Elvis has been inducted into five Halls of Fame: Rock ‘n’ Roll, Country, Gospel, Rockabilly and R&B.
Elvis was 6 feet tall and wore a size 11 shoe.
Elvis Presley’s karate name was “Tiger.”
Elvis recorded 15 songs with the word “BLUE” in the title
Elvis has had over 150 different albums and singles certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum.
Elvis still holds the record for Most Top 40 hits at 114 total.
He also is said to have been partly Scottish, Irish, German, Welsh, Cherokee Indian and French.
Elvis starred in 31 feature films and two concert documentaries.
Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Elvis won three Grammy awards during this lifetime, all for gospel music.
Elvis had one child – a daughter named Lisa Marie.
Elvis’s favorite sandwich was peanut butter, bacon, banana, and honey!
Elvis only performed in three cities outside the U.S. – Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto, Canada.
Elvis’ first movie was “Love Me Tender” and was released in 1956.
Elvis’ first gold record was for “Heartbreak Hotel” and was received in 1956.
In 1947, a local radio show offered a young Elvis (age 12) a chance to sing live on air, but he was too shy to go on.
Elvis purchased Graceland Mansion, his home in Memphis, in 1957 for $102,500.
In his youth, Elvis was a sleepwalker.
Elvis was a karate black belt.
He starred in 33 successful films, made history with his television appearances and specials, and knew great acclaim through his many, often record-breaking, live concert performances on tour and in Las Vegas.
During a concert at Nassau Coliseum in 1975, he threw a guitar into the audience, saying, “Whoever got the guitar can keep the damn thing. I don’t need it, anyway.”
Elvis recorded “That’s All Right” on July 5, 1954, on the Sun Record label.
Elves Presley almost died in a Tupelo, Miss., tornado when he was 15 months old.
When he was 10, he sang “Old Shep” during a children’s talent show. He finished fifth.
Elvis’ famous black hair was dyed – his natural color was brown.
As a teenager, Presley worked as an usher at Loew’s State movie theater in Memphis. He was fired when another usher ratted him out for getting free candy from the girl working the concessions stand.
In 1958, he was drafted into military service. He resumed his recording career two years later, producing some of his most commercially successful work before devoting much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and their accompanying soundtrack albums, most of which were critically derided.
Globally, he has sold over one billion records, more than any other artist.
Some members of the Memphis Mafia called Presley “Crazy.”
Elvis got his first guitar in Tupelo on his 11th birthday – January 8, 1946.
Elvis was really good friends with Johnny Cash, and the two used to impersonate each other.
Before becoming famous, Elvis drove a delivery truck for Crown Electric in Memphis.
In 1954, Elvis auditioned for a gospel quartet named the Songfellows. They said no.
Presley’s grade 8 music teacher gave him a “C” in her class.
Elvis Presley once used black shoe polish when he did it himself.
A tartan was created in 2007 for the 30th anniversary of Presley’s death. It contains pink, baby blue, black and gold.
Presley, who never received formal music training or learned to read music, studied and played by ear.
Among his many awards and accolades were 14 Grammy nominations (3 wins) from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which he received at age 36, and his being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees.
Elvis Presley recorded anywhere from 600 to 1,200 songs, depending on whether the list includes unfinished works, alternate versions, bootlegged recordings, etc.
Presley’s 1961 hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is set to the melody of “Plaisir D’Amour,” an 18th century French love song.
Elvis’s last public performance was in 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana. His final song: “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” In private, his final tune came on Aug. 15, 1977, where he performed before loved ones at home. The song: “My Baby Left Me.”
It’s not clear where Scatter, Presley’s pet chimp, is buried. Some believe the hard-drinking animal died of liver disease; others say he was poisoned by a maid he had bitten.
in between filming 1956’s “Love Me Tender” and 1957’s “Loving You,” Presley had his nose done, his teeth capped and his acne treated.
Once a boy he was wrestling with broke a hip.
Some believe that Parker had the ability to hypnotize Presley, especially before he’d go on stage.
For his 36th birthday, Presley treated himself to police equipment.
Elvis Presley used Miss Clairol 51 D, “Black Velvet.”
Elvis Presley used A&D ointment to keep his lips soft.
Some commentators say Elvis Presley’s voice spanned three octaves.
Elvis Presley once asked his Limo driver “Do you own this Limo or do you work for the company?”. The driver responded that he works for the company. Elvis smiled at the driver and said, “Well you own it now”. Limo driver was tipped the Limo itself. – Source
Elvis gifted Muhammad Ali with a robe emblazoned with the phrase “The People’s Champion.”
Elvis was an insomniac.
Some members of the Memphis Mafia called Presley “Crazy.”
He hated fish, and wouldn’t allow Priscilla to eat it at Graceland.
When he was 10, he sang “Old Shep” during a children’s talent show. He finished fifth.
