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Elvis’ Friends Made Him Feel Like His Interest in Being a Better Actor Was ‘Nonsense’

Emma McKee — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 13:10:00 +0000

When Elvis Presley went to the recording studio, filmed a movie, or took a vacation, his group of friends followed. They made up his entourage and did a variety of jobs for him, including simply providing him with company. They weren’t always supportive, though. When Elvis expressed interest in filmmaking, his friends rolled their eyes.

Elvis Presley’s friends didn’t care much about his film career

In 1964, Elvis started work on the film Roustabout. When he got to set, his entourage was with him. The film’s director, John Rich, did not appreciate their presence and tried to keep them away from the action. Still, they hung around the set, which Rich believed was a detriment to Elvis.

“I’m not one for fraternizing too much with the group around the players, but they were around quite a bit, and you couldn’t ignore them,” he said in the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “One thing that comes to mind that really troubled me: Somewhere in the middle of the picture I was in the editing room, looking over the cuts, and Elvis dropped by and started looking over my shoulder. I was working over the Monviola with my editor, and he became so fascinated with what I was doing that I show him how we go from a long shot to a close-up, or why I was cutting something around something.”

(L-R, standing) Billy Smith, Bill Morris, Lamar Fike, Jerry Schilling, Sheriff Roy Nixon, Vernon Presley, Charlie Hodge, Sonny West, George Klein, Marty Lacker. (L-R, front) Dr. George Nichopoulos, Red West | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

As Rich began to explain the editing process to Elvis, his friends called the singer away.

“He said, ‘Can I come and look at this more often?’ And then the guys said, ‘Aw, come on, this is nonsense’ — only they didn’t use the word ‘nonsense,’” Rich recalled. “And they took him away, and he never came back to the cutting room after that.”

Elvis wanted to be a good actor who made meaningful movies, and a more robust knowledge of filmmaking could have helped with that. Unfortunately, his friends did not feel the same way.

Elvis said he felt a growing distance from his friends over another interest

As years passed, Elvis began to feel increasingly distant from his friends over their lack of shared interests. Elvis dedicated himself to the study of spirituality, something his friends actively resented.

“They didn’t share his interests, they felt he was getting too involved, it was a threat to them, and it created a rift between them,” religious leader Daya Mata said. “They couldn’t really relate to him, they didn’t really understand his need, and evidently he couldn’t confide it to them.”

His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, also found Elvis’ interest in spirituality problematic. As a result, he ordered Elvis to stop spending alone time with the one friend who was interested in it.

He later regretted the direction his acting career took

In later years, Elvis said his stunted acting career left him full of regrets. He believed he could have done well in a dramatic role, but he continually made light musicals.

Elvis Presley | RB/Redferns

“People aren’t going to remember me because I’ve never done anything lasting,” he told his on-and-off-again girlfriend, Kathy Westmoreland, per the book The Colonel by Alanna Nash. “I’ve never made a classic film to show what I can do.”

Though Elvis expressed interest in this type of career, the forces around him made it impossible.

Elvis Presley Wanted a ‘Shortcut’ to Enlightenment

Emma McKee — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 19:20:00 +0000

Elvis Presley spent much of his life searching for enlightenment. While he had achieved unprecedented success in his career, he felt unfulfilled. Elvis turned to various spiritual and religious texts and seemed to want to cultivate this part of his life. When he met with one religious leader, though, he didn’t appear to be all that willing to put the work in. He asked her if there was a shortcut he could take to enlightenment.

Elvis Presley sought enlightenment, but he didn’t want to work too hard for it

On the recommendation of a monk, Elvis met with Daya Mata, the president of the Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. He came across as shy and polite to her, and he expressed his interest in spiritual fulfillment. While his interest seemed genuine, Daya Mata said Elvis was impatient for results. He asked her for a “shortcut” to the enlightenment of Kriya Yoga.

“Oh, well that I didn’t give him,” she said in the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “I wouldn’t do that. I’ve had that come to me from so many people, and I just said, ‘Well, that’s — just set back a little. Just because someone has a name, that doesn’t impress me. I’m not interested in that side of your nature. I’m interested in your soul.’”

Elvis Presley | RB/Redferns

She believed that while Elvis was genuinely interested in that moment, his dedication would wane.

“There was one point where he wanted to wholeheartedly [join the movement], he wanted to teach the teachings, be more involved — but I told him that wouldn’t be right because I could see his nature. He might be enthusiastic for a while, but then he would cool back and lean toward his other activities, [because] that was his life, he had another mission than that.”

