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The Chronology of Elvis Aaron Presley.
April 25, 1912:
Gladys Love Smith is born.
April 10, 1916:
Vernon Elvis Presley is born.
June, 1933:
Gladys Smith and Vernon Presley are married.
January 8, 1935
In Tupelo, Mississippi, shortly before dawn, in a two-room
house built by her husband and her brother-in-law, Gladys
Presley gives birth to identical twin sons. The first,
Jessie Garon, is born dead. The second, Elvis Aaron, is
born alive and healthy. Elvis would be their only child.
1935 - 1948
Elvis grows up within a close-knit, working class family,
consisting of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
and cousins, who all live near one another in Tupelo.
There is little money, but Vernon and Gladys do their
best to provide for their son, who is the center of their
lives. They move from one house to another in Tupelo.
Elvis attends the Assembly of God Church with his family,
and the music and preaching register deeply. Other
influences are black bluesmen in the neighborhood and
country music radio programs enjoyed by his family.
1945
Ten-year-old Elvis stands on a chair at a microphone and
sings Old Shep in a youth talent contest at the
Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, held in Tupelo.
The talent show is broadcast over WELO Radio. Second
prize is $5.00 and free admission to all the rides at the
fair.
1946
Elvis’ parents cannot afford a bicycle that Elvis
wants, so Gladys talks him into accepting a guitar
instead. Elvis' first guitar costs $12.95 and is
purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Company. The bicycle
would have to wait until Christmas of 1947.
Late 1948
Elvis plays his guitar and sings Leaf on a Tree for his
Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell. Elvis
and his parents pack their belongings in a trunk strapped
to the roof of their 1939 Plymouth and move to Memphis,
Tennessee in search of a better life economically. Other
members of the Presley and Smith clan would follow.
1948-1953
Elvis and his parents live in public housing or low rent
homes in the poor neighborhoods of north Memphis. Life
continues to be hard. Vernon and Gladys go from job to
job, and Elvis attends The Christine School, then L.C.
Humes High School. Elvis works at various jobs to help
support himself and his parents. The Presley-Smith clan
remains close-knit, and Elvis and his family attend the
Assembly of God Church. The teenage Elvis continues to be
known for singing with his guitar. He buys his clothes on
Beale Street and he absorbs the black blues and gospel he
hears there. He’s also a regular audience member at
the all-night white, and black, gospel sings that are
held downtown. He wears his hair long (compared to the
day’s standards) and slick, and lets his sideburns
grow. He’s really different from the other kids, a
good-natured misfit. While at Humes High, Elvis nervously
sings with his guitar at a student talent show. Much to
his own amazement, he gets more applause than anyone else
and wins, then performs an encore. The acceptance feels
good.
June 3, 1953
Elvis graduates from Humes High School.
1953
Elvis works at Parker Machinists Shop right after
graduation. That summer he drops by The Memphis Recording
Service, home of the Sun label and makes a demo acetate
of My Happiness and That’s When Your Heartaches
Begin for a cost of about $4.00. (The studio came to be
known as Sun Studio though never officially named that
until many years later. For simplicity this text uses the
name Sun Studio.) The studio owner isn’t in, so his
assistant, Marion Keisker handles the session. Elvis
wants to see what his voice sounds like on a record and
he has aspirations to become a professional singer. He
takes the acetate home, and reportedly gives it to his
mother as a much-belated extra birthday present. By the
fall, he is working at Precision Tool Company, and soon
changes jobs again, going to work for Crown Electric
Company. At Crown, he does various jobs, including
driving a delivery truck. He also goes to night school
and studies to be an electrician.
January, 1954
Elvis makes another demo acetate at Sun. Sam Phillips,
the owner, is in this time and, like Marion Keisker, is
intrigued by this unusual looking and sounding young man.
Summer 1954
At Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Sam Phillips calls
Elvis into the studio to try singing a song Sam hopes to
put out on record. The song is Without You and Elvis does
not sing it to Sam’s satisfaction. Sam asks Elvis
what he can sing, and Elvis runs through a number of
popular tunes. Sam is impressed enough to team Elvis up
with local musicians Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black
(bass) to see if they, together, can come up with
something worthwhile. Nothing really clicks until July 5,
when after a tedious session, Elvis and the guys break
into a sped-up version of Arthur “Big Boy”
Crudup’s That’s All Right. This song, backed
with Blue Moon of Kentucky becomes the first of five
singles Elvis will release on the Sun label. Elvis,
Scotty, and Bill start performing together, with Scotty
acting as the group’s manager. Elvis continues to
work at Crown Electric as the group starts to play small
clubs and other smalltime gigs locally and throughout the
South, enjoying moderate success with the records and
personal appearances. Elvis’ one appearance on the
Grand Ole Opry doesn’t go over particularly well,
with one of the Opry officials reportedly suggesting that
Elvis go back to driving a truck. The Opry is very
important at this time. This is a painful disappointment
in Elvis' early career.
Late 1954 - 1955
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue to record and to travel.
October 16, 1954
They appear for the first time on the Louisiana Hayride,
a live Saturday night country music radio show
originating in Shreveport, Louisiana, broadcast over KWKH
Radio. The show is the Grand Ole Opry’s chief
competitor, carried by 190 stations in thirteen states.
This leads to regular appearances on the Hayride and, in
November, Elvis signs a one-year contract for fifty-two
Saturday night appearances. This is a great break, but as
Elvis’ popularity grows, his commitment to the
Hayride prevents him from traveling much outside the
South to further his career on a larger scale. During
Elvis' association with the Hayride he meets “Colonel”
Tom Parker, a promoter and manager connected with various
acts, and connected with the Louisiana Hayride. Parker is
also the manager for country star, Hank Snow. A previous
Parker client is country star Eddy Arnold.
January 1955
Elvis signs a contract with Bob Neal, who becomes his
manager.
1955
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue touring on their own and
in package shows with various country stars, including
package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker
is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The
regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J.
Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis
fails to be accepted on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent
Scouts, a network television show. As always, Elvis’
live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers,
especially the females. His unusual style, sexy moves,
and good looks start to cause more and more excitement
wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the
barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and
more popularity and begins to receive national attention.
Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis’
career.
August 15, 1955
Elvis signs a management contract with Hank Snow
Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel
Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor.
Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager
from this time on, and Snow is soon no longer connected
to Elvis.
November 20,
1955
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel
Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to
RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and his
unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $40,000,
with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the
five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time Elvis
signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company,
which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley
Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the
publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range
for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the
music business.
January 10, 1956
Two days after his twenty-first birthday, Elvis has his
first recording session for RCA, held at their studio in
Nashville. Among the songs laid to tape during this
session is Heartbreak Hotel. The Jordanaires, a gospel
quartet and popular country back-up group, begin working
with Elvis in the studio during the first few RCA
sessions and soon begin touring with him. They will also
appear with him in several films and remain his main back-up
group until the late sixties.
January 27, 1956
Heartbreak Hotel b/w I Was the One is released by RCA and
sells over 300,000 copies in its first three weeks on the
market. It is soon to go to number one on Billboard’s
pop singles chart for eight weeks and hit number one on
the country chart and number five on the R&B chart.
It becomes the first Elvis single to sell over one
million copies, thus earning Elvis his very first gold
record award.
January 28, 1956
Elvis appears with Scotty, Bill, and D.J. on the Jackie
Gleason-produced Stage Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy
Dorsey on CBS. This is Elvis’ first network
television appearance. He appears five more nights on
Stage Show over the weeks ahead and makes minor waves
nationally. The last of these six appearances is March 24.
Traveling and personal appearances continue during this
time, including the Louisiana Hayride appearances for
which he is still under contract. Fame and “infamy”
build.
