Today in Elvis History

It's March eighth, and on this day in 1967... Elvis and Priscilla were vacationing in Palm Springs when they decided to go house hunting. They settled on a Spanish-style estate in the Movie Colony neighborhood, once owned by Marjorie McDonald, heiress to the McDonald's burger fortune. The 15-room home featured vaulted ceilings, nine bathrooms, maid’s quarters, a pool, and a twelve-person Jacuzzi—s...

It's February ninth, and on this day in 1974... Elvis Presley closed out a shortened but memorable engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton with back-to-back performances—one at 8:15 p.m. and another at midnight. Originally booked for four weeks, the run was reduced to two at the advice of Dr. Nick, Elvis’s physician. Despite signs of emotional strain behind the scenes, including reports that Elvis shot...

It’s February eighth, and on this day in 1967… Elvis Presley, while on a horse-buying trip in Mississippi with Priscilla and several of the boys, stumbled upon a 160-acre cattle ranch called Twinkletown Farm, just ten miles south of Graceland. Drawn in by the sight of a 65-foot lighted cross standing tall on the property, Elvis made an impulsive decision—he bought the ranch on the spot, putting do...

It's February seventh, and on this day in 1963… Priscilla Beaulieu officially made the move to Memphis after years of negotiations between Elvis and her family. That day, Priscilla and her father Joseph Beaulieu flew to Los Angeles to meet Elvis, who gave them a tour of the city before all three traveled to Memphis. Priscilla then enrolled at Immaculate Conception High School, a strict all-gir...

It's February sixth, and on this day in 1955, Elvis Presley performed two Sunday shows at Memphis’s Ellis Auditorium—but the real action happened backstage. Between the 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. performances, a pivotal meeting took place between Elvis, Colonel Tom Parker, Sun Records president Sam Phillips, and members of Elvis’s inner circle, including Tom Diskin, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black. The t...

It's February fifth, and on this day in 1968… Elvis brought Priscilla and their newborn daughter, Lisa Marie, home from the hospital. Just four days earlier, the King had become a father for the first and only time. The arrival of Lisa Marie marked one of the most personal milestones of Elvis’s life—a moment of joy and tenderness that stood in contrast to the whirlwind of his career. He doted...

It's February fourth, and on this day in 1973, Elvis Presley met heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas, where Ali was training for an upcoming title defense. During their meeting, Elvis gifted Ali an ornate custom robe emblazoned with “The People’s Champion” on the back. Ali, touched by the gesture, later reflected that he felt sorry for Elvis, noting how much time he spent sec...

It's February third, and on this day in 1976… Elvis Presley held a recording session inside his beloved Graceland. The plan was to create music in a comfortable, homey environment, but the results told a different story. Over the course of more than 13 hours, Elvis recorded only one song—"Solitaire." Observers noted he seemed increasingly distracted, retreating to his bedroom at one...

It's February second, and on this day in 1973... Elvis Presley, in the middle of his Las Vegas engagement, exchanged heartfelt gifts with boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Elvis presented Ali with a custom-made robe that read "The People's Champion" across the back. Ali, touched by the gesture, later reflected on their meeting with sympathy, noting Elvis’s isolation: "He stayed in...

It's February first, and on this day in 1968, Lisa Marie Presley was born to Elvis and Priscilla at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. The baby arrived at 5:01 p.m., weighing six pounds, fifteen ounces, and measuring 20 inches long. Elvis, nervously pacing the halls with family and friends, waited in a special lounge arranged just for them. So anxious was he that his grandmother had to remi...

It's January thirty-first, and on this day in 1955… Scotty Moore—Elvis’s lead guitarist and first manager—sat down to tally the group’s January earnings from their whirlwind month of touring. The total came to \$2,083.63, a sizable haul for a band still on the rise. After expenses, Elvis took home 50 percent, while Moore and bassist Bill Black each received 25 percent. It was a glimpse of thin...

It's January thirtieth, and on this day in 1956… Elvis Presley walked into RCA’s New York studio at 155 East 24th Street for his first official recording session with the label that had just signed him. With the pressure high and RCA executives skeptical about whether “Heartbreak Hotel” would succeed, producer Steve Sholes made a strategic call. He had Elvis cut a cover of Carl Perkins’s “Blue...