Daya Mata said the singer was naïve

Though she gently turned Elvis down, Daya Mata liked the singer. She felt she understood him.

“I saw in him someone who was full of innocence, if you can understand the way I mean that,” she said. “He was a naïve, somewhat childlike individual who was caught up in the adulation of the world and enjoyed it, but, more than that, he felt a deep bond with his public; he was carried away by them and didn’t want ever to disappoint them.”

Still, the widespread adoration for Elvis didn’t do much to fulfill him. For much of his life, he felt rudderless.

“He had done some reading. He was sinking,” she said. “Here was someone who had everything the world could offer, [but] it didn’t satisfy him. There was still an emptiness, and the only way to fill it was to turn within.”

Elvis Presley’s spiritual studies caused problems in his personal life

Elvis’ spirituality remained a major part of his life for years. This caused many problems for him. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, believed his focus on the subject distracted him from his music. His friends couldn’t understand why it interested him so much. Priscilla Presley felt it took his attention away from her.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley | Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Archive Photos/Getty Images

“Although I was striving to be his soul mate and subtly becoming more aware of myself as a spiritual being, my heart longed for the very temptations he was fighting to conquer,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “While I patiently waited at home at Graceland for his returns, planning romantic interludes, he was attempting to overcome worldly temptations and believed he was going through a cleansing period, physically and spiritually. Any sexual temptations were against everything he was striving for, and he did not wish to betray me, the girl waiting for him at home who was preparing to be his wife.”

She said that because of his spiritual development, Elvis felt he should resist her. Their relationship suffered as a result.

Lisa Marie Presley Memoir: Heartbreaking Title and Cover Photo Revealed

Lucille Barilla — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:11:10 +0000

The title and cover photo for Lisa Marie Presley’s long-awaited memoir has been revealed. The book’s interior and exterior focuses on the deep connection between Lisa Marie and her father, Elvis Presley, throughout their lives and after their deaths.

Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir title and cover photo feature her strong bond with Elvis Presley

On June 4, Graceland’s official Instagram page debuted a cover photograph of Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir. The book’s image was taken in the hallway of Graceland, her family home.

The photo’s caption reads, “Random House has revealed the title of the much-anticipated Lisa Marie Presley memoir scheduled for release on October 15. Entitled From Here to the Great Unknown, the cover features a photo of a young Lisa Marie with her father, Elvis Presley.”

Before her death, Lisa Marie Presley recorded hours of audio in which “she spoke of her life in great detail.” Thus, the memoir is comprised of Presley’s words. Daughter Riley Keough will “fill in the blanks from her own memory and those closest to her mother,” according to the publisher.

In a 2018 interview with Lorraine, Lisa Marie Presley teased she would “absolutely” write an autobiography at some point. She then joked, “I’m in the middle of a psychological thriller right now, meaning my life. When it’s over, maybe I can write it.”

That year, Lisa Marie sued her former business manager, Barry Siegel, for negligence and mismanaging her finances in a $100 million lawsuit, according to Reuters. Subsequently, Siegel filed his own lawsuit against Lisa Marie for $800,000, claiming she squandered her inheritance.

In 1993, Siegel took over managing the singer/songwriter’s finances when she legally inherited Elvis’ millions. Lisa Marie was 9 when Elvis died in 1977, leaving her his sole heir.

When and where was the cover photo taken?

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A post shared by Elvis Presley's Graceland (@visitgraceland)

Elvis Presley fans are likely familiar with the image chosen for the photo’s cover. The session has become iconic to admirers of the famous clan.

Photographer Frank Carroll captured these professional photos of Elvis, Priscilla, and their only daughter, during Thanksgiving week 1970. They were snapped at Presley’s California home at 1174 Hillcrest Road.

These photos of Elvis and his daughter depict how close they were. Elvis appeared delighted by Lisa Marie, allowing Carroll to capture a sweet family interaction.

These images appear to be the last professional photos of the young family before Priscilla and Elvis Presley divorced. Their split was finalized in 1973.

The photoshoot was depicted in the feature film Priscilla. Lisa Marie denounced the film two months before her death.

Elvis’ heir documented her life before passing

Random House, the publisher behind Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir, shared details of the book on its official website. They write that in 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked daughter Riley Keough to help finally finish her memoir just one month before her death in January 2023.

“Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, laid in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran toward his body on the floor,” it reads.

“About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. Her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, and what they shared in common. About motherhood, about deep addiction, about ever-present grief.”

It concludes, “Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother’s wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world. To make her mother known.”‘

Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough wrote From Here to the Great Unknown. It is available for preorder and will be released nationwide on Oct. 15, 2024.

Secret Graceland: The Surprising Inspiration Behind Elvis Presley’s Meditation Garden

Lucille Barilla — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:45:09 +0000

Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home has become a mecca for music fans worldwide. However, it was a family abode before it became a popular tourist destination. Elvis tried to make Graceland a place where he could unwind from the rigors of the road. One of its most unique elements is its Meditation Garden, which draws inspiration from a surprising source.

Elvis Presley’s inspiration for the Meditation Garden hails from a California sanctuary

One of the most unique features of Elvis Presley’s Graceland home remains its Meditation Garden. The peaceful backyard area was modeled after a sanctuary the King of Rock and Roll frequented during his visits to California.

Architectural Digest reports Elvis often visited the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in California while filming his movies. The sanctuary, located in Los Angeles, holds a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes.

The reflective area is serene, with plenty of areas for quiet contemplation and respect for all religious groups. Elvis was reportedly so inspired by the look of the shrine that he wanted the same type of place constructed on Graceland’s grounds.

The King of Rock and Roll asked Elvis Memphis builder Bernard Grenadier to design such a space in Graceland’s backyard. Just beyond the pool area lies the area that allowed Elvis to have an experience similar to the California shrine.

When did the Meditation Garden become a graveyard?

Graceland’s Meditation Garden is located in Memphis, TN | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Graceland was such a busy household that Elvis Presley would reportedly frequent the garden for some quiet time. The area was subsequently designed with a circular pergola and a fountain at its center.

However, he never intended for the Meditation Garden to become a Presley family graveyard. Instead, he wanted the area to be a place for quiet reflection amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

However, if the Meditation Garden had been originally intended as a family graveyard, Elvis likely would have had his beloved mother, Gladys Presley, interred at home instead of at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis. Gladys died on Aug. 14, 1958.

After Elvis’ 1977 death, he, too, was interred at the same cemetery as his mother. But after a reported attempt to steal his body, both Elvis and Gladys’ remains were permanently moved to Graceland and the Meditation Garden.

Lisa Marie Presley spoke of her family graveyard in her song ‘Lights Out’

As reported by Express, Lisa Marie Presley sang of having the Graceland family graveyard. Thus, she revealed her conflicting feelings about the area.

“The back lawn of Graceland is a graveyard, basically. How many people have a family grave in the backyard? How many people are reminded of their fate, their mortality, every [expletive] day?” she said.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s only daughter expressed her feelings about the now-iconic area in her 2003 song “Lights Out.” She sang, “Someone turned the lights out there in Memphis. That’s where my family’s buried and gone. Last time I was there, I noticed a space left, Next to them, there in Memphis, In the damn back lawn.”

Per Express, Lisa Marie added she would likely be buried there as well. “All the graves are lined up, and there’s a spot there, waiting for me, right next to my grandmother,” she said.

“I don’t plan on anything. I’m sure I’ll end up there. Or I’ll shrink my head and put it in a glass box in the living room. I’ll get more tourists to Graceland that way,” Lisa Marie stated.

Lisa Marie Presley was interred at Graceland in January 2023, next to her only son, Benjamin Storm Keough. She was laid to rest directly opposite her father, grandmother Gladys, grandfather Vernon, and great-grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley.

Elvis Presley Felt Growing Distance Between Himself and His Friends Over 1 Important Part of His Life

Emma McKee — Fri, 31 May 2024 20:34:00 +0000

All throughout his life, Elvis Presley sought a higher purpose and meaning. He turned to spiritual books and religious leaders for guidance but never seemed to reach the answers he was hoping to find. One religious leader he turned to was Daya Mata, the president of the Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. In their conversation, Elvis vented about some of the people in his life.

Elvis Presley discussed his entourage with a religious leader

When Elvis met with Daya Mata, she felt an immediate empathy toward him.

“He had done some reading. He was sinking,” she said in the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “Here was someone who had everything the world could offer, [but] it didn’t satisfy him. There was still an emptiness, and the only way to fill it was to turn within.”

In their conversation, Elvis opened up about the people surrounding him. He made it clear that he didn’t wholly trust his entourage.