Elvis was inducted into the U.S. Army in March 1958 and served six years – two years in active duty and four years in the Army Reserves.
Elvis wore a cross, the Hebrew letter chai, and a star of David around his neck. “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality,” he said.
When Presley played Madison Square Garden in 1972, he rented the New York Hilton’s top floor.
Elvis was named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation in 1970 by the United States Jaycees.
Elvis had 53 Top 40 albums on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Elvis and David Bowie have the same birthday
Elvis and his entourage used to rent roller skating rinks to throw fireworks worth $15,000 at each other. This astonishing play included air force jumpsuits, gloves, helmets and goggles as their attire. – Source
Although Presley was honored by his commanding officer for his “cheerfulness and drive and continually outstanding leadership ability,” some Presley insiders felt that his time in the Army tamed him too much.
The Germans called Presley “the rock and roll matador.”
Parents got freaked out, too. On New York’s Long Island, a 14-year-old girl told the press: “My parents locked up my Elvis records, and my father broke my record player.”
He performed “Unchained Melody” only during the last six months of his life.
Several big-time stars say they were influenced by Presley after seeing him perform when they were kids, including Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison and Cher.
The last book Elvis had been reading was The Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus.
His nickname for his manhood was reportedly Little Elvis.
Elvis Presley hated fish, and wouldn’t allow Priscilla to eat it at Graceland.
Minnie Mae Presley, Elvis’ grandmother, lived at Graceland.
Elvis ranked as the second-highest earning dead celebrity in 2014, with $55 million. The only person ahead of him? Michael Jackson.
Elvis’s hair was naturally blonde, but he dyed them black. – Source
Several big-time stars say they were influenced by Presley after seeing him perform when they were kids, including Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison and Cher.
When he was young, Presley could lose several pounds during a concert.
The year he died, 1977, Elvis was the top touring act in the United States.
Recording Hound Dog in the studio, Elvis reportedly demanded 31 takes.
Presley’s karate name was “Tiger.”
Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s manager, would sell “I Love Elvis” and “I Hate Elvis” badges to maximize revenue. – Source
Minnie Mae Presley, Elvis’ grandmother, lived at Graceland.
When filming Kid Galahad in 1961, Elvis was given a director’s chair with the name “Mr. Presley” on the back. After expressing his dislike for the formal name on the chair, it was replaced with a much more satisfactory one that read “Just plain ol’ Elvis.”
He also owned a basset hound, two great Danes, a chow chow, a Pomeranian, several horses, some donkeys, some peacocks and guinea hens, ducks, chickens, a chimpanzee, a monkey and a mynah bird.
While serving in the Army overseas, his one disappointment was never meeting Brigitte Bardot.
Sometimes, Presley would sign autographs on fans’ breasts — “Elvis” on the left and “Presley” on the right.
Michael Jackson and Nicholas Cage, huge fans of Elvis Presley, were married to his daughter Lisa Marie. – Source
He almost didn’t go onstage the first night taping the NBC show.
Comedian Eddie Murphy credits Elvis as the person who inspired him to pursue a career in show business.
He was distantly related to former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jimmy Carter.
A Florida judge called Elvis “a savage” that same year because he said that his music was “undermining the youth.” He was subsequently forbidden from shaking his body at a gig, so he waggled his finger instead in protest
Elvis Presley enrolled in Humes High School, secured ‘C’ in music in eighth grade, which was considered failed during that era. – Source
Wood shop was Elvis’s favourite subject in high school.
Other nations followed suit, including the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Liberia, Guinea, Antigua and St. Vincent.
Only one home in the U.S. receives more visitors a year than Graceland: the White House.
Elvis Presley’s doctor prescribed him more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics in just first eight months of 1977. – Source
Actors who’ve portrayed Elvis on TV or in film include Kurt Russell (Elvis, 1971, and as Elvis’ voice in Forrest Gump, 1994), Don Johnson (Elvis and the Beauty Queen, 1981), Harvey Keitel (Finding Graceland, 1998), Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep, 2002), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Elvis, 2005) and Frank Stallone (Angels with Angles, 2005).
Elvis was not a fan of the Beatles or their purported bad influence on young people. The Beatles, however, grew up admiring Elvis and couldn’t wait to meet him when they came to America for the first time.
“Scatter” was Elvis’s pet chimp. He also had a pet turkey called “Bow Tie.”
Some commentators say Presley’s voice spanned three octaves.
When asked why he wore the necklace, he said, “I don’t want to miss out on going to heaven on a technicality.”
Elvis Presley wanted to beat up John Lennon for his anti-war stance. On the other hand, John practically worshiped Elvis and even tried to dress like him. – Source
Presley was said to be as fit as a 21-year-old when he taped the ‘68 Comeback Special. He was actually 33.
