3 Gorman

Elvis Presley has always been a household name for my family. I grew up listening to Elvis and learning about him from my father. I would classify my father as Elvis Presley’s biggest fan. There are a few reasons why I think my father is Elvis’ number one fan. Every single Friday for as long as I can remember, my dad listens to nothing but Elvis’ music. It does not matter where he is at or who he is with, he always listens to Elvis on Friday all day. Sometimes I wonder how he never gets tired of listening to Elvis. I would honestly bet $450,000 that my dad has listened to Elvis Presley’s music on Friday all day for the past 15-20 years. I don’t know why he started the tradition but I am glad he did. I remember a time when me and my dad were driving to Tennessee for a basketball tournament on a Friday and we listened to only Elvis Presley’s music. By the end of the car ride I was begging my dad to let me change the music because I couldn’t take it anymore. My dad would tell me about every song and all the details he remembered about it and some of his concerts. Looking back, I’m glad that we did not change the music during that car ride because it made me realize how important Elvis is to my father and why he listens to his music every Friday.

There are many other reasons why I could classify my dad as the biggest Elvis Presley fan of all time. Besides listening to Elvis every Friday my dad also has a blanket of Elvis, movies of Elvis, and a framed photo of Elvis next to our family on the bookshelf. One of my father’s coworkers sketched him a portrait of Elvis Presley and he framed it and put it up at his work. I think he has had that sketch put up in the same place for about 15 years. My dad has received so many Christmas ornaments of Elvis that we have an entire Christmas tree dedicated to his Elvis ornaments. My dad once told me that he has never bought a single Elvis Presley Christmas ornament in his life. Everyone knows how much my Father loves Elvis so they believe it’s a great present for him! I would say my dad probably has about 35 Elvis Presley Christmas ornaments. I think my father could beat anyone in an Elvis Presley trivia game. I would say that he has listened to every single album and song that Elvis Presley has released. On top of that I believe that my dad probably knows the words to about 75% of Elvis’ songs. I firmly believe that my dad has listened to more Elvis Presley music in one year than most people do in a lifetime.

When I was 7 years old my Father finally convinced my mom to let us go to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. I was young but I remember everything about Elvis Presley’s home tour. It was beautiful, and the mansion was huge. Some parts of Elvis’ home are not open to the public like some of the upstairs and his bedroom. People were not allowed to take pictures inside his home. Elvis Presley’s body was moved from his gravesite and he is now buried next to his mother, Gladys in the backyard garden of Graceland. I remember seeing his gravestone and I remember people crying when they saw it, including my Father. My mother once told me that by the end of the home tour you really feel like you knew Elvis as a person, so when you get to his grave everyone is quiet and respectful. She told me that it was very emotional and a lot of people cry. She said that even the kids are quiet and respectful. Although I was only 7 years old I still remember seeing Elvis Presley’s grave. I thought it was beautiful in the garden and I loved all the flowers they had around it. I appreciated that he was laid to rest next to his mother. One of the most vivid memories I have of visiting Graceland is seeing the bathroom that Elvis Presley died in, he passed away on the toilet. We were not allowed into the restroom, but we could look at it and I remember thinking, wow he died right here. It was crazy to me. There is an Elvis Presley museum across the street from Elvis’ Graceland home. My family visited that too after seeing his home. There were many things that I remember including going up inside Elvis Presley’s plane. It was so cool to see his extravagant lifestyle and the riches he had. I remember seeing all of Elvis’ trophies and accomplishments and thinking about how he must have been the best musician of all time. I loved my family’s trip to Graceland, and I am very happy I got to go and learn more about Elvis and see his home. I will always cherish the experience that I had there and how much fun I had. I know that our trip to Graceland will always be one of my dad’s favorite family vacations. Below is a photograph of my brother and I outside of the museum.