“They didn’t share his interests, they felt he was getting too involved, it was a threat to them, and it created a rift between them,” she said. “They couldn’t really relate to him, they didn’t really understand his need, and evidently he couldn’t confide it to them.”

Elvis Presley appeared to be afraid of his manager’s power

One of the people in Elvis’ life who was most opposed to his spiritual education was his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Despite this, Elvis did not voice any worries about him with Daya Mata.

“He was very careful about anything pertaining to his manager,” she recalled. “I think he felt that Parker was a very important part of his life and as long as he was going to be an entertainer he had to follow [his advice], because he had steered him so well for so long. The only thing that concerned him was that the Colonel did not seem to understand his need to nourish his soul. He was nourished in every other way, but where was the nourishment for his soul?”

Parker eventually banned Elvis from spending alone time with his barber, Larry Geller, because of their conversations about spirituality. Priscilla Presley believed Elvis went along with anything Parker said because he was afraid of him.

He wanted a ‘shortcut’ to enlightenment

Daya Mata said it was clear that Elvis was earnest in his desire to grow spiritually. He didn’t want to have to put in that much work, though, asking her for a “shortcut” to enlightenment. She could not give this to him. When he said he was considering joining the movement, she also turned him down.

Elvis Presley | RB/Redferns

“[B]ut I told him that wouldn’t be right because I could see his nature,” she said. “He might be enthusiastic for a while, but then he would cool back and lean toward his other activities, [because] that was his life, he had another mission than that.”

Elvis ‘Begged’ to Do His Own Stunts in a Film and Immediately Got Hurt

Emma McKee — Thu, 30 May 2024 19:10:00 +0000

In 1964, Elvis Presley decided to try something new on the set of the film Roustabout. At this point in his career, he was already tired of his repetitive acting roles. To inject a bit of excitement into the part, Elvis asked director John Rich if he could do his own stunts. Though Rich initially refused, Elvis was persistent and the director gave in. Almost immediately, Rich came to regret this decision.

Elvis hurt himself while trying to do his own stunts in a film

On the third day of filming Roustabout, Elvis came to Rich with a proposition: he wanted to do his own stunts in a fight scene.

“He came to me and said, Could he please do the stunt himself?” Rich recalled in the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “I said, ‘My God, no. What happens if you get hurt?’ He said, ‘I’m not going to get hurt. I really know how to do this stuff. You see, I’m a black belt in karate.’ I said, ‘Well, congratulations, I think that’s wonderful, I suppose that’s good in life, but this is a movie. And God forbid you get hit in some way.’”

Elvis Presley in ‘Roustabout’ | LMPC via Getty Images

Elvis wouldn’t take no for an answer, though. He continued to assure Rich that he knew what he was doing and wouldn’t get hurt. Finally, Rich agreed.

“He begged. He really did,” Rich said. “And finally, he said, ‘I’ll be totally responsible for this if anything happens.’ Well, what do you do in a situation like that? I finally gave up and said okay.”

Rich immediately came to regret his decision.

“But it was a mistake, because he got clipped severely in the head, and it was like, ‘Oh, God, there goes my life in the theater,’” he said. “To tell [producer] Hal Willis that I allowed the star to do a fight. I thought, This is not going to go down well.”

Elvis felt terrible that his injury could have slowed down the film’s schedule

Rich stopped filming and sent Elvis to the hospital. Luckily, they still managed to avoid delays.

“Of course, we had to stop shooting, and I sent him off to the hospital, and he had four or five stitches in his forehead, but fortunately I had a way out,” he said. “The script called for Elvis as a motorcycle rider to be run off the road [by Leif Erickson in an early scene], and I thought, There’s no reason we can’t put a Band-Aid over Elvis’ eye. Wallis was quite pleased. He thought it was a damn good idea — as long as I could keep shooting.”

Elvis Presley and Barbara Stanwyck | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Elvis was also relieved. He felt terrible about potentially slowing down the shooting schedule and was glad to have avoided losing the studio money.

“Elvis was alright as soon as he got back,” Rich said. “He was a little subdued, having caused all this trouble — he was very apologetic. But once I told him what I’d like to do, he said, ‘Oh, that’s great because we can keep shooting.’ He was just afraid we’d have to shut down.”

People close to the singer called his karate skills into question

Perhaps Rich should have consulted Priscilla Presley before allowing Elvis to do the fight scene. According to her, Elvis wasn’t nearly as good at fighting as he thought he was. He once tried to break up a fight between two strangers, and all his friends were shocked when it didn’t go terribly.