February, 1956
As Heartbreak Hotel makes its climb up the charts on its
way to number one, I Forgot to Remember to Forget b/w
Mystery Train, Elvis' fifth and last single to be
released on the Sun label, hits number one on Billboard’s
national country singles chart. His first number one hit
on a national chart.
March 13, 1956
RCA releases Elvis Presley, Elvis’ first album. The
album soon goes to number one on Billboard’s pop
album chart for ten weeks. It is the first Elvis album to
reach over $1 million in sales, thus earning Elvis his
first gold album award.
April 1, 1956
Elvis has a screen test for Paramount Studios in
Hollywood. He lip synchs Blue Suede Shoes and he performs
a scene from the as yet unmade film, The Rainmaker, a
film he does not end up being in.
April 3, 1956
Elvis appears on The Milton Berle Show on ABC, which, for
this particular broadcast, originates from the deck of
the aircraft carrier, the USS Hancock.
April 6, 1956
Elvis signs a seven-year movie contract with Hal Wallis
and Paramount Pictures.
April 23 - May 9,
1956
Compared to the usual hysteria, Elvis has lukewarm
acceptance for his two-week engagement at the New
Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. He is not exactly what the
adult audience of Vegas gamblers relates to very well.
During these two weeks, the single Heartbreak Hotel and
the album Elvis Presley both hit number one on the
Billboard pop charts. Through all of this, the travel and
personal appearances around the country and new record
releases continue. The crowds get bigger and bigger,
wilder and wilder. Elvis’ fame grows dramatically.
Some of these shows have to end early due to fans’
storming the stage. Elvis creates pandemonium wherever he
goes.
June 5, 1956
Elvis appears again on The Milton Berle Show, this time
in the studio where the show usually originates, this
time backed by the Jordanaires in addition to Scotty,
Bill and D.J. Among his selections is a playfully
sensuous performance of Hound Dog that drives the kids in
the audience wild, and, the next day, has the press and
some of the adult viewers appalled. It is one of his most
controversial performances. This merely serves to fuel
his seemingly unstoppable popularity even more. Traveling
and personal appearances and new record releases continue.
By this time Elvis, with his sexy moves and black-influenced
sound, is being condemned by certain factions of the
“morally concerned” establishment and the
religious community. But, the kids love it.
July 1, 1956
Elvis appears on The Steve Allen Show on NBC. Among his
performances this night is a much toned down version of
Hound Dog. Allen has Elvis dressed in white tie and black
tux with tails and has him sing the song to a live Basset
hound, a tongue-in-cheek response to all controversy
created by the Berle appearance the month before. Elvis
good-naturedly goes along with it, but is not too happy
about it. Elvis also appears in a cowboy comedy sketch
with Allen, Imogene Coca and Andy Griffith. Record
releases, touring, and recording continue. The
condemnation and controversy continue along with the ever-growing
popularity. Ed Sullivan, who had said that he would never
have the likes of Elvis Presley on his show, changes his
tune when he sees the big ratings that Elvis attracts to
the Berle and Allen shows. A three-appearance deal is
worked out for $50,000 and is the highest amount ever
paid to a performer, up to that time, for appearing on a
variety show.
August 1956
Elvis begins shooting his first movie, Love Me Tender on
loan-out from Paramount to Twentieth Century Fox. It is
originally titled The Reno Brothers, but is re-titled
before its release to capitalize on Elvis’ sure-to-be-a-hit
single from the soundtrack.
September 9,
1956
Elvis makes the first of three appearances on the Ed
Sullivan Show, the top television program of the era.
Elvis attracts the highest ratings ever for any
television variety show. Character actor Charles Laughton
hosts in place of Sullivan, who is recuperating from a
car accident.
September 26,
1956
Elvis Presley Day is proclaimed in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Elvis’ parents join him as he returns to the town of
his birth as a big star. He performs two shows at the
Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, the same fair at
which he had performed at age 10. This time there are a
hundred National Guardsmen surrounding the stage to
control the crowds of excited fans. By this time,
souvenir merchandising using Elvis’ name, image, and
likeness has become a big part of the Elvis phenomenon.
Licensees will soon be producing as many as thirty
different products including hats, T-shirts, jeans,
kerchiefs, sneakers, shirts, blouses, belts, purses,
billfolds, wallets, charm bracelets, necklaces, magazines,
gloves, bookends, a statue, lipstick, cologne, stuffed
hound dogs, stationery, sweaters, crockery, and more.
Elvis and the Colonel are to blaze new trails in the area
of celebrity merchandising. This is to be forever a part
of the marketing of Elvis Presley, feeding a never-ending
demand.
October 28, 1956
Elvis makes his second of three appearances on the
Sullivan show.
November 16,
1956
Elvis’ first movie, Love Me Tender premieres at the
Paramount Theater in New York City, opening nationwide in
the days following. It becomes a smash hit, and the
critics’ reviews aren’t bad for his acting in
this melodrama, which is set in the American South of the
1800’s Civil War era. The film has Elvis performing
several songs, of course.
December 31,
1956
The front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that in
the past few months Elvis merchandise has grossed $22
million in sales. Elvis ends the pivotal year of his
career, when regional popularity gave way to
unprecedented national and international fame. The year
of 1956 has seen the beginning of Elvis souvenir
merchandising, the beginning of a successful movie career,
huge record sales (five number one singles on the pop
chart, two number one albums on the pop chart, and other
hits), history-making television appearances, record-breaking
personal appearances and more. Elvis has become the
primary symbol of the new youth culture in America. He
has also become one of society’s most controversial
figures. His unique blending of white country and gospel
music, black R&B and gospel, white pop music, his
particular brand of charisma and talent, and the
resulting success and controversy, have helped him
greatly to begin, without premeditation, a cycle of
change in music and pop culture and the mores of American
society. Nothing will ever be the same for Elvis Presley
or for the world.
January 6, 1957
Elvis makes his third and final appearance on Ed Sullivan’s
Toast of the Town Show. It is for this appearance that
Elvis is seen only from the waist up. It’s funny
that after all of his television appearances the previous
year, such censorship comes at this time. It is
particularly amusing that this guideline remains in place
during Elvis’ performance of the gospel standard,
Peace in the Valley, one of five songs he performs on
this Sullivan appearance. Ed Sullivan himself helps
diffuse some of the controversy surrounding Elvis when he
comes out on stage to thank Elvis and tells the studio
audience and millions of American television viewers that
“this is a decent, fine boy” and what a delight
he has been to work with when appearing on the show. Ed
Sullivan is the most influential person on television
audiences and one of the most powerful people in the
television industry at the time. Personal appearances,
recording sessions, record releases, controversy, and
publicity continue.
January, 1957
Elvis begins production of his second movie, "Loving
You".
February 3, 1957
The New York Times runs a story entitled Presley Records
a Craze in Soviet Union. Elvis records are not legally
available in the Soviet Union. The article tells of
bootleg recordings being cut on discarded X-ray plates
and being sold in Leningrad on the black market for fifty
rubles (about twelve and a half dollars) each, a lot of
money at the time.
March 1957
Elvis buys Graceland Mansion for himself, his parents,
and his paternal grandmother to live in. It will be ready
for them to move into in early April.
April , 1957
While touring with his show, Elvis performs outside the
United States for the first time when he appears in
Canada: two shows in Toronto on April 2 and two shows in
Ottawa on April 3.
May, 1957
Elvis begins work on his third motion picture, Jailhouse
Rock for MGM.
July 9, 1957
Elvis' second motion picture, Loving You premieres and
quickly reaches the top ten at the box office. Hit
records include the title song and the classic smash
Teddy Bear. Traveling, touring, record releases, and
personal appearances continue.
August 31, 1957
Elvis performs in Vancouver. This is the third Canadian
city he has performed in, and marks the last time he will
perform in concert outside the United States.