I know that I got my love for Elvis because of my dad. I am still surrounded by Elvis Presley and listen to his music from time to time. My favorite Elvis Presley albums are his Christmas Albums and ELV1S album. I enjoy Presley’s Christmas Albums because we listen to them when we open presents on Christmas Day. I also enjoy his 30 greatest #1 hits album, ELV1S because I that is the album my dad and I have listened to the most together. My favorite Elvis Presley songs are “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Love me Tender.” I hope to dance at my wedding with my Father to Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” I really believe that this song truly grasps our relationship as father and daughter. I think this song emulates the love I have for my dad. I have always been my dad’s number one fan. I have always been a daddy’s girl and will always be. I am not an only child however, I am the only daughter. I think that my dad and I have a very special relationship. Some of my favorite memories are learning about Elvis from my father and enjoyed it so much because I could tell talking about it made him happy. Elvis Presley was one of the many things that bonded me and my father when I was growing up. I was born 20 years after Elvis’ death. I think the fact that Elvis Presley has had such an impact on my life even 40 years after his death is an example of how much of a legacy and icon he truly is. I believe that Elvis Presley is truly the “King of Rock and Roll.” I think he earned the title and deserves to keep the title because of his contribution to the genre, his successful music career, and his continuous success after death.

Elvis Presley is known as “The King of Rock and Roll” for his contribution to the genre of Rock and Roll, his successful music career, and his continuous success after death. Presley was considered a music rebel when he first started his career and with it, he started a new genre, now known as Rock and Roll. Elvis Presley has one of the most successful music careers of all time and dominated the genre of Rock and Roll. Even after his death, Elvis continues to make money and his songs are still well known and popular to this day (Nash, 2017).

Elvis Presley has made some of the greatest contributions an artist can to the genre of Rock and Roll. According to Rolling Stone, Elvis Presley was the Rock and Roll genre’s first real star and deserves to be called the King. Presley was considered a rebel for many reasons during his music career. The King liked to use provocative dance moves and clothing during his shows. Elvis captivated millions of fans and outraged many others with his personality and music career (Boeder, 2018).

Elvis Presley has had one of the most successful music careers of all time. Presley’s music career includes 57 albums. 53 of his records were on the Top 40 albums on the Billboard Top 200 chart. According to his record sales, he has an estimated one billion records sold worldwide. Elvis has had 150 albums and singles that have certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum. and has had over 149 songs on Billboard’s hot 100 list (Unterberger, 2020). 114 songs were in the top 40, 40 were in the top 10, and 18 number one songs. He still holds the world record for the most top 40 hits. Elvis is the most awarded musician in rock history. The King was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame on January 23, 1986. Elvis has also been inducted into the Country, Gospel, Rockabilly and R&B hall of fames as well. From 1956 to 1958, Elvis Presley absolutely dominated the top 100 charts and the genre of rock and roll. Elvis has received 14 Grammy nominations and has won three Grammys for his gospel music. Outside of his successful music career, Elvis also starred in 31 feature films and two documentaries (Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises, 2020).

Elvis Presley is still a well-known musician and continues to make money 40 years after his death. Presley died in his home at Graceland on August 16, 1997 at 42 years old. Even after death, Elvis Presley routinely makes the Forbes list of top-earning dead celebrities, he made $40 million in 2018 (Greenburg, 2019). His home estate, Graceland is the second most visited private residence in the country, after the White House(Nash, 2017). In 2006 Graceland was named a National Historic Landmark. Graceland has welcomed over 18 million Elvis fans since it first opened in 1982. If Presley’s fortune continues to grow at the same rate, then his estate will keep a collection average of $150,000 dollars per day (Live Counter, 2020).

It is clear to see that Elvis Presley fans are still captivated by his music and his legacy, which is why I believe he deserves to be called “The King.” I will always love Elvis and appreciate his music, but most of all I will always be grateful for the way Elvis brought me and my dad together. 

References 

Boeder, J. (2018, January 08). Does Elvis Presley deserve to be called the King of Rock? Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://thetylt.com/entertainment/elvis-presley-king-of-rock

Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises. (2020). Achievements. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.graceland.com/achievements

Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises. (2020). Quick Facts. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.graceland.com/quick-facts   

Greenburg, Z. (2019, February 21). The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities Of 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2018/10/31/the-highest-paid-dead-celebrities-of-2018/

Live Counter. (2020). How Much Did Elvis Presley Make? Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.live-counter.com/elvis-presley-money/

Nash, A. (2017, August 14). Remembering Elvis Presley, ‘King of Rock-n-Roll’. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/celebrities/info-2017/elvis-presley-king-rock-roll.html

Unterberger, R. (2020). Elvis Presley: Album Discography. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-presley-mn0000180228/discography