Elvis Presley started wearing a chai necklace because his mother Gladys’ maternal grandmother was Jewish — the reason why he added a Star of David on his mother’s gravestone in the mid-1960s.
One of the secrets to styling and maintaining his famous hairdo: a combination of Vaseline and rose oil.
Television director Steve Binder, no fan of Presley’s music before he oversaw the ’68 Comeback Special, reported, “I’m straight as an arrow and I got to tell you, you stop, whether you’re male or female, to look at him. He was that good looking. And if you never knew he was a superstar, it wouldn’t make any difference; if he’d walked in the room, you’d know somebody special was in your presence.”
He owned a number of expensive cars, including three pink Cadillacs, immortalized in his version of the song “Baby, Let’s Play House”, in which Presley replaced the line “you may get religion” with “you may have a Pink Cadillac”.
It’s estimated that Elvis has sold between 500 million and a billion records worldwide – more than any other artist in history.
The Germans called Presley “the rock and roll matador.”
Presley had a pet turkey. His name was Bowtie.
Elvis was reportedly a huge fan of James Dean and was emotionally distraught when he passed away.
In the movie Forrest Gump, Kurt Russel was the uncredited voice of Elvis Presley. – Source
Elvis was 6 feet tall (1.82 meters) tall and wore a size 11 shoe.
VH1 ranked Presley No. 8 among the “100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll” in 1998. The BBC ranked him as the No. 2 “Voice of the Century” in 2001. Rolling Stone placed him No. 3 in its list of “The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2004. CMT ranked him No. 15 among the “40 Greatest Men in Country Music” in 2005. The Discovery Channel placed him No. 8 on its “Greatest American” list in 2005. Variety put him in the top ten of its “100 Icons of the Century” in 2005. The Atlantic Monthly ranked him No. 66 among the “100 Most Influential Figures in American History” in 2006.
“Elvis – Aloha from Hawaii” was seen in 40 countries by more people than watched man’s first walk on the moon.
Elvis’s 1973 Aloha from Hawaii TV special drew more viewers than the moon landing.
He almost didn’t go onstage the first night taping the NBC show.
Elvis would rent out movie theaters to do midnight screenings of his favorite movie, “Monty Python and The Holy Grail”, with his friends. – Source
“Queenie Wahini’s Papaya,” “Yoga Is as Yoga Does” and “There’s No Room to Rhumba in a Sports Car” are just some of the strangely titled songs Presley recorded for his movies.
Elvis is the only music artist to be honored with two U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamps (1993 & 2015). The 1993 stamp is still the most popular U.S. commemorative stamp of all time.
Elvis passed away in 1977 at Graceland in Memphis.
Like people say, “The fool didn’t know it was impossible, so he did it”; Elvis was once told at young age, “Stick to driving a truck, because you’ll never make it as a singer” – Source
Some believe that Parker had the ability to hypnotize Presley, especially before he’d go on stage.
Legacy Recordings have planned a yearlong celebration of Presley’s music for modern-day Elvis fans. First up, the singer’s The Complete ’60s Albums Collection Vol. 1 has been released onto iTunes. The set highlights all the LPs Presley recorded between 1960 and 1965 with newly mastered sound for the digital medium.
He also is said to have been partly Scottish, Irish, German, Welsh, Cherokee Indian and French.
One film part Elvis always wanted to play but was not considered for: Don Corleone in The Godfather. The role went to Marlon Brando.
Presley almost died in a Tupelo, Miss., tornado when he was 15 months old.
Elvis wasn’t only The King Of Rock And Roll…he was also a black belt in karate! If you were lucky enough to see him in concert, you might wind up getting a free demonstration.
Elvis is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Presley, his parents and grandmother aren’t the only ones buried at Graceland. So is his golden palomino quarter horse, Rising Sun.
“Crazy Little Thing called Love” was written in 10 minutes as a tribute to Elvis Presley, by Freddie Mercury. – Source
In 1956, he began his film career with a western, Love Me Tender. His second film, Loving You, featured his parents as audience members. Following his mother’s death in 1957, he never watched the film again. He went on to make a total of 31 movies in his career.
Elvis also joined his high school boxing team.
Elvis Presley’s haircut was based on Captain Marvel Jr., commonly known as Freddy Freeman. – Source
Among Elvis’s many celebrity fans were Robert Plant and John Paul Jones – members of Led Zeppelin – who counted him among their musical heroes.
A man of macabre tastes, Elvis enjoyed regular visits to Memphis morgue to look at the corpses.
Elvis owned at least 40 firearms, including M-16s and a Thomson sub-machinegun.
Elvis had a one-night stand with Marilyn Monroe in 1956, according to “associate” Byron Raphael. Raphael claims The King later told him, “She’s a nice gal, but a little tall for me
Presley met the Beatles in 1965, although his manager, Col. Tom Parker, had to force him into having them over to his Bel Air, Calif., house.
