Elvis Presley, The Man Behind the Image

Elvis, a familiar word that invokes a multitude of different responses whenever it’s spoken. What of the real man behind the fame and the music?

Elvis Presley was a generous man, a compassionate man, an avid reader, a collector of guns, a karate expert; a man who traveled in fast circles of fame, fans and foes, who often overlooked the distinctions between them.

Elviswas a man with a passion for cars, fast cars, beautiful cars, pink cars. He had a collection of fine automobiles; among them a 1975 Dino Ferrari 308 GT4 Coupe, a 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II and a 1973 Stutz Black hawk which Elvis drove home to Graceland for the last time on August 16, 1977.

His best known automobile was Elvis’ 1955 pink Cadillac, the most famous car in the world. He owned several motorcycles including: a 1966 Harley chopper, 1965 Honda and 2 1976 Harley Davidson Electra-Glide 1200 bikes. Also included among his collections was a fleet of golf carts, a go-cart, a dune buggy, snowmobiles, horses, jets and his own pistol range nestled amidst his racquetball court and the serenity of his 500 acre farm in Memphis Tennessee that became known as Graceland.

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Elvis’ two jets were used for fun and travel during his hectic concert tours of 1975–77. The “Lisa Marie” was also referred to as his “Flying Graceland” and featured a conference room with six leather chairs, a living room with suede sofas, televisions, VCRs and a quadraphonic stereo, popular in the era for its realistic 4-speaker sound effect.

He bought the Convair 880 plane, a former commercial airline which seated 96 passengers, for a quarter of a million dollars in 1975 and spent an additional $750,000 refurbishing it. His second jet is a Lockheed JetStar which seated 10 passengers, had a galley, a bar, a private lavatory and a Sony stereo system.

A man of humble beginnings, Elvis was the second born of a set of identical twins on January 8, 1935; his brother Jessie Garon Presley was stillborn. Elvis was named after his father, Vernon Elvis Presley, a hard working man who moved his family from their two room Tupelo, Mississippi home where Elvis was born to Memphis, Tennessee hoping opportunities for work would improve. The Presley family would continue to struggle, residing in public housing in the poor neighborhoods of north Memphis. A grateful and dedicated son, Elvis worked part time at odd jobs to help support his family while attending Humes High School.

Entering Graceland for the first time in 2001, I was taken aback by the overwhelming presence of this revered entertainer who gave so much back to the community. Surrounded by his collection of magnificent guitars including his 1956 Gibson J-200, his Stradivarius-copy violin, his ebony Story & Clark baby grand piano and the gracious appointments in his memory-filled home, it became apparent this was a man of many musical talents.

His gratitude, generosity and humility were rare in one so entrenched in the rewards of his stardom. It was not unusual for Elvis to give money to strangers. His wisdom revealed itself with the story of his tossing five thousand dollars out of his hotel room upstairs window. The money landed on a crowd of well dressed and pretentious “high society people”. When they scrambled into the fountain to claim the fallen cash, Elvis remarked, “See, they’re not so high class after all.”

During Elvis’ 23 year career he received numerous plaques and keys to the city along with proclamations and many honors from his fans.

In December 1970, Elvis met then President Richard Nixon in the Oval office of the White House. He presented Mr. Nixon with an antique gun as a gift from his sizable gun collection which included a gold Pietro Baretta, two Smith & Wesson .357 Magnums, a Python .357 Magnum, a Colt Frontier Scout .22, a Derringer, and three Colt 45 automatics. Mr. Nixon gave Elvis a genuine Federal Narcotics Agent badge for his collection, which later led to idle speculation that Elvis was really an undercover agent.

Elvis’ generosity included an annual tradition to issue checks to at least fifty charities. Beyond the well documented gifts from his benefit concerts, little is mentioned about the cash he gave to friends and strangers, the hospital bills he paid to support needy families, the homes he bought and cars given away with little if any public recognition. Elvis never forgot what it was like to do without.

In 1961, Elvis performed a benefit concert raising over $65,000 toward building of the U.S.S. Arizona World War II Memorial in Hawaii, whose completion had stalled due to lack of funds. Elvis’ contribution was the largest single donation to the project and engendered a renewed level of public and media attention that enabled the project’s completion. The U.S. Navy placed a wreath in his honor at the memorial at the news of Elvis’ death in 1977.

Aside from his phenomenal popularity as a Rock ‘n Roll singer, Elvis the man was an entertainer who not only gave back to the community, he served his country completing a tour of duty in the Army during his incredibly popular years, 1958-60. Although often requested to do so, he maintained a personal commitment not to perform in concert during his two years in service. These silent years were marked with two significant events that would forever change the young singer’s life: the death of his Mother at the age of 46 and Elvis’ introduction to Priscilla Ann Beau lieu, who years later would become Elvis’ wife and mother of his child, Lisa Marie Presley.

Attesting to The King’s success, Graceland’s 80 foot long room, “The Hall of Gold” houses Elvis’ gold and platinum albums and singles, representing the sale of over one billion records worldwide, beyond that of any other entertainer in recording history. Elvis was nominated for fourteen Grammy awards, taking home three for “How Great Thou Art” in 1967, for the gospel album “He Touched Me” in 1972 and for a live concert performance of “How Great Thou Art” in 1974. His lifetime achievement award was earned at 36 years old, placing the prestigious award winner among other greats including Frank Sinatra, Irving Berlin, Chuck Berry, Ella Fitzgerald and Paul McCartney.

Elvis had 149 songs listed among the top 100 pop singles chart, 114 of which made it to the top forty, with 40 singles in the top ten. Eighteen singles made it all the way to number one of Billboard’s Hot 100 list, among these number one hits: Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog and Love Me Tender (from 1956); Teddy Bear, Jailhouse Rock and All Shook Up (1957); Don’t, and Hard Headed Woman (1958). Are You Lonesome Tonight reached the number two spot in 1960,and his singles Good Luck Charm (1962), Suspicious Minds and In the Ghetto (1969) which reached number one status, bring back fond memories in a time when a new genre of music of the Love Generation began to overtake Rock ‘n Roll.

These details fall considerably short of the whole story of Elvis Presley.  This once shy boy who climbed the ladder of success, retained a sense of gratitude and humor, who beyond being gifted remained respectful of his parents, particularly of his Mother, Gladys Presley, whom he adored.  What’s not to love about an appreciative, grateful and talented child who loved his Mama?

If you’re ever in Memphis, Tennessee, take the time to spend a day surrounded by the depth of memories of this great man, Elvis Presley, and visit his beloved home, Graceland.  It will rock you.