THORNE PETERS

JUST THE FACTS

ELVIS FIRST SANG LIVE ON THE RADIO AT THE AGE OF 10 ON WTUP IN TUPELO, ON "THE MISSISSIPPI SLIM SHOW." * ELVIS WON SECOND PLACE IN 1945 AT THE MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA FAIR AND DAIRY SHOW TALENT CONTEST—12 YEAR-OLD THERESA BREWER TOOK THE GRAND PRIZE OF $25 AND A WAR BOND, AND ELVIS WON $10 AND FREE ADMISSION TO ALL THE RIDES * WHEN ELVIS WAS TEN AND HIS MOTHER WAS WORKING AT A HOSPITAL, THEY SAW A RICH LADY GET INTO A FANCY PINK CADILLAC. TO THE DIRT POOR PRESLEYS, THIS WAS THE ULTIMATE SYMBOL OF FRIVOLOUS LUXURY. FROM THAT DAY ON, ELVIS PROMISED HIS MAMA THAT ONE DAY HE WOULD BUY HER A FINE CAR JUST LIKE IT, BECAUSE NO ONE DESERVED IT MORE . . . AND SO HE DID—EVEN THOUGH HIS MOTHER DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE . . . ALSO IN THE CAR MUSEUM THERE IS A GORGEOUS BRIGHT PURPLE CADILLAC THAT’S BEEN RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL LUSTER. WHEN ELVIS BOUGHT IT, THE CAR WAS WHITE. ELVIS GOT A HANDFUL OF GRAPES AND TOOK THE CAR TO THE PAINT SHOP WHERE UPON HE CRUSHED THE PURPLE GRAPES ON THE HOOD OF THE CAR. "THAT’S THE COLOR I WANT IT TO BE," HE INSTRUCTED. * AFTER WINNING HIS HIGH SCHOOL TALENT SHOW AND BEFORE RECORDING AT SUN RECORDS, ELVIS FIRST SANG AT HERNANDO'S HIDEAWAY IN THE SUMMER OF '53 AND LATER THAT SUMMER SCORED HIS FIRST PAYING GIG AT THE EAGLE'S NEST. IT WAS ALSO WHILE PLAYING AT HERNANDO'S THAT ELVIS DISCOVERED GRACELAND MANSION JUST DOWN THE ROAD AND ACROSS FROM THE POPULAR "MAKE OUT" WOODS. * BEFORE IT WAS CHANGED TO ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD IN 1971, GRACELAND'S ADDRESS WAS 3764 BELLEVUE ST. * THE FIRST ELVIS CONCERT TOOK PLACE ON JULY 28, 1954 AT THE OVERTON PARK SHELL * HIS LAST CONCERT DURING THE 1950S WAS ON AUGUST 11, 1957 AT THE PAN PACIFIC AUDITORIUM IN LOS ANGELES. * IN 1961 ELVIS PERFORMED A BENEFIT CONCERT IN HAWAII TO RAISE THE MONEY THAT FINISHED BUILDING THE U.S.S ARIZONA WAR MEMORIAL AT PEARL HARBOR * ELVIS WAS THE FIRST PERFORMER TO HAVE A LIVE RECORDING HIT THE BILLBOARD TOP TEN. (THE WONDER OF YOU, FEB. 1970.) * HIS LAST CONCERT WAS JUNE 26, 1977 AT MARKET SQUARE ARENA IN INDIANA * THE NIGHT HE DIED, HE WAS TO HAVE BEEN IN PORTLAND MAINE FOR A CONCERT AT 8:00 P.M EASTERN TIME. OF THE MORE THAN 30,000 TICKETS SOLD FOR HIS SOLD OUT AUG/SEPT 1977 TOUR SCHEDULE, LESS THAN 10% OF THE TICKETS WERE EVER REFUNDED * ELVIS PRESLEY HAS SOLD OVER 1.3 BILLION RECORDS WORLDWIDE; 600 MILLION ABROAD, 700 MILLION AT HOME. THERE ARE ONLY FIVE OTHER ARTISTS WHO HAVE TOPPED THE 100 MILLION RECORD MARK IN THE U.S— THE BEATLES, THE BEE GEES, LED ZEPPELIN, NEIL DIAMOND AND GARTH BROOKS. (MICHAEL JACKSON IS JUST OVER 85 MILLION AND WOULD BE OVER 100 MILLION IF THE SALES OF HIS RECORDS WITH THE JACKSON 5 AND THE JACKSONS WERE INCLUDED.) THE COMBINED SALES OF THESE 5 MUSICAL GIANTS EQUAL ONLY 45% OF THE KING’S OUTPUT. WHEN ELVIS DIED IN IN 1977 HE HAD SOLD OVER 600 MILLION RECORDS. SINCE HIS DEATH HE HAS SOLD OVER 600 MILLION RECORDS * ELVIS’ FACE IS THE SECOND MOST REPRODUCED LIKENESS IN THE WORLD BEHIND MICKEY MOUSE * THE ELVIS STAMP, ISSUED JANUARY 8, 1993, IS THE MOST PRODUCED AND LARGEST SELLING STAMP IN