Elvis Presley, one of the biggest-selling musical acts of all time, with more than a billion records sold worldwide, was born 85 years ago today.
Here are some fast facts about the King of Rock ‘n Roll:
ELVIS AARON PRESLEY
Birth date: January 8, 1935
Death date: August 16, 1977
Birth place: Tupelo, Mississippi
Father: Vernon Presley
Mother: Gladys Presley
Marriage: Priscilla (Beaulieu) Presley (May 1, 1967-October 9, 1973, divorced)
Children: Lisa Marie, February 1, 1968
Military service: US Army, 1958-1960
Other Facts
- Nominated for 14 Grammy Awards and and won three. Also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Seven of his recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- Starred in 31 feature films and two concert documentary films.
- His American sales earned him gold, platinum or multi-platinum awards for 150 different albums and singles.
- During his “concert years” from 1969 to 1977, Elvis gave nearly 1,100 concert performances.
- Elvis had 18 No. 1 hits in the United States from “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 to “Suspicious Minds” in 1969.
- Elvis is the only solo performer to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll, Country, and Gospel Halls of Fame.
- Col. Tom Parker, Elvis’ personal, business and financial manager, handled Elvis’ entire career from beginning to end.
- Approximately 500,000 people visit Elvis’s home, Graceland, each year. Graceland was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and became a National Historical Landmark in 2006.
Timeline
1953 – Meets producer Sam Phillips.
1954 – Records “That’s All Right,” at Sun Records in Memphis, his first hit.
1956 – Makes his television debut on “Stage Show.”
1956 – Has his first No. 1 single with “Heartbreak Hotel.”
September 9, 1956 – Appears on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
November 15, 1956 – First movie, “Love Me Tender,” is released.
March 1957 – Purchases Graceland for $102,500.
December 20, 1960 – “Flaming Star” is released, Elvis’ only non-singing movie role.
February 29, 1968 – Wins a Grammy in the gospel genre for Best Sacred Performance for “How Great Thou Art.”
December 3, 1968 – The television special “Elvis” airs. It is later called “The ’68 Comeback Special.”
December 21, 1970 – Meets with US President Richard Nixon at the White House.
1971 – Receives the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
March 3, 1973 – Wins a Grammy in the gospel genre for Best Inspirational Performance for “He Touched Me.”
1972 – Has his last US Top 10 hit in his lifetime with “Burning Love.”
January 14, 1973 – Elvis’ television special, “Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii – Via Satellite,” is seen in 40 countries by 1 billion to 1.5 billion people.
March 1, 1975 – Wins a Grammy in the gospel genre for Best Inspirational Performance (Non-Classical) for “How Great Thou Art.”
June 26, 1977 – Performs his last concert, in Indianapolis.
August 16, 1977 – Dies at the age of 42.
January 8, 1993 – The US Postal Service releases an Elvis commemorative postage stamp. More than 500 million are printed, three times the usual print run for a commemorative stamp.
2002 – A remix of Elvis’ song, “A Little Less Conversation,” reaches the Top 10 in music charts around the world.
August 11-19, 2007 – First annual Elvis Week. Tens of thousands attend the festivities at Graceland celebrating the 30th anniversary of his death.
November 16, 2018 – US President Donald Trump posthumously awards Elvis the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — along with six others, including baseball phenom Babe Ruth and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
October 30, 2019 – Forbes names Elvis number two on its top-earning dead celebrities list, with an estimated $39 million in earnings.