“‘I’ll show you something, if you want to get into an argument,’ Elvis said. He shot out a karate kick, and to his surprise — and everybody else’s — he knocked a pack of cigarettes out of the guy’s pocket,” Priscilla wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “Among our group, Elvis wasn’t known for his precision in karate.”

His bodyguard, Dave Hebler, agreed with Priscilla. He sparred with Elvis on the day they met, and it was immediately clear that the singer didn’t know what he was doing.

“Now I have been in these situations a million times,” Hebler said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. “You are usually working out with someone of similar experience to yourself, someone who knows what he is doing. Within seconds out there on the mats with Elvis it was very obvious to me that one, Elvis didn’t know half as much about karate as he thought he did; and two, he hardly knew where he was.”

Despite this, Elvis frequently put on karate demonstrations for anyone who would watch.

How Elvis Presley’s Graceland Kept Him From Moving to California

Lucille Barilla — Thu, 30 May 2024 16:55:12 +0000

It’s hard to think Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home might not be the iconic historical spot it remains today if his father, Vernon Presley, had his say. The Presley family might have settled in California rather than Memphis if the stately home hadn’t appeared on the market at the right time.

Elvis Presley’s home base could have been in California

According to a story published by The Dispatch, Elvis Presley’s father, Vernon Presley, would have liked to settle in California. Elvis worked so much in the Sunshine State that putting permanent roots down there made sense.

The Presley family lived on Audubon Drive in Memphis, but fans regularly besieged the home. The family needed privacy. Vernon reportedly was eyeing a move to the West Coast, as author Peter Guralnick wrote in the biography Last Train to Memphis.

However, a chance meeting changed all that. Virginia Grant, a local realtor, was reportedly walking out of a Memphis department store when she saw Gladys Presley’s pink Cadillac in its parking lot in February 1957. Gladys was seated in the passenger seat and Grant said if the family was looking for a new home, perhaps she could help them.

Grant first showed Gladys and Vernon a ranch-style abode. However, the Presley matriarch asked if any colonial-style homes were on the market. The couple was shown Graceland, and both fell in love with the 14-acre estate.

Did Elvis Presley ever live in California?

Elvis Presley’s circular Palm Springs rental | Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Elvis Presley lived in California at different addresses throughout his professional career. He rented a home for one year at 1350 Ladera Circle from 1966 through 1967. It was there he honeymooned with his wife, Priscilla Presley, per Architectural Digest.

Elvis also rented a home at 525 Perugia Way. He lived there when he first met The Beatles. However, that house was demolished in the 1980s.

The king lived in a mansion at 10539 Bellagio Road in Bel Air. In 1967, he purchased a Beverly Hills home for $400,000.

Elvis owned a home at 14 Montvale Drive, Beverly Hills, California in 1970, and another abode in Palm Springs. The latter was, formerly owned by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc.

Although he lived in many California homes, Elvis always called Memphis and Graceland, home.

When did Elvis Presley first move into Graceland?

Vernon and Gladys Presley put a $1,000 down payment on Graceland on March 16, 1957 and Elvis Presley ultimately paid over $100K for the home and its property. Elvis Presley was filming the motion picture Loving You, followed by Jailhouse Rock, in California when Gladys and Vernon and Elvis’ grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, officially moved into Graceland on May 16, 1957.

Per the official Graceland website, Elvis didn’t move into Graceland until five weeks later, on June 26, 1957. He quickly began redecorating the home to suit his tastes. The interior of the mansion was changed many times in the 20 years Elvis lived there.

Elvis initially wished to have a black bedroom suite and a night sky painted onto the ceiling of the entrance hall. Gladys vetoed the second choice, reported Architectural Digest.

Elvis considered Graceland a place where he could recharge after being on the road. The large house was always filled with family and close friends, which made it a home.

The historic home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

A Musician Said Performing With Elvis Was a Massive ‘Let Down’

Emma McKee — Sun, 26 May 2024 18:25:18 +0000

For many musicians, Elvis Presley’s music was like a lightning bolt of inspiration. They heard his songs and realized they wanted to do something similar with their lives. Therefore, it came as a thrill for people who got the chance to perform with him. The reality of playing as one of Elvis’ backing musicians came as a disappointment to one artist, though.