POST OFFICE HISTORY OF AN ACTUAL PERSON * ELVIS IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BOUGHT MORE VEHICLES THAN ANY OTHER SINGLE PRIVATE CITIZEN AND FOR CERTAIN GAVE AWAY MORE CARS THAN ANYONE * ELVIS WAS ISSUED MORE BADGES THAN ANYONE, INCLUDING DEPUTY SHERIFF OF SHELBY COUNTY AND THE MOTHER OF ALL BADGES FROM THE D.E.A, GIVEN TO HIM IN 1970 BY PRESIDENT NIXON, WHO DESIGNATED HIM AN: "AGENT AT LARGE." * IN 1975, THE LISA MARIE WAS THE LARGEST PRIVATE PLANE IN THE WORLD; EVEN LARGER THAN AIR FORCE ONE AND MUCH BETTER EQUIPPED. * ELVIS PRESLEY’S GOLD CADILLAC WAS SENT OUT ON TOUR IN 1966 AND SET ATTENDANCE RECORDS IN MUSEUMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT STILL STAND * ELVIS IS THE ONLY ARTIST TO SIMULTANEOUSLY HAVE THE NUMBER ONE SONG ON THE POP, SOUL, AND COUNTRY CHARTS. HE DID IT 5 TIMES AND CONTINUED TO HAVE TOP TEN CROSSOVER HITS THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. * 3 TIMES ELVIS HAD RECORDS SELL A MILLION COPIES BEFORE THEY WERE EVER RECORDED, AFTER PERFORMING THEM ON TELEVISION, AND TWO ALBUMS THAT HIT A MILLION BEFORE THEY WERE PRODUCED. IN 1972 WHEN RCA ANNOUNCED THAT ELVIS’ CONCERT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN WOULD BE AN ALBUM, THEY RECEIVED 1 MILLION ADVANCE ORDERS. IN 1973 ELVIS PERFORMED THE FIRST PROGRAM EVER BROADCAST VIA SATELLITE AROUND THE WORLD. MORE PEOPLE SAW THIS SPECIAL THAN HAD SEEN MAN LAND ON THE MOON JUST OVER THREE YEARS EARLIER. "ELVIS ALOHA FROM HAWAII" WAS SEEN IN 40 COUNTRIES BY MORE THAN ONE BILLION PEOPLE—1/4 OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION AT THE TIME. RCA RECEIVED TWO MILLION ADVANCE ORDERS FOR THE QUADRAPHONIC ALBUM WEEKS BEFORE THE SHOW. * IN 1956, ELVIS BECAME THE NUMBER ONE SELLING ARTIST IN RECORDED MUSIC HISTORY IN ONLY ONE YEAR. HE WAS THE FIRST ARTIST TO SELL ONE MILLION ALBUMS, FIVE MILLION ALBUMS AND 5 MILLION RECORDS. HE WAS THE FIRST ARTIST TO HAVE 20 GOLD OR PLATINUM RECORDS AND IS THE ONLY ARTIST TO HAVE OVER 100 GOLD OR PLATINUM ALBUMS. DURING 1956, ONE OUT OF EVERY 3.2 RECORDS SOLD IN THE WORLD WAS A PRESLEY RECORD. ELVIS IS ALSO THE ONLY ARTIST TO SELL A MILLION BOX SET ALBUMS * IN 1956 ELVIS’ PERFORMANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW WAS SEEN BY MORE THAN 50 MILLION VIEWERS. AT THE TIME, THAT WAS ONE OUT OF EVERY 1.3 PEOPLE WITH A TELEVISION SET. THIS PERCENTAGE IS STILL UNMATCHED IN TELEVISION HISTORY. THE COMEBACK SPECIAL IN 1968 (ORIGINALLY TITLED "THE SINGER SPECIAL" BECAUSE SINGER SEWING MACHINE WAS THE SPONSOR) WAS THE NUMBER ONE SPECIAL OF THE YEAR. THE "ALOHA CONCERT" WAS THE MOST WATCHED SPECIAL OF 1973. "ELVIS IN CONCERT" WAS THE MOST WATCHED SPECIAL OF 1977. THE MOVIE "ELVIS" WAS THE MOST WATCHED SPECIAL OF 1979. "ELVIS & ME" PART II WAS THE MOST WATCHED SPECIAL OF 1988. ("ELVIS & ME" PART I WAS SECOND AND THE SUPER BOWL WAS THIRD.) NO ENTERTAINER HAS STARRED IN MORE NUMBER ONE SPECIALS OR HAD MORE NUMBER ONE SPECIALS MADE ABOUT THEM * THE 1981 DOCUMENTARY "THIS IS ELVIS" BY DAVID L. WOLPER HAS SOLD MORE THAN ANY OTHER DOCUMENTARY * ELVIS IS THE ONLY ARTIST ENSHRINED IN THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME, THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME, AND