September 27,
1957
Elvis returns once more to the town of his birth to
perform. This time it is a benefit for the proposed Elvis
Presley Youth Recreation Center in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The grounds include Elvis’ birthplace home. He will
donate regularly to the center for the rest of his life.
(The center is still used by the general community today.
The birthplace home is open for tours, and there is a
small museum and a memorial chapel.)
October 17, 1957
Jailhouse Rock, Elvis’ third motion picture,
premieres in Memphis, opening nationally in November and
quickly going to the top five at the box office. The
title song is a smash hit. Years later, this film will be
considered one of Elvis’ best acting performances,
surpassed only by King Creole, which is to follow in 1958.
Jailhouse Rock will come to be considered the ultimate
classic of all “rock opera” movies, and the
Jailhouse Rock production number in the film is to be
recognized as the grandfather of pop/rock music videos, a
music format to become widely popular by the 1980’s.
November 10, 11
1957
Elvis performs shows in Hawaii for the first time.
December, 1957
Elvis and family enjoy their first Christmas at Graceland
and Elvis officially receives his draft notice, a day he
has known would be coming soon.
Late January-
Early March, 1958
Elvis films and records for his fourth motion picture,
King Creole.
March 15, 1958
Elvis performs two shows in Memphis. These are to be his
last stage performances until after his army release in
1960.
March 24, 1958
Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army at the
Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number
53310761.
March 25, 1958
Elvis gets his famous G.I. haircut at Fort Chaffee,
Arkansas.
March 29, 1958
Private Presley arrives at Fort Hood, Texas for basic
training and is stationed there for six months. His
parents soon move to a temporary home near the base.
June 10, 1958
After basic training, while on his first leave, Elvis has
a recording session, his last until 1960.
July, 1958
King Creole, Elvis’ fourth motion picture opens
nationally and the reviews are the best he will ever have
for his acting. Its impressive list of co-stars and
supporting cast includes Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau,
Dean Jagger and Vic Morrow. It becomes a top five film at
the box office. This Michael (Casablanca) Curtiz-directed
movie, set in New Orleans and based upon the Harold
Robbins novel, A Stone for Danny Fisher, will come to be
regarded as Elvis’ finest film, his greatest acting
performance, and proof positive of his potential to have
become a respected serious actor, though the realization
of this desire will remain forever out of his grasp.
August, 1958
Gladys Presley becomes ill and returns to Memphis to be
hospitalized with acute hepatitis. Elvis is granted
emergency leave and arrives in Memphis on the afternoon
of August 12th. He visits her that night, and the next
day and night. A few hours after Elvis goes home to
Graceland to rest, she dies in the early hours of August
14 at age 46. Her body lies in state at Graceland that
afternoon. Services are at the Memphis Funeral Home on
the 15th, with the Blackwood Brothers singing Precious
Memories and Rock of Ages, two of Gladys Presley’s
favorite hymns. She is laid to rest at Forest Hill
Cemetery, a few miles down the road from Graceland. Elvis
is devastated.
August 25, 1958
Elvis reports back to Fort Hood.
September/October
1958
September 19, Elvis boards a troop train to New York,
later boards the USS. Randall and sails to Germany,
arriving on October 1. He will be stationed in Friedberg
for 18 months, maintaining an off-base residence in Bad
Nauheim, shared with his father and grandmother, and some
friends from Memphis. He finds the fans in Europe to be
as enthusiastic as those in America.
January 8, 1959
Elvis is interviewed off-camera via trans-Atlantic
telephone by Dick Clark on his American Bandstand show on
ABC-TV. The show commemorates the star’s twenty-fourth
birthday. (Elvis never performed on American Bandstand.)
June, 1959
On a two-week leave, Elvis visits Munich, then goes
clubbing in Paris, which includes a visit to the Lido.
Colonel Parker continues to keep Elvis’ career alive
with promotions and hit record releases.
November 1959
Captain Joseph Beaulieu is transferred from Texas to
Weisbaden Air Force Base near Friedberg, accompanied by
his wife and children, including his fourteen-and-a-half-
year-old stepdaughter, Priscilla Ann. (Priscilla is the
only child from Ann Beaulieu’s marriage to her first
husband, James Wagner, a Navy pilot who was killed in a
plane crash when Priscilla was an infant.) Through a
mutual friend, Priscilla is invited to a party at Elvis’
home soon after her arrival in Germany. They meet, and
the rest is history.
January 20, 1960
Elvis is promoted to Sergeant.
March 1960
Elvis leaves Germany on March 1, arriving in New Jersey
the next day for a press conference, and is officially
discharged from active duty on March 5, 1960. He boards a
train for Memphis, arriving on March 7. Press and crowds
of fans are everywhere for this historic series of events.
He holds a press conference at Graceland in his father’s
office behind the mansion on March 8. He has served his
country just like any other GI, with no special
privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him.
These two years away from his career have been a time to
mature. He has also worried constantly that his lengthy
absence might have damaged his career progress. But, he
has yet to see his greatest stardom.
Late March, 1960
Elvis has his first post-army recording session. Some of
the recording work is for the album Elvis is Back!, which
will hit number two on the Billboard pop chart. (Sessions
will continue in early April.) On March 21 he receives
his first degree black belt in karate, an interest he
developed while in the army. On March 26 he tapes a
special Welcome Home, Elvis edition of Frank Sinatra’s
ABC-TV variety show, for which he is paid $125,000, a
record sum for a variety show appearance at the time.
Late April, 1960
Elvis begins filming and recording for his first post-army
movie, his fifth film, GI Blues for Paramount, the first
of nine to be produced (not consecutively) by Hal Wallis.
GI Blues co-stars dancer/actress Juliet Prowse.
May 8, 1960
ABC airs Frank Sinatra’s Welcome Home, Elvis edition
of his variety show, which attracts a 41.5% share of the
national television audience.
July 3, 1960
Vernon Presley marries divorcee and mother of three sons,
Davada (Dee) Stanley, an American whom he met Germany,
where she had been stationed with her military husband.
They live at Graceland briefly, then move to a home
nearby.
August/September
1960
Elvis records and films for his sixth movie, Flaming Star,
a drama with limited music. Elvis plays the son of a
white father and a Native American mother, torn between
the two cultures in the 1800's. The film co-stars Barbara
Eden.
October, 1960
The soundtrack album for GI Blues enters the Billboard
album chart and soon goes to number one. It remains
number one for ten weeks and stays on the chart for 111
weeks. It is to be the most successful album of Elvis’
entire career on the Billboard charts. (In terms of total
record sales over time, it is uncertain which album
stands as the most successful.)
November 1960
Elvis begins recording and filming for his seventh film,
Wild in the Country, which will be completed in January.
GI Blues opens nationally to warm reviews and big box
office sales and is among the fifteen top-grossing films
of the year. It is a light comedy melodrama with lots of
singing by Elvis, who is seen in uniform for most of the
movie.
Late December,
1960
Flaming Star opens nationally to warm reviews, but unlike
GI Blues, this dramatic film with little singing does not
set the box office on fire. However, Elvis earns
recognition from a tribal council for his positive
portrayal of a Native American in this racially charged
drama. The film is banned in South Africa due to its
interracial theme.
February 25,
1961
Elvis appears in Memphis at a luncheon in his honor, and
numerous recent awards Elvis has received are shown to
the press and others attending. A press conference
follows. Then, Elvis performs one afternoon show and one
evening show at Ellis Auditorium to benefit around thirty-eight
Memphis-area charities. Other than the Sinatra television
show, these shows are, so far, Elvis’ only live
performances since his army discharge. “Elvis
Presley Day” is proclaimed by Tennessee Governor
Buford Ellington. Every year after this, Elvis donates
money to a list of Memphis-area charities, eventually
reaching fifty or more, usually around Christmas time.