It's January twenty-ninth, and on this day in 1975... Elvis Presley was rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis after Linda Thompson found him struggling to breathe in their Graceland bedroom. Though the official explanation given to the public cited hypertension and a liver issue, the real reason was far more serious—Dr. George Nichopoulos, known as “Dr. Nick,” was attempting to manage...

It's January 28, and on this day in 1956… Elvis Presley made his national television debut on CBS’s *Stage Show*, hosted by the Dorsey Brothers. Rehearsals took place that morning at Nola Studios, and the show went live at 8:00 p.m. from the CBS Studios in New York. Although winter weather and Elvis’s then-limited fame kept the studio audience small, the moment marked a pivotal turning point i...

It's January twenty-seventh, and on this day in 1971... Elvis Presley kicked off a new engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas with a major change that would define his stage presence for the rest of his career. For the first time, instead of walking onstage to the upbeat intro from “Baby I Don’t Care,” the King made his entrance to a powerful, orchestral rendition of “Also Sprach Z...

It's January twenty-sixth, and on this day in 1970… Elvis Presley opened a four-week engagement at the International Hotel's showroom in Las Vegas with an invitation-only performance that marked a turning point in his stage career. The star-studded audience included the likes of Fats Domino and Zsa Zsa Gabor, and the reviews were glowing—*The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner* boldly declared, “...

It's January twenty-fifth, and on this day in 1957... Colonel Tom Parker announced a new deal with MGM for Elvis Presley's third film, tentatively titled *The Rock*. Parker called it “the biggest deal ever made in Hollywood,” though the terms were modest: \$250,000 and fifty percent of the net profits. Behind the scenes, the message to producer Hal Wallis was clear—and the project soon evo...

It's January twenty-fourth, and on this day in 1965... a rushed and unusual recording session took place in Nashville for the soundtrack to Elvis’s next film, *Harum Scarum*. With his usual band unavailable due to the tight schedule, producer Sam Katzman pulled together a group of Nashville session pros, including Charlie McCoy from the Grand Ole Opry on guitar, Henry Strzelecki on bass, and K...

It's January 23rd, and on this day in 1976… Elvis Presley returned to Memphis to prepare for one of the most unique recording sessions of his career—this one not in a studio, but inside his own home at Graceland. With RCA setting up a mobile recording truck on the property, Elvis had the furniture cleared from the Jungle Room, the den behind the kitchen, and cables were run in to transform the...

It's January twenty-second, and on this day in 1969… Elvis Presley walked into American Sound Studio in Memphis and laid down one of the most iconic tracks of his career—“Suspicious Minds.” After spending time with singer Roy Hamilton earlier that evening, Elvis resumed recording at 12:30 a.m. and, in just four takes, nailed the version that would become a chart-topping hit and one of his most...

It's January twenty-first, and on this day in 1963… production officially began on *Fun in Acapulco*, Elvis Presley’s thirteenth film. While the movie was set entirely in sunny Mexico, Elvis never set foot there during filming. All of his scenes—including those meant to take place at hotels and swimming pools—were shot on studio sets at Paramount in Hollywood. Meanwhile, a second unit crew was...

It's January twentieth, and on this day in 1958, principal photography began on Elvis Presley’s second film for Paramount, *King Creole*. While filming on the lot, Elvis met one of his personal heroes, the legendary actor Marlon Brando, in the studio commissary. The meeting between the rising King of Rock and Roll and the brooding icon of method acting was brief but deeply meaningful for Elvis...

It's January nineteenth, and on this day in 1959… Elvis Presley, stationed in Germany during his Army service, wrote a heartfelt letter to Colonel Tom Parker requesting that RCA release a recorded message to his fans. In the letter, Elvis said, *“I want to be able to thank them not only for buying my records and for their loyalty to me but also for the help they have given me in deciding the k...

It's January 18th, and on this day in 1964... Elvis Presley made headlines far beyond the world of music when he became the high bidder at an auction for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s former yacht, the U.S.S. *Potomac*. The sixty-five-foot vessel, which Elvis secured for \$55,000, wasn’t purchased for personal use—but for a cause close to his heart. In a gesture of generosity, Elvis announ...

It's January seventeenth, and on this day in 1967, Elvis Presley expanded his fleet—and his generosity—by purchasing a staggering eight vehicles in a single day for use at his newly acquired Circle G Ranch near Walls, Mississippi. The haul included one 1967 Chevy custom El Camino, two Dodges, and five Ford trucks, all intended for family and friends helping out on the property. This came as pa...