Presley met the Beatles in 1965, although his manager, Col. Tom Parker, had to force him into having them over to his Bel Air, Calif., house.
Second best-known house after White house, “Graceland Mansion” has over 600,000 visitors each year and was owned by Elvis Presley. This house is one of the top 5 visited homes in the country. – Source
In his grim final days, if he was lucid at all, Elvis would sit in his hotel room in Las Vegas and recite his favourite Monty Python sketches.
The Holy Bible and The Impersonal Life by Joseph Benner were Elvis’s two favourite books.
Elvis’s nicknames, other than the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” included “The Memphis Flash,” The King of Western Bop,” “Big E,” “The Chief” and “The Hillbilly Cat.”
In 1973, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and John Paul Jones met Elvis in Las Vegas. As a gesture of goodwill, Presley swapped his $5000 gold watch with Jones’ cheap Mickey Mouse one.
A tartan was created in 2007 for the 30th anniversary of Presley’s death. It contains pink, baby blue, black and gold.
Food served at the wedding included oysters, clams, salmon, lobster, fried chicken, roasted pig, and a six-tiered cake that cost $3,500
Football and racquetball were reportedly Elvis’s favourite sports.
There’s a nearly 2000-year-old Roman statue discovered that looks a lot like Elvis.
Nicholas Cage was the only non-family member of Presley family to see the forbidden second floor of Graceland Mansion. – Source
In the 1970s, Presley would start every concert with “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” a 19th century Richard Strauss tone poem and the theme of the 1968 movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” because he liked its rhythm and movements.
Elvis’ tombstone reads Elvis Aaron Presley, but his middle name was actually spelt ‘Aron’. His parents chose this unusual spelling in honour of his stillborn twin, who was to be called Jesse Garon Presley.
Presley believed he would die in his 40s, like his mother.
As a teenager, Elvis styled his hair using Vaseline
The day before he died, Elvis had tried to obtain a print of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, to show his daughter, Lisa Marie.
Presley’s last words were, “OK, I won’t,” when he assured Ginger Alden, his last girlfriend, that he wouldn’t fall asleep reading in the bathroom.
Elvis’ life in music began when he was given an acoustic guitar for his eleventh birthday. He was initially non-plussed – he’d wanted a bicycle.
Towards the end of Elvis’ life, the kitchen at Gracelands was kept open 24 hours a day. Their busiest time was 4.30am, when Elvis would frequently get a craving for burgers and peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Elvis collected marble statues of the Venus de Milo and Joan of Arc.
Elvis never toured Europe, and only set foot on British soil once, when the plane taking him back to the United States from Germany stopped to refuel at Glasgow Prestwick airport.
He met Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys in 1975, but Wilson says the meeting ended badly when he made an unexpected karate move on Presley after Presley asked him not to.
Elvis Presley was one of the survivors of the deadliest tornado that devastated Tupelo in 1936. Elvis was just one-year-old when he faced that calamity. – Source
Sometimes, Presley would sign autographs on fans’ breasts — “Elvis” on the left and “Presley” on the right.
Elvis’s relationship with his mother was an interesting one. Despite all his many girlfriends, his mother Gladys was “the number-one girl” in his life. They had nicknames for each other and communicated in baby talk, and she rarely let him out of her sight.
As he rose to stardom, Gladys grew ill and stopped taking care of herself, largely because she was apart from her son and couldn’t deal with the fans vying for his attention. After he death in August 1958, Elvis was inconsolable for days.
Elvis was a distant cousin of President Jimmy Carter, and was a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln’s great-great grandfather, Isaiah Harrison.
Elvis Presley liked to smoke thin German cigars.
When it came to religion, Elvis hedged his bets. He wore both a cross and a star of David around his neck, quipping: “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality.”
Presley once gave Muhammad Ali a robe declaring the boxer “The People’s Champion.” (Ali gave Presley gloves that said, “You’re the greatest.”)
According to rumors and reports, Elvis used his mouth for much more than just singing, earning himself the moniker “The King of Foreplay.” No wonder he was so popular with the ladies!
In April 1956, a couple of weeks before scoring his first Number One with ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, Elvis was lucky to survive when a plane carrying him to Nashville lost an engine and almost crashed over Texas.
After Presley’s funeral on August 18, 1977, there was a public viewing of the casket in the foyer of Graceland. Over 30,000 fans were let in.
R.I.P. KING….
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Sources:
http://www.popmatters.com/article/118592-75-things-you-may-not-know-about-elvis-presley/
https://www.graceland.com/elvis/biography/quickfacts.aspx
http://www.popmatters.com/article/118592-75-things-you-may-not-know-about-elvis-presley/
http://www.nme.com/photos/75-geeky-facts-you-might-not-know-about-elvis-presley-1418217