Within a few years, to show their appreciation the city
gives him a massive plaque listing fifty charities.
March 25, 1961
Elvis arrives in Hawaii for a press conference, then an
evening concert at Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor. He is
there to perform a benefit to help fund the building of
the USS Arizona Memorial. Hundreds of fans mob the
airport as he arrives. His show raises around $65,000 for
the memorial, with related promotions bringing the total
to about $100,000. The event also helps bring publicity
and public awareness and support to the project. The fund-raising
efforts, for the most part, had been difficult up to this
point. The rest of the needed funds are soon raised, and
the memorial is completed a year later. Elvis receives
numerous official honors in appreciation for this benefit.
This turns out to be Elvis’ last live, non-movie
performance until his 1968 television special.
Late March/Mid-
April, 1961
Elvis remains in Hawaii to do location filming for his
eighth motion picture, Blue Hawaii, having already done
soundtrack recording. Later, there is additional filming
to be done back in Hollywood for this film. From this
time on, Elvis will have a fondness for Hawaii.
June, 1961
Wild in the Country, co-starring Hope Lange, Millie
Perkins and Tuesday Weld, opens nationally to mixed
reviews. Like Flaming Star it is a melodrama with limited
singing by Elvis. It, too, does not set the box office on
fire.
July, 1961
Elvis records and films for his ninth motion picture,
Follow That Dream. Filming includes some location
shooting in Florida. Non-movie-related hit records and
recording sessions have also continued through this
period.
October, 1961
The soundtrack album for Blue Hawaii enters the Billboard
chart for a year-and-a-half run, staying at number one
for twenty weeks, second only to GI Blues as the biggest
album of Elvis’ career on the Billboard charts. It
also yields a number two single destined to become an
Elvis classic, Can’t Help Falling in Love. Non-movie-related
recordings and hit records have continued through this
period, with Good Luck Charm hitting number one in 1962,
his last number one pop hit until Suspicious Minds in
1969.
October/November,
1961
Elvis records and films for his tenth motion picture, Kid
Galahad, completing it in January.
Late November
1961
Blue Hawaii opens nationally to warm reviews and gets to
number two on the box office charts. It becomes the top-grossing
film of Elvis’ career thus far. Its characteristics
of a non-cerebral plot, lavish scenery, lots of songs by
Elvis, and lots of pretty girls become the basis for the
“Presley formula” movies of the sixties, though
most of them will not be nearly so well done.
Late March/Late
April, 1962
Elvis records and films in Hollywood, and does location
filming in Hawaii for his eleventh motion picture, Girls!
Girls! Girls!.
May/June 1962
Follow That Dream opens nationally and gets to number
five on the box office charts. It is warmly reviewed and
does fairly well in sales.
Late August/September
1962
Elvis records and films for his twelfth motion picture,
It Happened at the World’s Fair. Shooting is both in
Hollywood and on location at the World’s Fair in
Seattle. Kid Galahad opens nationally and does relatively
well with a brief stay in the top ten on the box office
chart.
October 1962
In Mexico, riot behavior in a theater showing GI Blues
prompts the Mexican government to ban Elvis movies. Torn
seats, broken windows, and other damage is reported.
November 1962
Girls! Girls! Girls! opens nationally and rivals Blue
Hawaii in box office success. This is the second film to
use the so-called “Presley formula”, and it
works. The soundtrack album goes top five and yields the
hit single Return to Sender.
December 1962
Priscilla Beaulieu had flown from West Germany to visit
Elvis in Los Angeles in the summer of this year for their
first time to see each other after his army discharge. In
December her parents allow her to spend the Christmas
holidays with him at Graceland in Memphis. She returns to
her family briefly, then moves to Graceland in early 1963,
finishing her senior year of high school in Memphis and
turning eighteen years old on May 24, 1963.
Late January/February
1963
Elvis records and films for his thirteenth film, another
“formula” movie, Fun in Acapulco.
April 1963
It Happened at the World’s Fair opens nationally and
does relatively well at the box office, though its plot
is the most frivolous of any Elvis film so far. The
soundtrack album goes top five. Non-movie recordings and
hits continue through this period.
July 1963
Elvis records the music, then, on location in Las Vegas
and in a Hollywood studio, he films for his fourteenth
motion picture, Viva Las Vegas, co-starring Ann-Margret.
(It will be his fifteenth movie to be released as Kissin’
Cousins, which he is to shoot next, will actually be
released before Viva Las Vegas.)
October 1963
Elvis records and shoots for his fifteenth motion picture,
Kissin’ Cousins.
Late November
1963
Fun in Acapulco opens nationally and quickly goes to
number five at the box office. The soundtrack goes to the
top five on the pop chart.
January/February
1964
Elvis purchases the Potomac, former presidential yacht of
Franklin Roosevelt, for $55,000. He intends to donate it
to the March of Dimes for use as a national shrine (FDR
suffered from polio, the main disease fought by the March
of Dimes). Costs of maintaining the yacht would be
prohibitive, so the March of Dimes declines to accept the
gift. Elvis attempts to give it to the 7th Coast Guard
District Auxiliary in Miami, which also doesn’t work
out. Finally, on February 13 he presents the yacht as a
gift to a gift to St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital in Memphis for them to use to raise funds as
they see fit. The ceremony takes place in Long Beach,
California with actor and hospital founder, Danny Thomas,
accepting. During this saga of trying to donate the yacht,
the Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed
Sullivan Show and Sullivan reads on the air a
congratulatory telegram from Elvis and the Colonel.
American music and pop culture will soon change
dramatically with the “British invasion”, much
as it had after Elvis hit it big in the fifties. Elvis
has become bored and frustrated with his film and
recording career. It will only get worse.
March 1964
Kissin’ Cousins opens nationally. One of the poorest
quality films of his career, it still quickly hits number
eleven at the box office, then quickly falls, and the
album goes top ten. Elvis begins filming for his
sixteenth motion picture, Roustabout, co-starring
Hollywood legend Barbara Stanwyck. He had recorded the
music during the previous month.
June 1964
Elvis records music for his next film, Girl Happy. Viva
Las Vegas opens nationally and goes to number eight at
the box office. It’s one of the better Elvis movies
of this period, and the songs are better as well.
July/August 1964
Elvis shoots his seventeenth motion picture, Girl Happy,
which co-stars Shelley Fabares and former Miss America,
Mary Ann Mobley.
October 1964
Elvis begins shooting eighteenth motion picture, Tickle
Me. The soundtrack has no new recordings. Instead,
previously released non-movie recordings are used,
apparently to keep production costs to a minimum.
November 1964
Roustabout opens nationally and hits number eight at the
box office. The soundtrack, which represents some of the
best Elvis movie music in a while, goes to number one on
the Billboard pop album chart.
March/April 1965
Elvis records the soundtrack and does the filming for his
nineteenth motion picture, Harum Scarum, which co-stars
Mary Ann Mobley.
April 1965
Girl Happy opens nationally and does relatively good
business. The soundtrack album goes top ten. Non-movie
record releases have continued during this period.
May 1965
Elvis records music and does filming for his twentieth
motion picture, to be released out of chronology as his
twenty-first, Frankie and Johnny, co-starring Donna
Douglas.
July 1965
Tickle Me opens nationally. Elvis donates $50,000 to the
Motion Picture Relief Fund, reportedly the largest single
donation the organization has ever received up to this
date. Accepting for the organization are Barbara Stanwyck
and Frank Sinatra.
August 1965
Elvis records soundtrack music for his twenty-first
motion picture, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, which will be
released out of chronology as his twentieth, then goes to
Hawaii for location shooting. During a break in filming,
he visits the USS Arizona Memorial. The visit is covered
by the press and prompts Hawaiian Senator Daniel Inouye
to have the visit recognized in the Congressional Record.