A musician said playing with Elvis hadn’t been what he expected

In 1972, bass player Emory Gordy replaced a musician in Elvis’ band. He was extremely excited about performing with the iconic artist. According to Gordy, there was much to feel happy about in a recording session he had previously filled in on, and he thought the tour would be the same. He couldn’t help feeling disappointed by it, though.

“I was really let down by the whole thing,” Gordy said in the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “Everybody had been there for so many years they were very set in their way; I think they sent me about five hundred tunes to learn in a two-week period, and then we ended up doing the same show they had been doing in Vegas for the last [four] years.”

Elvis Presley | Ronald C. Modra/ Getty Images

Gordy said Elvis sometimes performed with passion, but the shows typically felt perfunctory and rushed.

“Occasionally, he’d get up there and start feeling real good and be spontaneous, [but mostly] all the tunes were done so fast we literally ran over them,” he said. “There was no feeling involved.”

Another musician said he had a frightening first day on the job when he met Elvis

Another musician, Tony Brown, joined Elvis onstage as a keyboard player. He found the singer’s appearance and behavior shocking.

“My first night was College Park, Maryland,” Brown said. “I was scared, my hands were sweating, and I’m waiting backstage for Elvis to arrive. He pulls up in the car, and he fell out of the limousine, to his knees. People jump to help, and he pushed them away like, ‘Don’t help me.’”

Brown said Elvis looked so unwell that they weren’t sure if he would be able to perform.

“He walked onstage and held on to the mike for the first thirty minutes like it was a post,” Brown said. “Everybody’s looking at each other like, Is the tour gonna happen? Is he sick? Is it gonna be canceled?”

Ultimately, he took the stage, but everyone felt incredibly concerned about him.

Elvis typically had high standards for his backing band

While Gordy and Brown didn’t have the best experiences playing with Elvis, he often played shows that were more exciting for his backing musicians. He kept them on their toes at all times.

Elvis and the Jordanaires | GAB Archive/Redferns

“Those guys were reading Better Homes and Gardens and stuff like that — they play music so well they can play their part and they’d say, ‘Think I should build that patio on my house?’” Elvis recalled. “So what I did, I switched songs on them. And the orchestra was there, they’d go into the intro, and I’d say, ‘Woah, I don’t want to do that song, let’s do something [else].’ So they’d go through the sheet music real quick, and consequentially I got them; they had to watch me.”

Elvis’ Friend Shared the ‘Blessing and the Curse’ of Knowing the Singer

Emma McKee — Fri, 24 May 2024 19:10:00 +0000

Some of Elvis Presley’s closest friends were members of his entourage. They traveled with him, served as bodyguards, and assisted him in times of need. In return, Elvis paid them and showered them with lavish gifts. While one of his longtime friends said this was a benefit of knowing Elvis, it was also something of a curse.

Elvis’ friend said the singer was both a blessing and a curse to know

Elvis watched a good deal of television in his lifetime. One of his favorite programs was a show called The Millionaire.

“Elvis was crazy about a TV show … called The Millionaire,” his friend Joe Esposito said, per the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “Each week an ordinary person with a problem answered a knock at his door to find a messenger in a suit who announced that he was presenting the person with one million dollars from an anonymous donor.”

Elvis Presley | Earl leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Elvis liked this show so much because he was quite generous with his money. He gifted people cars, apartments, horses. He didn’t need a reason or special occasion to give — he’d even buy cars for complete strangers. Still, he also used expensive gifts as a way to apologize to his entourage for his angry outbursts.

“After one of his wild temper fits, he will never say, ‘Hey, man, I was wrong, I’m sorry.’ But then one day you will be walking through an automobile showroom and he’ll say something like ‘Hey, man, that looks great, that car, don’t it?’” his bodyguard Red West said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. “And somebody will say back to him, ‘Sure does, Elvis.’ The next minute, he’ll tell you, ‘Look, you fix up the paperwork, it’s yours, you deserve it.’ That’s it. There is no argument, just ‘It’s yours, man.’”

Elvis’ long time friend Lamar Fike agreed with West. While he appreciated the gifts, he also knew Elvis was using them to appease the entourage.

“[The gifts were] a Band Aid for the abuse he heaped on you the rest of the time,” Fike said. “That was the blessing and the curse of Elvis.”

Vernon Presley believed Elvis’ friends were taking advantage of him

Elvis’ father, Vernon Presley, did not think his son should be gifting so extravagantly. He felt the entourage took advantage of Elvis and would not be there to support him if it were not for the money.

