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Elvis Presley Army Years in Germany 1958–1960
The Elvis Presley army years in Germany remain one of the most surprising chapters of his entire life. At the peak of his fame, the biggest star in the world traded his stage clothes for a uniform and spent nearly two years serving as an ordinary soldier overseas. No special treatment, no shortcuts, just barracks […] More
in ArticlesElvis Presley TCB Necklace: What It Means
The Elvis Presley TCB necklace is one of the most recognizable pieces of jewelry in music history, and it carried a meaning that went far beyond fashion. If you’ve ever seen photos of Elvis or his closest friends wearing a gold lightning bolt pendant with three letters on it, you’ve seen the TCB necklace. It […] More
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The Overlooked Influence of African American Blues Artists on Elvis’s Earliest Hits
African American blues artists shaped Elvis Presley’s earliest hits so directly that his very first single was, quite literally, someone else’s song. Before “Elvis” meant sold-out arenas and gold records, it meant a nervous 19-year-old in a small Memphis studio, reworking a blues record that had already been sitting around for eight years, written and […] More
in ArticlesWhy Hollywood Ruined Elvis Presley’s Acting Career
Hollywood ruined Elvis Presley’s acting career in slow motion, one formulaic musical comedy at a time. He didn’t start out chasing shallow beach movies and interchangeable love interests. He started out wanting to be taken seriously as an actor, the kind of performer people compared to James Dean and Marlon Brando. Somewhere along the way, […] More
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Behind the Scenes of “Viva Las Vegas”: Elvis and Ann-Margret’s Real Chemistry
Elvis and Ann-Margret chemistry wasn’t something a director had to manufacture. By most accounts from the people who were actually there, it was real, immediate, and impossible to miss the moment the two stars stepped in front of a camera together. “Viva Las Vegas” turned into one of Elvis’s most beloved films largely because of […] More
in ArticlesInside Graceland’s Jungle Room: Architecture, Recording Sessions, and Myths
Graceland’s Jungle Room started life as nothing more than a screened-in porch. Today it’s one of the most photographed, most talked-about rooms in American pop culture, a shag-carpeted, waterfall-equipped tiki den that somehow also became one of the last places Elvis Presley ever recorded music. Few rooms in any house anywhere carry that much legend […] More
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How Gospel Music Shaped Elvis Presley’s Vocal Technique and Stage Presence
Gospel music shaped Elvis Presley long before rock and roll ever entered the picture. The vocal swoops, the dramatic whisper-to-wail shifts, even the hip shaking and leg movements that made him famous, almost none of it started on a rock stage. It started in a small Pentecostal church in Tupelo, Mississippi, and in the packed […] More
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Why Elvis Presley’s 1968 Black Leather Suit Almost Never Happened
Elvis Presley’s black leather suit came within a hair of never existing at all. The outfit that’s now one of the most famous stage costumes in music history almost got replaced by a cardigan sweater and twenty Christmas carols. If a handful of people hadn’t pushed back at exactly the right moment, the whole thing […] More
in ArticlesThe Secret History Behind Elvis’s Pink Cadillac and His Love for Custom Cars
Elvis Presley’s pink Cadillac started out as a plain blue sedan sitting on a dealership lot in Memphis. Nobody looking at it that day would have guessed it was about to become one of the most famous cars in music history. But that’s exactly what happened once a broke, ambitious young singer with a growing […] More
in ArticlesHow Elvis Presley Revolutionized Gender-Bending Fashion in 1950s America
Elvis Presley gender-bending fashion started long before anyone had a name for it. In the mid-1950s, a poor, skinny kid from Tupelo walked out of a Beale Street clothing store wearing bubblegum pink and black, and American menswear was never quite the same again. Nobody planned a fashion revolution. Elvis just liked what he liked, […] More
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Linda Ronstadt on Elvis Presley: Why She Only Rated His Sun Records Years
Quick Answer: Linda Ronstadt has repeatedly said the only Elvis Presley music she respects is the material he recorded at Sun Records between 1954 and 1955. She has openly stated she dislikes his later gospel songs and mainstream hits, naming singers like Aretha Franklin and Emmylou Harris as artists she prefers instead. Linda Ronstadt built […] More
in ArticlesElvis Presley vs Taylor Swift: Legends Across Generations
Elvis Presley vs Taylor Swift — at first glance, it might seem like an unfair fight. One is a ghost in a white jumpsuit, frozen forever in the amber of the 1950s and 70s. The other is a living, breathing, record-smashing force of nature who is rewriting the music industry’s rulebook in real time. But […] More