How to Be an Elvis Fan

The music community was greatly affected by the presence of Elvis Presley. Whether known as The King of Rock’n’Roll or simply The King, Elvis undoubtedly is accredited as being a cultural icon for music from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Think you have what it takes to be a well-rounded Elvis fan?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Read up. Countless books have been written on Elvis, dealing with topics from his impact on music as a whole to his personal life and relationships. "Elvis and Me," written by Priscilla Presley, gives an in-depth look to the life of the one woman lucky enough to call Elvis her husband. "Me and a Guy Named Elvis" details the impact Elvis had on the life of Jerry Schilling, a 12-year-old boy who went from being asked to play football with Elvis to joining the “Memphis Mafia” that served as Elvis’ surrogate family. For more biographical works, consider "Elvis Presley: The Biography" and "Elvis Presley Fortunate Son." Sites such as Amazon.com offer a multitude of book selections if you key in “Elvis” as the search term.
2. Watch him in action. Elvis was deft at captivating large crowds during live performances, and most of his shows would sell out at rapid speeds. His 1968 Comeback Special is probably the easiest of his live performances to track down. Hailed by Rolling Stone as "a performance of emotional grandeur and historical resonance,” this special included extravagant musical sequence featuring Gospel-style numbers, a semi-autobiographical "mini-movie" and live segments full of improvisations.
3. Acknowledge his movie career. While most of his movies were hailed by critics as being cinematic disasters (a fact Elvis himself often agreed with), Elvis did gain a large portion of his success from the movies he made. His best-known movies are "Blue Hawaii," "Paradise Hawaiian Style," "G.I. Blues" and "Viva Las Vegas," which co-starred Ann Margaret. Make sure to include "Love Me Tender," the musical western that launched Elvis’ movie career, in your Elvis movie marathon.
4. Visit Graceland. There’s no better way to learn so much about the King then having a hands-on visit to his well-known mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. A self-guided audio tour will take you through the mansion, explaining all of the rooms and artifacts on display. Visits also include a look at the automobile museum, where visitors can get a glimpse of his famous pink Cadillac, as well as a walk-through on Elvis’ private plane "The Lisa Marie."
5. Visit the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi. Walk through the two-room house where Elvis was brought into the world, and check out the Elvis Presley Museum. Be sure to take your picture with the "Elvis at Age 13" statue, from the 67th anniversary of the birth of Elvis, which was dedicated to Elvis fans worldwide on August 9, 2002. The sculpture is 5 feet and 5 inches, the height of Elvis when he was 13 years old. It was at this age that Elvis left Tupelo and headed for Memphis.
6. Sign up for the Elvis.com e-newsletter, as well as e-notifications about special offers on items from ShopElvis.com. Both of these provide fans with information on upcoming Elvis-related events, as well as new merchandise that becomes available for collectors.