Dead 33 years but Elvis is always on their mind

Published on Friday 8 January 2010 09:00

ATINY two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, 75 years ago today. Vernon and Gladys Presley had just become parents to twin sons. One, was, tragically, stillborn; the other came 35 minutes later, a lively lad with a fine set of lungs and a future no-one could have predicted.

While they laid Jessie Garon to rest – in a shoebox in an unmarked grave – they carefully chose a name for their surviving son.

Three-quarters of a century later, nearly 33 years after his death, that name is still recognised – indeed worshipped – the world over.

The baby was, of course, the one and only Elvis Aaron Presley.

Had he not binged on burgers, fried peanut butter sandwiches and drugs, today Elvis would be curling those famous lips, giving probably arthritic hips a little shake and blowing out 75 candles on his birthday cake.

Instead, thousands of fans are gathering at his Graceland mansion for a birthday celebration – minus, of course, their idol.

Elvis died, aged 42, in 1977. But thanks to an image carefully packaged and presented by Elvis Presley Enterprises, more than 50,000 Elvis tribute acts around the world and millions of devoted fans, his memory survives.

Tributes and special events are being held worldwide to mark what would have been his birthday – even Scottish tourist agency VisitScotland has got in on the act, with a special Elvis-inspired advertising drive featuring a kilt-clad Las Vegas version of the King kicking snow off Arthur's Seat.

Despite family roots that can be traced to Aberdeenshire, Elvis's only visit to Britain was a brief three-hour stopover at Prestwick Airport. Yet his legion of Scottish fans are as starstruck as ever.

The question, then, is why?

"He's like a modern day Jesus Christ," says local Elvis tribute performer Rob Kingsley. "It's like a religious movement with Elvis at the front of it. He was unique. His voice was unlike any other at the time, he had this presence. It was a combination of many things."

Rob, 41, became hooked on his hero as a child, when he heard Heartbreak Hotel playing at a friend's house in Prestonpans.

"It stopped me right in my tracks," he recalls. "It was like the Pied Piper – the music had me mesmerised."

When he joined the 1st Battalion the Royal Scots, Rob entertained fellow squaddies with Elvis songs. He went on to twice win the title of Europe's top Elvis tribute act and now performs around the world.

His tribute show has its own loyal legion of devoted fans who, with no chance of ever seeing their true hero in the flesh, are more than happy to trek around the country following Rob's version.

"I'm second-best to the guy but that's a huge honour. It's a very small insight into the kind of connection Elvis had with his fans.

"It's partly the mystery around him, he never performed in Europe so he left people wanting more. Then there's the question over did he die, or is he alive? Some really believe he is alive because they desperately want him to be.

"He was amazing. Very humble and with exceptional manners. And then there are the ballads. No-one ever did a ballad like Elvis."

Rob believes that a 75-year-old Elvis would still be packing out the largest of venues. "Look at Tony Bennett and Andy Williams. They're still performing. If he was alive, he'd be just the same."

Fan David Griffin is acutely aware of Elvis's appeal – he named his Leith Walk record and book shop Elvis Shakespeare. He says the King's appeal is largely down to his greatest assets – his voice and those hips.

"Elvis could sing the phone book and it would sound fabulous. Let's face it, he sang some pretty rubbish songs and still made them sound great. And I'm told the girls were quite fond of his hips," he laughs.

"I used to run an Elvis Presley darts tournament every year on the anniversary of his death," adds David. "Around 50 of us would turn up to play darts dressed as Elvis from the Vegas days.

"Lots of the older Elvis fans are a bit sniffy about that stage of his career, but for many of us, that's the Elvis that will be forever fixed in our minds."

For tribute act John Burns, 48, from Livingston, the passing of time can't diminish the King's appeal. He was hooked from the age of six when he saw him at the cinema in Viva Las Vegas.

"Elvis had this charisma," he explains. "There was just something about him. I remember thinking 'wow!' He had a great rapport with his fans, which is why they're devoted to him.

"We'll buy every new CD even though we've heard all the stuff he's done a thousand times, just so we have it. Some are pretty extreme. I know one guy who will go out and buy a film just because someone mentions Elvis in it. He lives and breathes Elvis.

"People spend a fortune. So what? There are worse things they could do."

Todd Slaughter, 64, who runs the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain, says that part of Elvis's appeal is down to being in the right place at the right time with the right talent. "He emerged ten years after the end of the Second World War, when teens were slaves of the factories, there was austerity.

"He represented a new beginning for teenagers who wanted their own music.

"Part of why he's still so popular is down to the fact that when he became a star, recording facilities were very good and the quality of filmmaking was good – that's preserved his talent and made it more accessible to people today.

"The films in particular are social history – you look at Viva Las Vegas, and the city has around ten casinos and not much else. He filmed in Florida before it was taken over by Disney."

He says a 75-year-old Elvis would still bring the house down – and perhaps he'd even manage a few of the eye-watering, hip-thrusting moves that helped make him famous.

"There's no question that he wouldn't still be performing," Todd insists. "During his last few years he was getting into country music but I think he'd have gone back to making great pop music."

From the hip-shaking young rocker whose moves earned him the nickname Elvis the Pelvis to the Las Vegas diamant jumpsuits and burger addiction, Todd believes the wonder of Elvis is so strong that he'll still be harnessing fans in another 75 years. "Unfortunately many people's view of Elvis is of him at the end of his life, this sad man in a jumpsuit that looked like a giant Babygro," he says.

"There was much more to him than that. Today's pop stars are here today, gone today.

"That's why there'll probably never be anyone like Elvis."

Celebrate Elvis's 75th birthday in style – Elvis Shakespeare, 347 Leith Walk, is offering visitors to the shop 20 per cent off all Elvis items today only. Visit www.elvisshakespeare.com

Rob Kingsley: www.elvistributeuk.com

Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain: www.elvispresleyfanclubuk.co.uk

John Burns tribute act: www.freewebs.com/johnnybeta/

ARE YOU HIP TO THE FACTS OF ELVIS?

HE'S the lip-curling, hip-thrusting, diamant encrusted jumpsuit-wearing king of rock'n'roll. But how much do you know about Elvis Presley?

&#149 He had Scottish blood – the Parish of Lonmay in Aberdeenshire is where Elvis' ancestors Andrew Presley and Elspeth Leg married on 27 August, 1713.

&#149 Elvis appeared aged ten at a talent contest, where he sang Old Shep. He didn't win.

&#149 His father quit smoking for two weeks to save to buy his son an 11th birthday present. Elvis wanted a bike, his parents gave him a guitar.

&#149 He was in the US army in Germany when he was first given amphetamines which, he happily found, gave him energy and helped control his weight.

&#149 His love of burgers and peanut butter was legendary, but at one point Elvis seriously restricted his meals and ate nothing but meatloaf, mashed potatoes and tomatoes for two years.

&#149 After Elvis died, taxes and legal fees left his estate almost bankrupt.

&#149 The King's favourite aftershave is said to have been the classic men's fragrance, Brut.

&#149 The singer was a black belt in karate.

&#149 Elvis recorded more than 600 songs during his career, but didn't write any.

&#149 He was famed for his sleek black locks, but as a youngster Elvis was blond.

&#149 Elvis once owned a chimp called Scatter whose party trick was to look up the skirt of any female who was passing.