Quotes:
Man that record came out and was real big in Memphis. They started
playing it, and it got real big. Don't know why-the lyrics had no meaning.
(Elvis Presley)
Since the beginning, it was just the same. The only difference,
the crowds are bigger now.
The closest I ever came to getting married was just before I
started singing. In fact, my first record saved my neck.
The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I'm
doing' now, man, for more years than I know. I got it from them.
The image is one thing and the human being is another. It's very
hard to live up to an image, put it that way.
The Lord can give, and the Lord can take away. I might be herding
sheep next year.
The next thing I knew, I was out of the service and making movies
again. My first picture was called, GI Blues. I thought I was still in the
army.
There are too many people that depend on me. I'm too obligated.
I'm in too far to get out
A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity
that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the
business, live concerts.
I did the Ed Sullivan show four times. I did the Steve Allen show.
I did the Jackie Gleason show.
I knew by heart all the dialogue of James Dean's films; I could
watch "Rebel Without a Cause: a hundred times over.
I'd just like to be treated like a regular customer.
I'll never make it, it will never happen, because they're never
going to hear me 'cause they're screaming all the time.
Later on they send me to Hollywood. To make movies. It was all new
to me. I was only 21 years old.
Man, I really like Vegas.
Man that record came out and was real big in Memphis. They started
playing it, and it got real big. Don't know why-the lyrics had no meaning.
“Don't criticize what you don't understand, son. You never
walked in that man's shoes.”
“I have no use for bodyguards, but I have very specific use for
two highly trained certified public accountants.”
“Music should be something that makes you gotta move, inside or
outside”
“Do what's right for you, as long as it don't hurt no one”
“Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't
help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I can't help it.'”
I believe in the Bible. I believe that all good things come from
God. I don't believe I'd sing the way I do if God hadn't wanted me to.' ” ...
When the Beatles came to Elvis’ home Elvis said “Look guys, if you're
just going to stare at me, I'm going to bed!”
"I had too much praise, too much flattery and fawning over,
and I needed to remember me: who I was, where I came from. One time I called a
relative in Tupelo. It was Christmas and they were havin' dinner. I asked
"What?" and she was kind a quiet, then said, "Meatloaf." I
was shocked, we'd had the best, you know, turkey, ham, steak, everything. She
said that it was near the first and they'd run out of money so they just had to
eat meat loaf. It hurt me... And so, I ate meat loaf for about 8 months, every
night, so I'd remember where I came from and to remind me of how many people
were unable to have what I did. It was kind of a penance."
Speech before the Jaycees (Elvis accepted his award for being one
of the “outstanding young men”)
"When I was a child, ladies and gentleman, I was a dreamer.
I read comic books, and I was a hero in the movie.
So every dream that I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times.
I learned very early in life that without a song, the day would
never end;
Without a song, a man ain't got a friend;
Without a song, the road would never bend;
Without a song.
So I keep singing a song.
Goodnight, Thank You"
The Commercial-Appeal Mid-South Magazine, March 7, 1965
“When I complete a movie or a record session, I head for Graceland
as fast as I can. I withdraw not from my fans, but from myself. After work, I
just give out. I like to come back here to think and relax. I guess in that
respect I have withdrawn, but here it’s quiet and I can reevaluate myself and
see where I’m going.” —
Seattle press conference; September 1, 1957
"I love football most of all, but I haven’t any time for it.
I haven’t any time for anything I like. On the move every minute. Why, I’ve
only averaged three hours sleep a night the last week. Can’t go to a football
game or a baseball game or a movie or even the county fair in my own home town.
It’s the girls … they tear a guy to pieces … its pandemonium. They don’t mean
no harm, but I’ve been clawed and scratched, mauled, shoved and kicked. I’ve
even been bitten. Football was never like this.”
Radio interview, Little Rock, Arkansas: May 16, 1956.
