First Million Seller

Can you believe the original handwritten lyrics for Heartbreak Hotel was kept?

At the 1955 Disc Jockey Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, (where Elvis was lauded as The Most Promising New Talent In Country Music), songwriter Mae Boren-Axton - known as the Queen Mother of Nashville - told Elvis she was going to write him his first million seller.

Together with Tommy Durden, she did. It was Heartbreak Hotel, which Elvis recorded in Jan 1956.

As you can see, the lyrics is handwritten in pencil and has various additions and corrections, and the lyric sheet is signed at the bottom by both songwriters.

No wonder it recently sold for a cool R3,2 million.

Armond Morales

The Imperials is a southern gospel quartet who sang backup for Elvis from 1969-1971. They also recorded with Elvis in sessions from 1966-1971, including on the Grammy Award-winning How Great Thou Art and He Touched Me album sessions.

During the 1960s The Imperials became pioneers of contemporary Christian music. Armond Morales was a founding member of The Imperials and fondly remember the group going to Graceland, riding around in golf carts, attending movies after hours and riding on a plane with Elvis.

Armond recalls: We were in Las Vegas at the International Hotel, practicing, and all the singers were in one section and the rhythm section was in another area, and Elvis was in the middle with the microphone. In the middle of rehearsal he just stopped and stomped his foot. He said, "I don't know what's wrong with you people", and he stomped out the door. He said, "Armond come out here." And I walked out the door, wondering what was going on. Elvis said: "I scare them, didn't I?" Turns out he was just having fun and joking.

Long White Limousene

 In December of 1975 Elvis bought a Lincoln Continental Limousine. One evening when J.D. Sumner, bass singer of Elvis' backup group The Stamps, found himself stranded at Graceland without transportation Elvis gave him the Limousine.

As can be expected, this car is a sought-after collectors item. It had been on display in Mike Moon's museum in the mountain resort city Pigeon Force, Tennessee, after which it was sold in 2019. In the mean time it has returned to the auction block where a real bidding war has unfolded and after 37 bids the hammer has fallen at a nearly staggering R7 million.

Happy Birthday, Vernon.

On this day, 55 years ago, Elvis gives his father a stunning 14 carat yellow gold Omega watch as a gift for his birthday. The face of the watch is accented with 46 round diamonds and the back is engraved with the following words:

Happy Birthday, Dad. Love, Elvis. April 10, 1969.

Ed

American actor Ed Asner was most famous for his role as a newspaper editor in the TV series Lou Grant.  But to Elvis fans he is best-known for appearing in Elvis' only sport film Kid Galahad (as Assistant District Attorney Frank Gerson) and in Elvis' last feature film, the crime drama Change of Habit (as police Lieutenant Moretti).

Asner, in an interview, said the following about working with Elvis:

He was a good guy. I liked him a lot. The first film was 'Kid Galahad'. Elvis was going through his karate phase, so his fingers were all being broken and busy breaking bricks and boards. And the second film was 'Change of Habit' with Mary Tyler Moore. He had become a different person by then, he was becoming an actor. And once again, he didn't screw up, didn't make a mess, didn't foul any nest, and showed up and did his work as best he could. He was not a problem maker.