Elvis returns to Hollywood for more shooting for the film.
August 27, 1965
The Beatles visit with Elvis for several hours at his
home in California and have an informal jam session.
November 24,
1965
Harum Scarum opens nationally and hits number eleven at
the box office, then falls, as has been the pattern for
most of Elvis’ movies during the past few years. (Hit
fast, burn out quickly, but make a sizable profit and
sell some records.) The soundtrack album goes to number
eight.
February 1966
Elvis records the soundtrack music and shoots his twenty-second
motion picture, Spinout, co-starring Shelley Fabares.
March 1966
Frankie and Johnny opens nationally and doesn’t do
particularly well. The soundtrack album goes to number
twenty.
June 1966
Paradise, Hawaiian Style is released and doesn’t do
well. The soundtrack album peeks at number fifteen.
June-September
1966
Soundtrack recording and shooting for Elvis’ twenty-third
motion picture (to be the twenty-fourth released), Double
Trouble.
September 1966
Soundtrack recording and filming for Elvis’ twenty-fourth
motion picture (the twenty-third to be released), Easy
Come, Easy Go.
November 1966
Spinout opens nationally and doesn’t do well. The
soundtrack album goes to number 18.
December 1966
Elvis formally proposes marriage to Priscilla.
February 1967
Elvis buys a 163-acre ranch in Mississippi, minutes
across the Tennessee state line from Graceland. He and
his entourage and their wives had become interested in
horseback riding after Elvis purchased a horse for
Priscilla as a gift. The hobby had outgrown the pasture
at Graceland. Over the months to come, Elvis and the gang
will enjoy spending a lot of time at the Circle G. It
becomes a happy diversion for Elvis as his frustration
and unhappiness over the state of his career reaches its
height.
March 1967
Easy Come, Easy Go opens nationally and doesn’t do
well. RCA releases Elvis’ second gospel album, How
Great Thou Art, which was recorded in mid-1966. It gets
very good reviews and goes on to earn Elvis the Grammy
Award for Best Sacred Performance from the National
Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. This is the
first of his three Grammy wins.
February-April,
1967
Soundtrack recording and filming for Clambake, Elvis’
twenty-fifth movie. It is the third of three Elvis movies
to co-star Shelley Fabares.
April 1967
Double Trouble opens nationally. Although better than
some of his recent screen efforts, it doesn’t do
well at the box office.
May 1967
On May 1, Elvis and Priscilla are married in a private
ceremony amongst a small group of family and friends at
the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, just after 9:30 AM. A
press conference and breakfast reception follow. The
couple honeymoon for a few days in Palm Springs. Elvis
wraps up some over-dubbing on Clambake. Then they return
to Memphis.
May 29, 1967
Elvis and Priscilla dress in their wedding clothes and
have a second wedding reception in the trophy room at
Graceland to accommodate family and friends who were not
in Las Vegas for the wedding.
June-July 1967
Soundtrack recording and filming for Elvis' twenty-sixth
movie (to be the twenty-seventh released), Speedway, co-starring
Nancy Sinatra. During the production, news of Priscilla's
pregnancy is announced.
September-November,
1967
Soundtrack recording and filming for Elvis' twenty-seventh
movie (to be the twenty-sixth released), Stay Away, Joe.
In this western-themed comedy he once again plays a
character who is part Native American. It's a real
departure from the virtually interchangeable plots and
characters in most of the films over the past several
grueling years. He has fun with this one.
December 1967
Clambake is released nationally and goes to number
fifteen at the box office. The soundtrack album goes to
number 40.
February 1, 1968
Priscilla gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley nine months
to the day after her marriage to Elvis. It is a time of
great happiness.
March 1968
Stay Away, Joe opens to mixed reviews and doesn’t do
well at the box office, though like all of Elvis’
films, it makes a profit. Soundtrack recording and
filming for Elvis’ twenty-eighth movie, Live a
Little, Love a Little. It is a sexy, more adult kind of
comedy/ melodrama. It, like Stay Away, Joe is a real
departure from the typical Presley film. It is yet
another breath of fresh air.
June 1968
Speedway is released nationally and doesn’t do very
well. The soundtrack album goes only as far up the chart
as number 82.
Mid-to-Late June,
1968
Elvis rehearses for the taping of his first television
special. A press conference is held on June 25th.
Videotaping is done June 27, 28, 29, and 30. Commonly
referred to as The ‘68 Special or The ‘68
Comeback. the actual name of this landmark television
special is Elvis. The sixties have brought about great
change in music and pop culture. Change for which Elvis
helped pave the way over a decade earlier when he
exploded onto the scene with his unique blending of pop,
rock, country, R&B and gospel influences.
Focusing on his Hollywood movie career in the sixties,
Elvis has become less a part of the current pop cultural
scene. He has been making one movie after another, and
many of the records he has put out in these years have
been movie soundtrack albums. In the fifties and early
sixties, the films and film-related records were
wonderfully successful, but as the sixties have worn on,
the movies and records, though still profitable, have not
been nearly so successful as they were before. Elvis has
reached the supreme level of frustration with the state
of his career and all its limitations on his creativity
and artistic expression. He had hoped to become a serious
actor, but Hollywood had other ideas and Elvis went along
with them. His opportunities to show his true talents as
an actor have been few.
He is beyond ready for a change. By now, it has been more
than seven years since Elvis has appeared in front of a
live audience. Elvis has missed the closeness of his
audience, the energy and excitement of live performing.
The '68 special opens with Elvis singing a hot new
version of the gutsy Trouble, from his 1958 film King
Creole. This segues into Guitar Man, which, with its semi-autobiographical
lyrics, becomes the underlying theme of the show. Then,
Elvis is reunited with two of his original fifties band
members, guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana.
(Bass player Bill Black has been deceased for several
years by this time.) They sit together on stage in the
round, along with several other friends and associates of
Elvis for an informal session of singing, jamming, and
swapping stories. Parts of this jam session are woven
throughout the show. There are also sequences of Elvis
taking the stage alone and performing many of his
greatest hit rockers and ballads, and he introduces a new
song, Memories.
One can surmise that he pours out years of career
frustration and pent-up creative energy into the
performance of these songs. His natural talent, charisma,
sensuality and stage presence have not been diminished by
the years in Hollywood. In fact, he looks, sounds, moves
and grooves better than he ever has. At 33, he is better
than he has ever been. Better than anybody in the
business. For the group jam session segments and solo
stage performances Elvis wears a two-piece black leather
outfit specially designed for the show by Bill Belew, who
also designed all the other wardrobe Elvis and the cast
wear in the show. The look evokes the era of James Dean
and the Marlon Brando type motorcycle films of the
fifties, the era when Elvis was first proclaimed the King
of Rock 'n' Roll. In one of the jam session segments,
Elvis speaks of the gospel origins of rock and roll. This
segues into the gospel music portion of the show, which
has Elvis wearing a two-piece burgundy suit, singing
Where Could I Go But to the Lord, Up Above My Head and I’m
Saved, backed by the female vocal group, The Blossoms,
and accompanied by a troupe of dancers - all of this for
a rousing gospel production number.
Toward the end of the special Elvis appears in a lengthy
production number that, through song, dance, karate, and
various situations, traces a young man’s journey
from a struggling guitar player, through the challenges,
dangers and compromises on the path to his dreams of
success and superstardom. Something is lost along the way.
Once the dream is achieved, the man realizes that he
remains unfulfilled, that he has abandoned his true self.
He decides to return to his roots, doing what made him
happiest, what he does best. He sings “I’ll
never be more than what I am... a swingin’ little
guitar man.” The parallels to Elvis' own life are
clear and deliberate, and his doing the ‘68 special
represents his own return to his true self, to his roots.