“Rock and roll has been in for about five years. I’m not gonna sit
here and say that it’s gonna last because I don’t know. But all I can say is
that it’s good, the people like it, it’s sellin’ … It might change. Like years
ago when the Charleston was real popular, or the vaudeville acts, stuff like
that. You could ‘a told those people maybe it was gonna die out and they
wouldn’t of believed you. But it’s dead now, see. And maybe four or five years
from now, well, rock and roll will be dead. As far as rock and roll goes, I
really like it. I enjoy doing’ it, and the people have really accepted it great
and it just makes me wanna knock myself out to keep giving’ ’em something’ that
they enjoy.” —
1956 Elvis interview, this one from August 6 for TV Guide:
Reporter (reading from a Miami Herald article by Herb Rau):
“‘Elvis can’t sing, can’t play the guitar.’ Can you play the guitar?”
Elvis: “No, and I can’t sing, either, but somebody likes it.”
Reporter: “‘And he can’t dance.’”
Elvis: “No, can’t dance. I can’t do nothing but read Herb Rau’s
article in the newspaper. That’s all I can do.”
Reporter: “‘Yet two thousand idiots per show,’ to continue the
quotation, ‘yelp every time he opens his mouth, plucks a guitar string, or
shakes his pelvis like any striptease babe in town.’ Do you shake your pelvis
like any striptease babe in town?”
Elvis: “Well, he should know. I guess that’s where he hangs
around.”
Telephone interview while in Germany, January 3, 1959
“I would give my neck to be back home. I am homesick all the time
… I’m happy to do my part in the Army, but you’ll never know how much I want to
get back home … back to the entertainment business one way or another the rest
of my life … whether playing or as a stagehand. You will never know how
wonderful old Memphis is until you’ve been away for a while.”
San Francisco Chronicle, June 8, 1969.
Most of the scripts that come my way are all the same. They've all
got a load of songs in them, but I just did a western called 'Charro!' which
hasn't any songs 'excepting the title tune. It did have a couple of nude
scenes, but they've been cut. Anyhow, can you imagine a dramatic western where
the hero breaks into song all the time?"
From a 1972 taped interview used in MGM’s documentary "Elvis
on Tour"
“We do two shows a night for five weeks. A lotta times we’ll go
upstairs and sing until daylight - gospel songs. We grew up with it...It more
or less puts your mind at ease. It does mine.”
-Talking about the informal jam sessions he and the band and
entourage enjoy each night during the lengthy Vegas engagements. These happen
upstairs in Elvis’ suite at the Las Vegas Hilton as they all try to “wind down”
from the excitement and energy of the live shows. Quote is from a 1972 taped
interview used in MGM’s documentary "Elvis on Tour."
“I’ve never gotten over what they call stage fright. I go through
it every show. I’m pretty concerned, I’m pretty much thinking about the show. I
never get completely comfortable with it, and I don’t let the people around me
get comfortable with it, in that I remind them that it’s a new crowd out there,
it’s a new audience, and they haven’t seen us before. So it’s got to be like
the first time we go on.”
“The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I
really didn’t know what all the yelling was about. I didn’t realize that my
body was moving. It’s a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I
said, ‘What’d I do? What’d I do?’ And he said “Whatever it is, go back and do
it again.”
Man, I was tame compared to what they do now. Are you kidding? I
didn’t do anything but just jiggle.”
“...the image is one thing and the human being is another...it’s
very hard to live up to an image.”
Elvis at a press conference prior to his 1973 television special,
"Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite"
“A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity
that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It’s my favorite part of the
business - live concerts.”
The New York Post; October 4, 1956.
“I remember this blond girl in Atlanta. She came to three
different shows. And she sat in the first row and screamed all through all of
them. The night we closed she decided to come up on the stage and almost got up
there, when about five policemen grabbed her and she was screaming ‘Let me at
him.’ It broke up the house and I got so tickled I had to walk off that stage.”
Said in 1977 at the end of a concert during his last tour
“‘Til we meet again, may God bless you. Adios.”
