20 Wild Facts About Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers ever lived. Here are some facts about the "King of Rock and Roll."

By Toonacious

Published 2 years ago in Ftw

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers who ever lived. Here are some facts about the "King of Rock and Roll."

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"in 2015 Jack White purchased the 1st ever song recording of Elvis Presley (1953) and worked with music archivist Alan Stoker to digitally transfer it." - u/deadhunt3rr

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"60 years ago, the actress Angela Lansbury, who is still living, played Elvis Presley’s mother in “Blue Hawaii.” - u/SubstantialRange
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"in 1964, Elvis Presley bought President Franklin D Roosevelt's yacht, USS Potomac (AG-25) for $55,000. He later gave it to St Jude's Children Hospital for a fundraiser, and that hospital sold it for $65,000." - u/dcdiehardfan

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"the peak of TV attention can be assigned an exact date: Sunday, September 9, 1956, when Elvis Presley made his first appearance on television, on CBS’s Ed Sullivan Show. Its 82.6 percent share of US viewers has never been equaled or bettered." - u/leningrad84
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"Elvis Presley's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker prevented Elvis from touring outside of the US (except for 3 shows in Canada in 1957) because Parker was, among other things, an illegal alien from the Netherlands that was suspected of murder." - u/deadtedw
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"Elvis Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army. At the peak of his career, he received his draft notice for a two-year stint in the army. Fans sent tens of thousands of letters to the army asking for him to be spared, but Elvis refused to decline. He was sworn as an army private on March 24, 1958." - u/iamabn5

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"The artists with the most #1 singles in history are The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (19), Elvis Presley (17), Rihanna (14), and Michael Jackson (13)." - u/arashtp
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"Elvis Presley's first major record deal came in 1955 when several labels began to show interest in him. Three record labels made offers of $25,000 but Elvis ended up signing with RCA Records who offered $40,000." - u/MarineKingPrime_
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"Barry White spent 4 months in jail for stealing $30,000 worth of Cadillac tires when he was 16. While behind bars, he heard Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" which he stated inspired him to become a singer." - u/trifletruffles

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"Elvis Presley was a natural blonde who used to dye his hair black." - u/Status-Victory
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"Elvis Presley was Elton John's wakeup call. In 1976 Elton met Elvis backstage in June 1976 “It was sad,” , recalling Presley’s drugged state. John and his mom were escorted to their seats and they watched with equal parts horror and admiration."
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"There are 11 musicians who have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. They are Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Brenda Lee, Floyd Cramer, and Sam Phillips." - u/SculpinIPAlcoholic

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"in 1993, the US postal service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Elvis Presley's 58th birthday, fans mailed envelopes with first-day issues of the stamp to fictitious addresses so that they would receive their letters back, marked with the words "return to sender"." - u/Doll_Tow_Jet-ski
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"Elvis Presley, throughout his entire career, performed in only three venues that weren't in the United States. The three venues were all in Canada. Presley performed in them during brief tours in Canada in 1957." - u/GregJamesDahlen
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"Brenda Lee (best known for her hit "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s, the most by a woman and surpassed only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles." - u/jcd1974

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"TIL that Elvis Presley’s breakout hit Heartbreak Hotel was inspired by Alvin Krolik, a depressed divorcée who was killed while robbing an El Paso liquor store. Krolik had claimed he walked a “lonely street.” It became the Heartbreak Hotel’s gloomy address and one of the song’s most memorable lines." - u/MostlySoFlo
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"Elvis Presley Never Wrote Any of His Own Songs despite being one of the most recognizable musicians of all time." - u/dd28064212
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"in 2012 a librarian at a high school in Tupelo Mississippi discovered a library card in the back of an old book signed in 1948 by a then 13 year old Elvis Presley. It is the oldest known autograph by Elvis." - u/big_macaroons

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"In the last four years of Elvis Presley’s life, he had been prescribed 19,000 doses of drugs. In 1977 alone[the year of his death], Dr. Nicholpoulous had written 199 prescriptions totaling more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics to Elvis."