Free from the confines of his Hollywood grind, this is
Elvis the singer, the performer, the musician, the man -
the real Elvis. At the end of the special, Elvis appears
alone wearing a simple white two-piece suit, standing in
front of the towering backdrop of red lights that spell
ELVIS. He sings a brand new song, If I Can Dream,
especially written for the show. The writers created the
song based in part upon conversations with Elvis about
his own thoughts on what was happening in the turbulent
sixties. It seemed appropriate that he close the show
with some sort of personal statement. His powerful and
passionate performance of this song of hope for mankind
is one of the most brilliant moments of his singing
career.
July/August,
1968
Elvis records the theme and does filming for his twenty-ninth
movie, Charro!, a dramatic western, again a very
different kind of role. Elvis grows a beard for this. The
theme song will be heard over the opening credits, but
there will be no other Elvis songs used. This will be the
first and only film in which Elvis does not sing on
camera.
October-November
1968
Elvis records the soundtrack and does filming for his
thirtieth movie, The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get
into It). He sings in this one, but in very natural
situations for a change. It is yet another film quite
different from the typical Elvis films. Live a Little,
Love a Little opens in the U.S. in October and doesn’t
do very well. If I Can Dream, from the soon-to-be aired
‘68 special hits number 12 on the pop singles chart
in November, making it Elvis’ biggest single since
1965.
December 3, 1968
Elvis, the 1968 TV special, first airs on NBC-TV and is
one of this biggest television hits of the year,
receiving rave reviews from the public and the critics
alike. The soundtrack album goes to number eight on the
pop chart. Reviewing the show, rock writer John Landau
says: There is something magical about watching a man who
has lost himself find his way back home...He sang with
the kind of power people no longer expect from rock
‘n’ roll singers. Years later, rock writer
Greil Marcus will remember it this way: It was the finest
music of his life. If ever there was music that bleeds,
this was it. Elvis, the 1968 TV special, is to become
widely regarded as one of the truly great television
moments in pop/rock music history. After this show
everything changes for Elvis. He pours renewed creative
energy into his recording work, is soon to wrap up his
movie contract obligations and to return full-time to the
concert stage, beginning a new and exciting era of his
career. His superstardom is yet to reach its height.
December 1968
Elvis wraps shooting on The Trouble with Girls.
January/February
1969
Elvis has been doing all of his recording work in
Nashville or Hollywood since signing with RCA. But, now
he records in Memphis again for the first time since 1955.
He has all-night marathon sessions at American Sound
Studio. His work here will become regarded as some of the
finest music of his career, his best work since the
innovative days at Sun and the exciting early days at RCA
before he went into the army. Elvis has excellent
material to choose from and pours his heart and soul into
the sessions. He works with a lot of top-notch Memphis
musicians. The sound is fresh and gutsy. On every track
one can sense his creative excitement and energy. This is
joyful work after years of movie boredom. Two albums will
result from these sessions. The sessions will also yield
four hit singles to be released starting later this year
and going into 1970: In the Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, Don’t
Cry, Daddy and Kentucky Rain.
March/April 1969
Elvis returns to Hollywood to film and record the
soundtrack music for his thirty-first, and what will turn
out to be his last, acting role in a motion picture. It
is Change of Habit, co-starring Mary Tyler Moore. Elvis
plays a hip ghetto doctor in a Northern city, having come
from Tennessee. Mary Tyler Moore and two others play nuns
who go “undercover” into the ghetto to assist
with health and societal troubles in the community. The
theme, though serious and timely, is not particularly
well carried out by the script in the opinion of many,
and the title is frivolous. But, Elvis looks magnificent,
and gives a natural, easy, understated performance that
is a refreshing pleasure to see after the silliness he
endured in his films through most of the sixties. The few
songs in the movie are good and they’re performed in
natural, rather than the usual badly contrived,
situations.
March, 1969
Charro! opens in theaters and doesn’t do much at the
box office.
July 31 - August
28, 1969
Elvis is booked for a four-week, fifty-seven show
engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, which
has just been built and has the largest showroom in the
city. Elvis puts together top-notch rock and roll
musicians, an orchestra, a male gospel back-up group, and
a black female soul/gospel back-up group for his show.*
They rehearse for several weeks and open on July 31, 1969.
The show is a delightful mix of fresh arrangements of
classic Elvis hits, exciting new material he has recorded,
a few covers of current and past hits of other artists,
and charming on-stage antics and sharing of personal
recollections of his career. A press conference follows
the first of his two opening night shows. This engagement
breaks all existing Las Vegas attendance records and
attracts rave reviews from the public and the critics. It
is a triumph. Elvis' first live album, Elvis in Person at
the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, is recorded
during this engagement and is soon released. For these
shows a lean Elvis in top physical form, wears simple,
unique, karate-inspired two-piece outfits in black or
white. These are designed by Bill Belew, who did the
wardrobe for the ‘68 special. These are the
predecessors to the famous one-piece jumpsuits which will
be simple at first, then become flashier and more
elaborate over the years. Here are a couple of reviews
from music writers: There are several unbelievable things
about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power
in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting
stars.
*NOTE: The orchestra was conducted by Bobby Morris. The band consisted of James Burton (lead guitar), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass guitar), Larry Muhoberac (piano) and Ronnie Tutt (drums). The female singers were The Sweet Inspirations. The male singers were The Imperials. Charlie Hodge provided additional guitar and vocals and general on-stage assistance. Over the concert years there were changes in the show cast. Joe Guercio became Elvis' conductor. Millie Kirkham, who had worked on Elvis' studio recordings, joined the show as soprano, a position later taken over by Kathy Westmoreland. Glen D. Hardin became the piano player. J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet became the male back-up group. Various other personnel changes occurred over the years.
September 1969
The Trouble with Girls, Elvis’ thirtieth movie,
opens in theaters and doesn’t do much at the box
office. From the American Sound Studio sessions RCA
releases Suspicious Minds, which will soon become Elvis'
first number one single since Good Luck Charm in 1962,
and will be his last number one pop single, though he’ll
have many big hits.
November 1969
Change of Habit, Elvis' thirty-first movie, opens in
theaters and doesn’t do much at the box office.
January/February
1970
Some say it is a mistake to go back to Vegas so soon,
especially during the slowest season for the city. Can he
fill the seats? But, Elvis returns to the International
Hotel for another month-long engagement. This time he
breaks his own attendance records. Another live album is
recorded, On Stage, February 1970.
February/March
1970
A press conference in Houston on the 27th. Elvis performs
afternoon and evening shows at the Houston Astrodome. Two
more shows follow on the 28th. Two more follow on March 1.
A closing press conference and banquet follow, and Elvis
is presented an armload of recent gold record awards. The
six shows attract 207,494 people and set records. There
is speculation among the press and the public that Elvis
might tour in concert for the first time since the
fifties.
June 1970
Elvis has recording sessions in Nashville.
July/September
1970
Back to Las Vegas for rehearsals for another month-long
engagement at the International. He opens on August 10
and closes on September 7. MGM is on hand to shoot a
documentary film called Elvis -That’s the Way It Is
that will show Elvis off stage, in rehearsals, in the
recording studio, and on stage. RCA will also release an
album with the same title.
September 1970
From the 9th through the 14th Elvis takes his show on a
nine-city tour. It is a smashing success, the first tour
since 1957, only these days the show is much more
elaborate . MGM films portions of the first show on this
tour for use in Elvis - That’s the Way It Is. Elvis
has a recording session in Nashville.
November 1970
Elvis, That’s the Way It Is, Elvis thirty-second
film, opens in theaters to good reviews and good box
office. Documentaries traditionally do not do well at the
box office, but this one makes a respectable showing. It,
like other Elvis movies will go on to have a life on
television and home video in years to come. An album of
the same title is released, but only one song, I Just Can't
Help Believin', is actually from a stage performance
included in the film. The other songs are studio
recordings, some of which Elvis performs live on stage or
in rehearsal footage in the film. Elvis does a successful
eight-city concert tour.
