Today in Elvis History

It's November eleventh, and on this day in 1957... Elvis Presley performed for troops and their families at Schofield Barracks in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This show marked his final live performance before entering the U.S. Army the following year, adding a poignant note to an already emotional event. The concert was part of his groundbreaking tour of Hawaii and remains a historic moment in Elvis’s e...

It's November tenth, and on this day in 1957... Elvis Presley performed two concerts at Honolulu Stadium in Hawaii, drawing a combined crowd of over 14,000 fans. These shows marked the culmination of his first-ever visit to Hawaii and were met with overwhelming enthusiasm. The trip helped cement Elvis's lifelong love for the islands, where he would later return for both vacations and iconic perfor...

It's November ninth, and on this day in 1955... Elvis Presley attended the Country Music Disc Jockey Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. There, songwriter Mae Boren Axton played him a demo of a brand-new song she had co-written with Tommy Durden. The song was "Heartbreak Hotel." Elvis was immediately struck by its haunting lyrics and bluesy tone and agreed to record it. That decision would lead to...

It’s November eighth, and on this day in 1971... Elvis Presley took the stage at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and delivered a powerhouse performance that left a lasting impression. The evening featured a soul-stirring rendition of How Great Thou Art, followed by a heartfelt version of Bridge Over Troubled Water. The energy surged with Suspicious Minds, building to a climactic close. As the final n...

It's November seventh, and on this day in 1971... Elvis Presley performed at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. During the show, Elvis introduced his grandfather, Jessie Presley, to the audience—one of the rare moments where a family member appeared onstage with him. The performance was part of Elvis’s high-energy fall tour, and the personal gesture added a heartfelt touch to the night.

It's November sixth, and on this day in 1971... Elvis Presley performed two sold-out shows at the Cleveland Public Hall Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. These concerts marked a milestone in Elvis lore: for the first time, announcer Al Dvorin used the phrase that would become legendary—"Elvis has left the building." The day also capped a pivotal stretch in Elvis’s touring career, as he continued perf...

It's November fifth, and on this day in 1971... Elvis Presley performed at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During this concert, Elvis debuted what would become one of his most iconic stage moves—ending the show with his arms flung wide and his cape spread out behind him. This dramatic gesture became a signature of his later performances. The concert also marked a transiti...

It's November fourth, and on this day in 1974... Elvis Presley gave his longtime friend Jerry Schilling a house in Las Vegas. Explaining the generous gift, Elvis told Jerry, “Your mother died when you were a year old, and you never had a home, and I wanted to be the one to give it to you.” Around the same time, Elvis named Jerry the executive producer of a planned karate film, further deepening th...

It's November third, and on this day in 1965... Elvis Presley released his eleventh studio album, *Harum Scarum*. The soundtrack accompanied the film of the same name and featured Middle Eastern-themed songs recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville. Though critically panned, the album still reached number eight on the Billboard Top LPs chart and remains one of the most stylistically unusual entries i...

It's November second, and on this day in 1959... fifteen teenagers in Leipzig, East Germany, who called themselves "The Elvis Presley Hound Dogs," were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to four-and-a-half years. Their crime: marching through the city shouting anti-communist slogans, singing Elvis songs, and chanting “Long live Elvis Presley!” Their rebellion against state-approved...

It's November first, and on this day in 1955, Elvis Presley’s life changed forever when Sam Phillips sold his recording contract with Sun Records to RCA Victor for \$35,000. The move marked a major turning point not just for Elvis, but for the music industry itself—setting the stage for the explosion of rock and roll on a national and global scale. With this deal, RCA gained the rights to distribu...

It's October thirty-first, and on this day in 1957... Elvis Presley attended a star-studded Halloween party hosted by Hollywood designer Sy Devore. Wearing a distinctive mask, Elvis mingled with fellow celebrities, including actress Joan Bradshaw. The party was a standout event on the Hollywood social calendar and showed Elvis embracing his growing role in the entertainment elite beyond the stage...

It's October thirtieth, and on this day in 1976... Elvis Presley arrived late to the second night of RCA’s Jungle Room recording session at Graceland. While the band laid down instrumental tracks awaiting his vocals, Elvis was distracted by the delivery of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which he insisted on taking for test rides. When he finally entered the Jungle Room, he brought along a Thompson s...