FACTS ABOUT ELVIS & CHRISTMAS:
1. Elvis Presley's Graceland, a National Historic
Landmark toured by over 600,000 annually, is one of America's most visited
historic homes and features a festive seasonal display and exhibit for visitors
during the Holidays each year.
2. As part of the tradition since Graceland opened for public tours in 1982,
the annual Holiday lights display at the mansion is turned on during a public
lighting ceremony at dusk on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, 2008, the
ceremony is set to begin before Thanksgiving on Friday November 21st when Elvis'
traditional lights and decorations on the mansion property will come to life
during a special lighting ceremony at the front gates of Graceland.
3. Beginning with his first Christmas at Graceland in 1957, Elvis had a Santa,
sleigh and reindeer displayed on the front lawn with the message "Merry
Christmas to All, Elvis" spelled out above it. A replica of the original
sign is in use today. The original was found in Graceland's barn during spring
cleaning several years ago and is currently in climate controlled storage for
preservation purposes.
4. Giving a new meaning to Blue Christmas, Elvis himself made the decision to
line the winding driveway of Graceland with hundreds of blue light bulbs. His
father Vernon often joked that he was lucky if a plane didn't try to land at
Graceland, thinking it was an airport runway.
5. Throughout the Graceland mansion tour, various Christmas gifts are displayed
for visitors to see including a set of bongo drums Priscilla Presley gave to
Elvis and his beloved Bible, given to him by the entourage known as the Memphis
Mafia. Another rare artifact on display during the Holidays is a portable
television Elvis gave his Mother, Gladys, in 1957.
6. The life size nativity scene displayed on Graceland's front lawn along with several
aluminum trees that line the front of the house were first used by Elvis
starting in the early 1960's and remain in use today. The interior of the
Graceland mansion is normally decked in Elvis's Christmas decor for the Holiday
season and includes Presley family Christmas artifacts on display around the
decorated trees.
7. Starting in the 60's, Elvis decided to have the draperies in the front rooms
of the Graceland Mansion switched from the traditional blue to a festive red
for the Holidays. Members of the Presley family routinely sneak back to
Graceland each year for a private celebration during the Holiday season where
they exchange gifts in the Jungle Room and enjoy a southern style home cooked
meal in the formal dining room.
10 Facts about 1034 Audubon Drive:
1. The home was not built for Elvis, nor was it a
brand new home. In fact, it was built by Howard and Ruth Handwerker
for their family. They completed the home either in late 1953 or
early 1954. Howard was employed by a wood products company and had
experience in home construction. He designed his home with special
features; redwood wall paneling, pocket doors that slide into the walls, and
red oak floors. When the Handwerkers moved out in 1956, Elvis bought
the home, making the Presley family the second owners of 1034 Audubon Drive.
2. They bought the home in March 1956, not May
11, 1956 as many people have written. The transaction papers were
signed on March 8 and 12, 1956. The Presley family; Elvis, Vernon,
Gladys, and Minnie Mae, moved into the house the last week of the month.
3. It is also written that they paid $40,000 for
the home. Actually they paid $29,100, still a lot of money in those
days for a home. The erroneous information about the date and price
of this transaction stems from a newspaper article printed on May 11, 1956.
4. Obviously, Elvis provided the money to buy the
home. But he signed the documents to own the home with his mother
and father, giving all three "title" to the home. In fact,
the following year all three would sign similar documents to take possession of
Graceland. These documents are further proof that Elvis shared his
success with his family.
5. Part of the legend is that the neighbors did
not like Elvis. Some of the neighbors were said to regard the
Presleys as "white trash, hillbillies." Or they viewed his
performances as crude or sinful. Apparently not everyone on Audubon
Drive shared those views. A few of the surviving neighbors are careful to explain
that they liked the family, but did not like the noise and confusion
surrounding them.
