Trivia of Elvis Presley

Trivia of Elvis Presley (8 January 1935 - 16 August 1977)

*Only hardcore fans knew Elvis had a twin brother.On January 8, 1935, Elvis Aron (later spelled Aaron) Presley was born at his parents’ two-room house in East Tupelo, Mississippi, about 35 minutes after his twin brother, Jesse Garon, who was stillborn. The next day, Jesse was buried in an unmarked grave in nearby Priceville Cemetery.

*Elvis’ mother Gladys was a big influence on Elvis’s earliest musical influences as she was a devout gospel music fan. He frequently attended church in Memphis with his family, where the gospel quartet ‘The Blackwood Brothers’ performed.In 1945, 10-year-old Elvis entered a youth talent contest in Tupelo, broadcast live on the local radio station. It was Elvis’ first public performance. He came fifth place and won some fair ride tickets. That same year, his parents gifted him a guitar for his birthday, instead of a bicycle which Elvis had requested but proved too expensive.

*In 1953, Presley recorded his first demo acetate at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, primarily as a birthday gift for his mother, Gladys. The owner of the label, Sam Phillips, was impressed with his voice and unique style and gave him a record deal. Sam teamed Presley together with some local musicians and they went on to record Presley’s first single, ‘That’s All Right’, which was released in 1954. It quickly became a hit in the southern United States and marked the beginning of Elvis’ rapid rise to fame as a rock and roll artist.

*Elvis also launched a successful acting career, and aspired to be seen as a serious dramatic actor. He appeared in 31 films between 1956-1973, with some of his most successful films including Love Me Tender (1956), Jailhouse Rock (1957), King Creole (1958), Blue Hawaii (1961), and Viva Las Vegas (1964).However, as much as Elvis saw acting as the natural next step to his musical career, he soon became disillusioned with the industry. Under the heavy influence of his manager, Colonel Parker, Elvis was forced to continually appear in a series of musicals with romantic plot-lines, mainly due to the sales of the soundtracks returning a huge profit. However, he was never offered the opportunity to appear in a serious, non-singing role.

*His favorite actors were James Dean, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando. Brando personally strongly disliked Presley.

*Elvis owned one of the world's first mobile phones. He had to have one after seeing Sean Connery use a car phone in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love (1963). Elvis's phone was contained in a suitcase-size carrying case with his name in black letters on a gold label on the front. He would use it to talk from his limousine.

*The last song he sang was "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", at home, and playing the piano, to family and friends, Monday evening, August 15th, 1977.Elvis Presley died at age 42 on August 16, 1977 at his mansion in Graceland, near Memphis.