It's October twenty-ninth, and on this day in 1976... Elvis Presley began a late-night recording session in the Jungle Room at Graceland, working from 9:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. Among the songs recorded was “Way Down,” which would become his final charting single during his lifetime. Elvis spent much of the evening in his bedroom but still invited some of the musicians and backing vocalists upstair...

It's October twenty-eighth, and on this day in 1957... Elvis Presley performed at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, delivering a show so provocative it triggered outrage from both the press and an audience filled with Hollywood elites and their children. Headlines warned that he would have to "clean up his show or go to jail," and even Colonel Parker received a stern warning....

It's October twenty-seventh, and on this day in 1976... Elvis Presley performed at the Southern Illinois University Arena in Carbondale, Illinois, marking the final show of a two-week tour that grossed over one million dollars. Wearing the Inca Gold Leaf jumpsuit with a Chinese Dragon belt, Elvis delivered a powerful and wide-ranging set to more than ten thousand fans. Though the profits from the...

It's October twenty-sixth, and on this day in 1955... Elvis Presley took the stage at Vigor High School in Mobile, Alabama, but the show ended early after he told an off-color joke that didn’t sit well with the school principal. Later that day, he performed two more shows at the Greater Gulf States Fair in Prichard. It was a clear glimpse of the tension between Elvis’s raw stage presence and the m...

It's October twenty-fifth, and on this day in 1976... Elvis Presley performed at the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, wearing the striking blue Rainbow jumpsuit. Backed by a full band and delivering a setlist packed with hits—from “Jailhouse Rock” and “Burning Love” to gospel standards like “How Great Thou Art”—Elvis showcased the depth of his vocal range and emotional power. A review fro...

It's October twenty-fourth, and on this day in 1955... Elvis Presley performed at the Silver Moon Club in Newport, Arkansas, sharing the bill with local rockabilly artist Sonny Burgess, who would later sign with Sun Records. Behind the scenes, Colonel Tom Parker took a pivotal step toward taking control of Elvis’s career by sending a telegram to Sun Records' Sam Phillips, stating he had authorizat...

It's October twenty-third, and on this day in 1955... Elvis Presley was scheduled to perform three shows at the Missouri Theater in St. Louis, Missouri, but missed them all after reportedly searching for his lost wallet. His late arrival meant he wasn’t allowed to take the stage, and he was fined one hundred and twenty-five dollars—a rare instance where the King didn’t get to perform for his fans.

It's October twenty-second, and on this day in 1968... Elvis Presley began rehearsals for what would become his final MGM feature film, *The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get into It)*. Originally titled *Chautauqua*, the name was changed due to concerns that audiences wouldn’t connect with the unfamiliar term. Rehearsals started at eleven a.m., marking the start of another unique chapter in Elvi...

It's October twenty-first, and on this day in 1965... Elvis Presley was shaken by the sudden passing of his former bassist and early bandmate, Bill Black, who died from a brain tumor. Though Elvis chose not to attend the funeral out of concern that his presence would cause a disruption, he shared his grief in a public statement, calling Bill “a great man and a person that everyone loved.” The loss...

It's October twentieth, and on this day in 1955... Elvis Presley performed two electrifying shows in Cleveland, Ohio, that would go down in rock and roll lore. At 1:30 p.m., he took the stage at Brooklyn High School Auditorium in a concert organized by DJ Bill Randle, with the performance filmed for a documentary titled *The Pied Piper of Cleveland*, which remains unreleased to this day. That even...

It's October nineteenth, and on this day in 1956... RCA Victor released *Elvis*, the second full-length album by Elvis Presley. The record featured explosive tracks like “Rip It Up,” “Love Me,” and “Paralyzed,” showcasing his evolving style and solidifying his place at the forefront of rock and roll. The album would quickly climb the charts, reinforcing that Elvis wasn’t just a flash in the pan—he...

It's October eighteenth, and on this day in 1956... Elvis Presley was involved in a highly publicized altercation at a Memphis gas station. After stopping to check his car’s exhaust, a crowd of fans quickly gathered. When the station owner, Edd Hopper, told him to move along, tensions escalated. According to reports, Hopper attempted to pull a knife, and Elvis struck back in self-defense, leaving...