Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977. Almost half a century has passed. Most of the people who saw him sing live are now in their seventies and eighties. And yet on Saturday night, August 15, 2026, thousands of people stood shoulder to shoulder on a stretch of road in Memphis, holding candles in the … Read more
He died on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. He had been famous for barely twenty-one years. In that time he became the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, changed what a live concert could be, and left behind a house that people still fly across oceans to stand outside. … Read more
Every August, Graceland fills up with people who loved Elvis Presley from a distance. But scattered through the schedule are a handful of people who knew him up close — the bodyguards, the tour managers, the co-stars, the girlfriend. Elvis Week 2026 ran from August 8 to 16 and marked 49 years since he died. … Read more
Everybody has heard it. It’s in books, documentaries, and newspaper headlines to this day: “Elvis the Pelvis.” It’s the phrase that made the young Elvis Presley sound both dangerous and slightly ridiculous, and it followed him from his first hit right through to his death. There’s just one problem with using it. Elvis loathed it … Read more
In 1958, the most famous man in America sat down in a barber’s chair on an army base — and 55 members of the press crowded into the room to watch it happen. Not a concert. Not a film premiere. A haircut. Cameras rolled as Elvis Presley’s famous black pompadour and sideburns dropped to the … Read more
By June 1977, Elvis Presley was in a terrible state. He was 42 years old, and his body was failing him. He had an enlarged heart, high blood pressure, serious internal problems, and after years of prescription drugs and a punishing diet, he was bloated, exhausted, and barely sleeping. By any sensible measure, he should … Read more
“My Way” is a song about a man at the end of his life, looking back and deciding he has no regrets. Frank Sinatra made it his signature. But there’s a version that is far harder to listen to. Elvis Presley recorded it on June 21, 1977 — reading the words off a piece of … Read more
Everybody knows the song. Almost everybody assumes Elvis Presley wrote it. He didn’t. “Blue Suede Shoes” was written by a poor farm boy from Tennessee named Carl Perkins, and in early 1956 it was about to make him one of the biggest stars in America. Then, in the dark on a highway in Delaware, everything … Read more
Most famous people who give to charity make sure somebody’s watching. Elvis Presley did the opposite. Starting in 1961 and continuing for the rest of his life, he sat down every Christmas and wrote cheques to more than 50 charities in Memphis — often totaling over $100,000 a year. He didn’t do it for a … Read more
Watch any Elvis Presley concert from the 1970s, and you’ll notice a small man on stage who never leaves his side. He plays a bit of guitar and sings some harmonies, but mostly he hands Elvis things. A glass of water. A microphone. And, over and over again, scarves. His name was Charlie Hodge, and … Read more