THE GOSPEL MUSIC HALL OF FAME * THE ONLY AWARD ELVIS EVER ACCEPTED IN PERSON, WAS FROM THE JAYCEES IN 1971 HONORING HIM AS ONE OF AMERICA’S TEN OUTSTANDING YOUNG MEN. HE RECEIVED THREE GRAMMYS FOR SACRED MUSIC AND A GOLDEN GLOBE FOR "ELVIS ON TOUR." * ELVIS STILL HOLDS THE ATTENDANCE RECORD AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN FOR HIS FOUR SHOWS IN 1972, AND STILL HAS THE RECORD FOR ATTENDANCE FOR A MONTH IN LAS VEGAS. ALTHOUGH HE SET SINGLE SHOW ATTENDANCE RECORDS AT THE HOUSTON ASTRODOME AND THE PONTIAC SILVERDOME, HE SHUNNED PLAYING IN THESE LARGE VENUES, WHICH HE REFERRED TO AS "SPACE MUSEUMS. " * AROUND DAWN ON AUGUST 16, 1977, ELVIS SAT AT THE PIANO ON THE TOP FLOOR OF THE RACQUETBALL COURT AND SANG THE LAST SONGS HE’D EVER SING ON EARTH: "BLUE EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN" & "UNCHAINED MELODY." * ELVIS WAS INITIALLY INTERRED IN A MAUSOLEUM AT FOREST HILLS CEMETERY, NOT FAR FROM HIS MOTHER'S GRAVE, BUT ON OCTOBER 2, 1977 BOTH HE AND HIS MOTHER WERE BROUGHT BACK TO GRACELAND, WHEN A PLOT TO STEAL HIS BODY WAS UNCOVERED BY THE F.B.I. THE LARGE HEADSTONE OF A CROSS, WITH THE VIRGIN MARY IN THE MEDITATION GARDEN, ADJACENT TO THE GRAVES, IS THE ORIGINAL MONUMENT ELVIS BOUGHT FOR HIS MOTHER. IT IS BELIEVED BY MANY THAT HE AND HIS MOTHER ACTUALLY REST IN PEACE THERE AND NOT UNDER THEIR BURIAL PLAQUES * WHEN THE ESTATE FELL ON HARD TIMES AFTER ELVIS’ DEATH, GRACELAND WAS GOING TO BE SOLD FOR $800,000. TODAY ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES GENERATES ANNUAL REVENUES OF OVER $40 MILLION FROM THE TOUR AND SALES OF MERCHANDISE. SINCE THE TOUR OPENED IN 1982, NEARLY 15 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF GRACELAND, MAKING IT THE MOST VISITED PRIVATE HOME IN THE WORLD, AND SECOND ONLY TO THE WHITE HOUSE OVER ALL. * ELVIS IS THE FIRST DECEASED ENTERTAINER TO GO ON TOUR. "ELVIS THE CONCERT" HAS PLAYED TO SOLD OUT HOUSES ALL OVER THE WORLD SINCE AUGUST 1997, AND HAS SET ATTENDANCE RECORDS. * IN 1999 THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CHANNEL PANELED WORLD HISTORIANS TO VOTE ON THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF THE MILLENNIUM, AND ELVIS FINISHED 57TH, AHEAD OF PEOPLE LIKE FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, WALT DISNEY, RONALD REAGAN, THE BEATLES, PRINCESS DIANA AND JONAS SALK. JOHN F. KENNEDY DIDN'T EVEN MAKE IT ONTO THE LIST. ELVIS WAS ALSO VOTED THE NUMBER ONE SINGER BY THE PANEL, FINISHING WELL AHEAD OF ENRIQUE CARUSO. * T.V GUIDE, PEOPLE, TIME- LIFE AND BILLBOARD MAGAZINES ALL VOTED ELVIS PRESLEY THE ENTERTAINER OF THE CENTURY * THERE ARE OVER 600 WORLDWIDE ELVIS FAN CLUBS AND COUNTING, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 5 TIMES MORE THAN MICHAEL JACKSON WHO IS SECOND * THE 46 YEAR SPAN BETWEEN HIS FIRST NUMBER ONE ALBUM IN 1956 AND HIS LATEST NUMBER ONE ALBUM IN 2002 IS THE LONGEST SPAN OF ANY ENTERTAINER. * IN 2003 "THAT'S ALL RIGHT MAMA" TOPPED CNN'S LIST OF SONGS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. * MORE BOOKS ABOUT ELVIS HAVE BEEN SOLD THAN OF ANY OTHER THREE ENTERTAINERS COMBINED AND HE TRAILS ONLY JOHN F. KENNEDY AND JESUS OVERALL . . .