his audiences no end. During a rendition of Are You Lonesome Tonight? in Vegas in 1969, Presley put a totally new spin on the famous words. He substituted the line Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there? with Do you look at your bald head and wish you had hair?
- Presley was drafted into the US army in December of 1957. His paycheque was just US$78, and for the two years he spent on active duty he was not able to access the income generated by his songs. The total stood at US$400 000!
- It was during this period that he met his future wife. Elvis was 24-years old in 1959 when he laid eyes on 14-year old Priscilla Beaulieu and it was just about love at first sight. They got married eight years later.
Photo: Pixabay.com
Categories: Stories of artists