6. No matter how the parents of Audubon Drive
felt, the 60 or more children growing up on the street loved having the King of
Rock and Roll live "next door". For the young girls entering their
sexual awaking, he must have quite a treat. The boys saw Elvis as
the "leader of the pack." Elvis was accommodating to them
all; signing autographs, giving motorcycle rides, playing football with the
boys.
7. The Presley family tried to be good
neighbors. Those who met them particularly remember Gladys feeding
cookies to the nearby children, or showing off her vegetable garden by the
swimming pool. Vernon was not as friendly. They saw less
of Elvis, but he was always polite to his elders. The year 1956 was the
beginning of Elvis mania, when he was mobbed everywhere he
traveled. The Audubon Drive home became an unofficial tourism
attraction in the city, especially when Elvis was home. The
Presley's understood that the unbridled enthusiasm for Elvis was a distraction,
but were unable to solve the problem.
8. Many of the most famous pictures of Elvis were
taken at 1034 Audubon Drive. Elvis allowed Alfred Wertheimer to
follow him at close range for months that year. Alfred shot Elvis,
young cousin Billy Smith, and Vernon sitting by the patio table. Elvis
has cocked his head to one side to observe the photographer and is holding a
Pepsi bottle. This photo has been reproduced thousands of
times. An even more famous photo is of Elvis on his Harley-Davidson,
casting his eyes downward. It is the most iconic photo of moody,
restless youth of the 1950's. Actually, Elvis was not striking a
pose, but was disgusted that his motorcycle did not have gas in the tank. He
could not start it.
9. Eight families have owned 1034 Audubon between
the years 1957 to 1998. After all these years, Elvis was the last
homeowner to add a room to the house. Elvis converted the outdoor
patio into a large den; with a glass wall to look out to the pool, two wood and
glass trophy cases, mahogany wood paneling, custom made star shaped light
fixtures, and an acoustic tile ceiling. The room looks the same
today. Although he was the homeowner for one year, he made far more
changes to the house than everyone else after him.
10. Finally they knew that they had to move into a place with more
privacy and security than was possible at 1034 Audubon Drive. It is
well known that the Presley bought Graceland from Ruth Brown Moore, a member of
a wealthy Memphis family who built that estate home in
1939. Graceland was named after a relative of Mrs. Moore, but few
knew that Mrs. Moore swapped homes with the Presley's. She took
possession of 1034 Audubon Drive and rented it to another relative. Elvis
paid $102,000 for Graceland, half of that in cash, and half in the assessed
value of 1034 Audubon Drive.
Some cool Elvis items
coming to Graceland (November 2014)
By Ryan Reed |
November 14, 2014
Elvis Presley's first recording – an acetate disc cut at Sun Records studio
Memphis Recording Service on July 18th, 1953 – is headed to an auction that
will take place at Graceland, the late singer's famed Memphis estate, on
January 8th, the date that would have been his 80th birthday. According to The
New York Times, the item, which features "My Happiness," backed with
"That's When Your Heartaches Begin," is the only copy of its kind in
existence.
The origins of the recording, which has appeared on several compilations, are
the subject of debate. One oft-disputed story claims that Presley recorded the
disc as a present for his mother; but the singer ended up giving the item to
his friend Ed Leek, who claimed to have given Presley four dollars to pay for
the session. Although Graceland hasn't offered an auction estimate for the
disc, Record Collector magazine previously listed it at $500,000.
Other listed items in the January auction, all of which have been authenticated
by Graceland, include Presley's first
driver's license (from 1952), a signed contract for a "Louisiana
Hayride" radio show appearance in 1955 and an autographed 78 r.p.m. copy
of Presley's debut Sun Records single, "That's All Right" (also from
the Leek collection). All of the items are from private collectors, not
Graceland's own collection.
This is Graceland's second memorabilia auction, following an event in August that
featured Presley's Martin D-28 guitar, 1976 Cadillac Seville and a personal
copy of the original script for his debut film, Love Me Tender, which came out
in 1956.