December 1970
Elvis’ famous visit with President Richard Nixon at
the White House occurs.
January 16, 1971
Elvis attends a day of functions culminating in an
evening awards banquet. He and nine others accept the
honor of being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men
of the Nation by the United States Junior Chamber of
Commerce (The Jaycees). He is nervous about his
acceptance speech. He is touched, excited and deeply
proud. This national honor has been given each year since
the late 1930’s and recognizes young men who have
made great achievements in their field of endeavor,
illustrating the opportunities available in the free
enterprise system. It also applauds humanitarianism and
community service. Scientists, inventors, performers,
film makers, politicians bound for the Presidency, and
men of greatness in all fields, have been selected for
this award over the years. For Elvis, a man who grew up
poor, and, in his early career knew the sting of ridicule
from the Establishment, who, through the years has known
criticism of his work, this is one of his proudest
moments. It is a sign that he has achieved acceptance,
recognition, and respect for his work and for the kind of
person he is.
Late January/February
1971
Elvis plays another month-long engagement at the
International Hotel in Las Vegas.
March 1971
Elvis begins a recording session in Nashville, but
cancels it due to pain and inflammation in an eye. He is
treated at a Nashville hospital where he is diagnosed
with secondary glaucoma. This eye condition will plague
him from time to time in varying degrees for the rest of
his life.
May 1971
Elvis is featured on the cover of Look Magazine, which
carries an installment of the forthcoming biography on
Elvis by Jerry Hopkins. Many books and articles have been
written over the years, but this is the first in-depth,
serious biography. The book Elvis : A Biography will be
released in October. Elvis has recording sessions in
Nashville. Much of the work is for his forthcoming album
Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas.
June 1971
The two-room house Elvis was born in opens to the public
for tours, having been restored by the East Heights
Garden Club in Tupelo. Elvis has more recording sessions
in Nashville, this time mostly for an upcoming gospel
album, He Touched Me. A long stretch of Highway 51 South,
part of which runs in front of Graceland, is officially
renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. The first of the new
street signs will go up in January of 1972. Various
albums and singles continue to be released to various
degrees of success during this period.
July/August 1971
Elvis plays a two-week engagement at the Sahara Hotel in
Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
August 9 -
September 6, 1971
Elvis plays an engagement in Las Vegas at the
International Hotel, which has been renamed the Las Vegas
Hilton International Hotel. He sets another attendance
record and tops himself once again. During the engagement
an award is presented to Elvis in his dressing room. It
is the Bing Crosby Award from the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that also
presents Grammy awards). This award is a special means of
recognition from NARAS and is named for its first
recipient. The award is not given every year as a rule.
It will later be re-named the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Elvis is 36 years old.
November 5-16,
1971
Elvis goes on a 12-city concert tour.
Late 1971, Early
1972
Elvis and Priscilla separate. She moves out on her own
with Lisa Marie.
January 26 -
February 23, 1972
Elvis plays another successful engagement at the Hilton
in Vegas.
March/April 1972
In April MGM films Elvis in a Hollywood recording studio,
then films on and off stage during his 15-city concert
tour, which is a big success. MGM will use the footage
for another theatrically released documentary, Elvis on
Tour. In April the gospel album He Touched Me is released
to good reviews. The album will go on to win Elvis his
second Grammy Award, this one for the category of Best
Inspirational Performance.
June 1972
Elvis continues touring in concert, beginning with a
press conference in New York on the 9th. MGM is on hand
to film the conference for use in Elvis on Tour. Elvis
makes entertainment history by performing four sold-out
shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden. John
Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Art
Garfunkel are among the music stars spotted at the shows.
Nine days after it is recorded, RCA rush-releases a live
album from one of the shows - Elvis as Recorded at
Madison Square Garden. Elvis tours to seven more cities.
Elvis' Vegas and concert tour career is hot, hot, hot
during the early to mid-seventies. He breaks attendance
records in cities all over America. Record releases also
continue.
July 1972
Elvis and Priscilla’s separation is formalized. A
divorce is to come. Elvis has begun seeing Linda Thompson,
who will be his main female companion until late 1976.
August 4 -
September 4, 1972
Elvis plays a month-long engagement at the Hilton in
Vegas.
September 5,
1972
Elvis participates in a press conference in Vegas
announcing plans for a television concert to be broadcast
via satellite around the world from Hawaii. It is
predicted that the show will reach the largest audience
in television history and that the live album will be a
big hit.
October 1972
Elvis has a number two pop hit with the single Burning
Love, one of his biggest records in recent years.
November 1972
Elvis on Tour opens to good reviews and good box office
performance in theaters. Later, its producers will
receive the Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary of
1972. Like other Elvis films it will have a life on
television and on home video. Elvis tours seven cities in
concert. The last is Honolulu, Hawaii, where he does
three shows at the Honolulu International Center Arena,
the same venue that will host his satellite special in
January. Elvis appears at a press conference in Hawaii
regarding his upcoming satellite show. It is announced
that it will be a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
January 1973
Elvis makes television and entertainment history with his
Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite special.
Performed at the Honolulu International Center Arena on
January 14, 1973, broadcast live at 12:30 AM Hawaiian
time, beamed via Globecam Satellite to Australia, South
Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Phillipines, South Vietnam
and other countries. It is seen on a delayed basis in
around thirty European countries. A tape of the show will
be seen in America on April 4th on NBC. The live
broadcast in January attracts 37.8% of the viewers in
Japan, 91.8% in the Philippines, 70% in Hong Kong, and 70-80%
of the viewers in Korea.
The April showing in America will attract 51% of the
television viewing audience, and will be seen in more
American households than man’s first walk on the
moon. In all, it will be seen in about forty countries by
one billion to 1.5 billion people. Elvis commissions an
American Eagle design for his jumpsuit for this show, his
patriotic message to his worldwide audience.* Never has
one performer held the world’s attention in such a
way. Elvis is in top form physically and vocally. This is
probably the pinnacle of his superstardom, one of the all-time
great moments of his career. Audience tickets for the
January 14 concert and its January 12 pre-broadcast
rehearsal show carry no price. Each audience member is
asked to pay whatever he or she can. The performances and
concert merchandise sales are a benefit raising $75,000
for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii. (Kui Lee was a
Hawaiian composer who had died of cancer while still in
his thirties.) On stage with Elvis is an orchestra and
his current show cast: Joe Guercio (conductor), J.D.
Sumner & the Stamps (vocals), The Sweet Inspirations
(vocals), Kathy Westmoreland (soprano vocals), Charlie
Hodge (guitar/vocals/on-stage assistance), James Burton (lead
guitar), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass
guitar), Glen D. Hardin (piano), and Ronnie Tutt (drums).
The soundtrack album is soon released and goes to number
one on the Billboard pop album chart, and stays on the
chart at various positions for 52 weeks.
The show will later have continued life on television and
eventually home video. In the special, Elvis' recording
of the theme song from his 1965 movie Paradise, Hawaiian
Style plays over the opening credits and scenes of Elvis'
helicopter arrival at the airport and his walking among
the fans who are there to greet him. The concert opens
with Elvis' band playing his traditional introduction for
his seventies concerts, Theme from 2001. He sings See,
See Rider, Burning Love, Something, You Gave Me a
Mountain, Steamroller Blues, My Way, Love Me, Johnny B.