“Vernon didn’t have much respect for the guys,” Priscilla Presley wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “He said Elvis just gave and gave and gave, and they took and took and took. He’d say, ‘Son, we have to save.’ Elvis would answer, ‘It’s only money, Daddy. I just have to go out and make more.’”

Every time Elvis spent money on his entourage, Vernon wrung his hands in distress.

The singer became upset when people did not accept his gifts

Elvis may have used expensive presents to make up for his bad behavior, but he also genuinely liked to give. It hurt him if people would not accept a gift from him.

Elvis Presley | RB/Redferns

“If he could put a smile on someone’s face, that made him the happiest,” his fiancée Ginger Alden told Smashing Interviews Magazine. “He loved giving gifts to other people and surprising them with gifts. He would get really hurt if you didn’t accept a gift. Maids, housekeepers, nurses… I don’t know how many people have brand new homes and cars. He was so generous to so many. A lot of that came from the fact that he didn’t have a great deal when he was younger, and he thought that would just brighten their lives being able to do that.”

Over the years, he gave presents that were so generous and thoughtful that the recipients wept.

No Foreclosure For Graceland, Says Chancellor: Presley Family Retains Control of Historic Home

Lucille Barilla — Wed, 22 May 2024 16:10:20 +0000

Editor’s Note: Following the publication of this story, Commercial Appeal reported that, in the hours after the hearing, Naussany Investments & Private Lending stated it will not “acquire to proceed” in its sale of Graceland and, “the company will be withdrawing all claims with prejudice.” Therefore the Presley family will retain permanent ownership of Elvis Presley’s estate.

Elvis Presley‘s granddaughter, Riley Keough, has retained control of her grandfather’s historic Graceland home. A Memphis chancellor says the property will not be foreclosed upon after a hearing on the matter.

Graceland remains a Presley family asset until it is determined who owns the historic estate

Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins says Elvis Presley’s Memphis, Tennessee home, Graceland, will continue to remain a Presley family asset. Therefore, a planned foreclosure and sale of the property will not occur, as reportedly scheduled, on May 23, 2024.

Jenkins made the following ruling, per CNN. “The estate is considered unique under Tennessee law. And in being unique, the loss of the real estate will be considered irreparable harm.”

It was reported on May 20 that Elvis Presley’s Graceland home would be sold in a foreclosure sale. His granddaughter, Riley Keough, filed to block an a company named Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC from selling her family’s historic residence.

The Presley family pushed back against the investment company’s allegations Lisa Marie Presley put up Graceland as collateral against a loan. The family claims paperwork related to the loan is fraudulent.

Why does the Presley family believe Graceland’s foreclosure proceedings to be fraudulent?

Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter Riley Keough, claimed in a 60-page lawsuit against Naussany Investments that her mother never borrowed any money from the aforementioned lender. The lawsuit, filed on May 15, tried to stop the proposed foreclosure of Elvis Presley’s home.

In a public notice dated May 19, 2024, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC posted details of what they claimed was a loan Lisa Marie Presley took years earlier, that today, with interest, totaled $3,800,000. This alleged loan was never paid back before Lisa Marie died in 2023.

Lisa Marie reportedly gave the LLC Graceland’s deed as collateral against the loan and signed documents to that effect. To collect, the LLC planned to sell the historic Memphis property.

However, Keough’s lawsuit against Naussany Investments in Shelby County Chancery Court states, “These documents are fraudulent.” Thus, Keough’s suit against the company temporarily blocked any proposed sale of her family’s home.

“On information and belief, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC is not a real entity. Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC appears to be a false entity created to defraud the Promenade Trust (the trust of Keough and formerly of Lisa Marie Presley), the heirs of Lisa Marie Presley, or any purchaser of Graceland at a non-judicial sale,” Keough’s complaint reads.

There is reportedly no deed on file to back up the investment company’s claims of ownership

Elvis Presley poses outside of Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

WREG Memphis reports the Shelby County Register of Deeds has no record of paperwork related to the investment company’s ownership of Graceland. A notary connected to the loan’s purported paperwork signed an affidavit claiming she didn’t notarize any documentation in connection to claims made by the company that she signed off on Lisa Marie Presley’s promissory note.

CNN reports Chancellor Jenkins said this affidavit was sufficient evidence to delay the foreclosure. Subsequently, Graceland remains owned by the Presley family.