Goode, It’s Over, Blue Suede Shoes, I’m So
Lonesome I Could Cry, I Can’t Stop Loving You, Hound
Dog, What Now, My Love, Fever, Welcome to My World,
Suspicious Minds, I’ll Remember You (A Kui Lee
composition Elvis sings after announcing the sum raised
for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.), Long Tall Sally/Whole
Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, An American Trilogy (Elvis
tosses his belt into the audience), A Big Hunk o’
Love, and Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis tosses
his cape into the audience). The show is one hour,
including commercials. After the show, Elvis and his
bandmates come back out on stage in the empty arena and
videotape performances of the songs Blue Hawaii, Ku-u-i-po,
and Hawaiian Wedding Song which he had first done for his
1961 hit movie, Blue Hawaii, plus Early Morning Rain and
No More. All but the song No More will be inserted into
the American broadcast with Elvis seen on a montage
screen with footage of Hawaiian scenery.
A Little History on Elvis' Costume: Elvis told Bill Belew he wanted the jumpsuit for this special to say “America” to the worldwide viewing audience. Bill told Elvis that, except for the American flag, he could think of nothing other than the American Eagle. Elvis said “I like it.” And that’s how one of Elvis' most famous costumes came to be. Elvis had been wearing jumpsuits on stage since 1970, and they had become quite elaborate by the time of this show. For the past year or two he had been wearing studded, hip-length capes and heavy studded leather belts with his jumpsuits. For the American Eagle jumpsuit, Bill first designed a huge calf-length cape. During preparations for the show, Elvis tried working with this cape, but it was just too cumbersome to use. So, out went the emergency order for another cape in the usual size.
January 26 -
February 23, 1973
Elvis plays an engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton.
March 1973
Elvis and the Colonel sell RCA the singer’s royalty
rights on Elvis’ entire recording catalog up to that
point.
April 4, 1973
The Aloha special is seen on American television for the
first time.
Late April 1973
Elvis goes on an eight-city concert tour.
May 4-16, 1973
Elvis plays an engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake
Tahoe, Nevada.
May 1973
The Aloha from Hawaii concert album hits number one on
the Billboard pop album chart. It is his first number one
album since Roustabout soundtrack album in 1965. It will
also be his last number one album on the pop chart.
June 20 - July 3,
1973
Elvis goes out on concert tour.
July, 1973
Elvis records a few songs at the Stax Recording Studio in
Memphis - his first time to record in Memphis since 1969.
August 6 -
September 3, 1973
Back to the Vegas Hilton for another engagement.
October 9, 1973
Elvis and Priscilla make a court appearance together and
their divorce is granted. They will continue to be close
friends. Though Priscilla has custody of Lisa Marie,
there will be no formal schedule of visitation for Elvis,
and he and his daughter will spend time together
regularly.
October 15 -
November 1, 1973
Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis for recurring pneumonia
and pleurisy, an enlarged colon, and hepatitis. Elvis has
been battling health problems for some time, including an
increasing dependency upon prescription drugs. It will
get worse. He also battles his weight.
December 1973
Elvis returns to the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis for
a week of sessions.
January 26-February
9, 1974
Elvis plays the Vegas Hilton again.
March - July
1974
Elvis is on tour through much of March. In March he
returns to the Houston Astrodome and sets a one-day
attendance record with his two shows. Also in March he
plays Memphis for the first time since 1961 and does four
shows in two days to meet the demand for tickets. Another
live album results from the excitement in Memphis, Elvis
Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis, recorded at one of the
shows. Included is a live performance of How Great Thou
Art that will go on to win Elvis his third Grammy award.
He resumes touring in May and plays the Sahara in Lake
Tahoe May 16 -26. He’s back on tour in mid-June and
takes a few weeks off, starting in early July.
August 19 -
September 2, 1974
Back to the Hilton in Vegas for an engagement. During
this engagement Barbra Streisand and Elvis discuss his
playing the male lead opposite her in her remake of the
film A Star is Born. Elvis is excited by the prospect of
returning to the screen in a serious film. He still has
aspirations to become a serious actor. He is growing
weary of the road, his health is worsening, his
performances are suffering, and he needs a new challenge.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out for various
reasons.
September 27 -
October 14, 1974
Elvis is on tour again. Plays the Sahara-Tahoe October 11-14.
Record releases have continued through this period with
varying degrees of success.
January 29 -
February 14, 1975
Elvis is hospitalized with health and prescription
problems again.
March 1975
Elvis’ live recording of How Great Thou Art from the
album recorded at one of his Memphis concerts in 1974
wins the Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance. This
is Elvis’ third and final Grammy win out of fourteen
nominations (one nomination posthumously). All three
Grammy wins have been for his gospel music.
March 18 - April
1, 1975
Engagement at the Hilton.
April - July,
1975
Elvis tours in concert.
August 18 -
September 5, 1975
Elvis opens in Vegas but ends his engagement on the 20th
and is hospitalized in Memphis until September 5.
November 1975
The renovation of a Convair 880 jet Elvis bought earlier
in the year is complete, and he takes his first flight on
the Lisa Marie jet.
December 2-15,
1975
Elvis returns to the Hilton in Vegas to make up for the
shows that were canceled during his previous engagement.
December 31,
1975
Elvis performs a special New Year’s Eve concert in
Pontiac, Michigan and sets a single performance
attendance record of 62,500.
February 1976
Elvis has a week of recording sessions in the den at
Graceland, with RCA bringing in mobile recording
equipment. Songs from this will comprise the forthcoming
album From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (which
will hit number one on the country album chart in May)
and over half of the forthcoming Moody Blue album.
March 17-22,
1976
Elvis tours in concert.
April 21-27,
1976
Elvis tours in concert.
April 30 - May 9,
1976
An engagement at the Sahara Tahoe in Nevada.
May 27- June 6,
1976
Elvis tours in concert.
June 25 - July 5,
1976
Elvis tours in concert.
July 23 - August
5, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
August 27-September
8, 1976
Elvis tours in concert.
October 14-27,
1976
Elvis tours in concert.
October 29-30,
1976
Continuation of recording in the den at Graceland.
Early November,
1976
Elvis and Linda Thompson, his steady girlfriend since
1972, split up.
Late November,
1976
Elvis meets Ginger Alden who will be his steady
girlfriend until his death.
November 24-30,
1976
Elvis tours in concert.
December 2-12,
1976
Elvis plays the Hilton in Vegas for what will turn out to
be the last time.
December 27-31,
1976
Elvis tours in concert, ending with a special New Year’s
Eve concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
February 12-21,
1977
Elvis tours in concert.
March 23-30,
1977
Elvis tours in concert.
April 1-5, 1977
Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis and tour shows scheduled
for March 31-April 3 are canceled.
April 21- May 31/June
1-2, 1977
Elvis tours in concert.
June 17-26, 1977
Elvis tours in concert. Shows on June 19, 20, and 21 are
recorded by RCA for an upcoming live album and are
videotaped for an upcoming CBS-TV television special. (Footage
from the show on the 20th is not used in the special.)
The special will be called Elvis in Concert. It will
first air on October 3 after Elvis’ death in August.
The camera gives a shocking picture of Elvis’ poor
health in his final days, but his voice is strong.
June 26, 1977
A concert at Indianapolis, Indiana’s Market Square
Arena. This will turn out to be his very last concert
performance.
June 27- August
15, 1977
Elvis relaxes in Memphis and prepares for the next leg of
touring for 1977.
August 16, 1977
Shortly after midnight Elvis returns to Graceland from a
late-night visit to the dentist. Through the early
morning of the 16th he takes care of last minute tour
details and relaxes with family and staff. He is to fly
to Portland, Maine that night and do a show there on the
17th, then continue the scheduled tour. He retires to his
master suite at Graceland around 7:00 AM to rest for his
evening flight. By late morning, Elvis Presley is dead of
heart failure. It is announced by mid-afternoon. In a
matter of hours the shock registers around the world.
All information for
the Chronology came from the
Official Elvis Presley Website, and is not to be used as someone's own work.