In 1941, Elvis started to school at the East Tupelo Consolidated School. He was remembered in later years by his classmates and teachers as being a loner. He loved school and was interested in art, history and literature as well as music. He was elected to student council at Milam Junior High School in Tupelo.

Elvis's early years were hard. Vernon had diffulty holding a job and there was little money. Vernon was arrested and charged with forgery on Novemer 16, 1937 and was in jail for six months before being sentenced to the state penitentiary at Parchman for three years. Gladys lost their home and moved in next door with her in-laws. Vernon was released by 1940 and they moved several times before buying a house on North Green Street in Tupelo in 1946. Their home was three of the "white" houses in a black neighborhood, next door to a Black Church and close to Shakerag, a black slum that was always alive with all sorts of music had a big influnence on Elvis' style of music. Elvis also listerned to Tupelo's radio station, WELO. Mississippi Slim, a local talent, hosted a noon time show called "Singin' and Pickin' Hillbilly" that led into "Black and White Jamboree, an amateur hour. Elvis would go to the station almost every Saturday to see it. He sang "Old Shep" recorded by Red Foley on the Jamboree on May 05, 1944 at the age of nine and won a blue ribbon. A year later, he sang "Old Shep" at the Mississippi Alabama State Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo winning second place; five dollars and free carnival rides all day. Gladys remembered, "Elvis had no way to make music and the other kids wouldn't accompany him. He just climbed up on a chair so he could reach the microphone and sang "Old Shep".

Elvis got his first guitar when he was eleven years old. He was taught his first cords by Reverend Frank Smith, the pastor of the First Assembly Church he attended. He and his family continued to attend the First Assembly Church and Elvis had a great love for gospel music. Elvis and his parents appeared as a singing trio at camp meetings, revivals and church conventions. His mother once told an interviewer, "he would slide off my lap in church, run down the aisle, and scramble up to the platform. He would stand looking at the choir and try to sing with them. He was too little to know the words, but he could carry the tune." He made this statement "Then there was the preachers and they cut-up all over the place, jumpin' on the piano, movin' ever' which way. I guess I learned a lot from them."

In 1948 the Presleys loaded up their processions in their 1939 Plymouth and moved to Memphis. Elvis later stated, "We were broke, mam, broke. We headed for Memphis. Things had to get better. Their first home was at 370 Washington Street in a rooming house. Vernon started to work at Precision Stool and they moved to a one room apartment. Gladys started working as a seamstress for Fashion Curtains to help supplement the family's income. Elvis enrolled in Christine School on Third Street, which he attended for the rest of that year. In 1949 Vernon began working full time at the United Paint Company and they later moved to an apartment in the Lauderdale Courts on Winchester Street. Elvis began his freshman year at Humes High where he graduated from in 1953. He joined the ROTC his sophomore year but had to quit after a year because or lack of time. He worked at varies jobs during his school years to earn spending money and help out with the family income.

Elvis spent a lot of time on Beale Street listerning to blues singers such as B.B. King and Arthur "Big Boy" Cruddup. He also listerned to the Memphis Radio Stations that played a mixture of country, rockabilly and rock and roll. He would also go to the ghetto and listern to the black music. Elvis still loved gospel music and went to the Old Fellows Hall where country and gospel singers performed.

Elvis's first girl friend was Betty McMahan who also lived in the Lauderdale Courts. He then began seeing a girl named Billie Wardlaw. They enjoyed going to the movies and local hamburger joints. All though Elvis played and sang with his friends in the courts, he was still shy and didn't let very many kids at Humes High know that he could sing. During his senior year he sang "Old Shep" in the Christmas talent show and received an encore. This gave him more confidents.

On July 18, 1953, Elvis went to Sun Records owned by Sam Phillips and cut "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" for $3.98, a present for his mother's birthday. In July 1954, Elvis cut "That's Alright Mama" at Sun Records, thus beginning his singing career. About six months before recording it, he and his cousin Billy Smith had hitchhiked from Memphis to Tupelo to spend the weekend with his grandmother. By August 1954 it had sold over six thousand copies. He played local bars in Memphis and made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry on October 12, 1954. He signed a one year contract to appear on the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show which was know for playing newer more rockish style music, and second in popularity to the Grand Ole Opry.

Elvis began attending church regularly at the Assembly of God Church on McLemore Street for the first time after leaving Tupelo in January of 1954 and met a 15 year old girl named Dixie Locke. They dated for two years, Dixie agreeing to a trail engagement in February 1954. Elvis felt that he was being unfair to her because he was on the road all time and broke it off the last of 1955. During the year of 55, he played one-night performances all over the south, appearing at several high schools in auditoriums and gyms along with Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. His first appearance in Tupelo was at the Belden High School Gym with Gene Simmons, a singer (Haunted House) and songwriter from Tupelo, opening the show on Wednesday June 15. He signed a contract with Bob Neal as his manager in January of 1955 but Colonel Tom Parker convinced Elvis to sign him on as his manager later that year. Colonel Parker told Elvis, "Son, right now you have a million dollars' worth of talent. By the time we're through, you'll have a million dollars."

In 1956 Elvis recorded his first songs for RCA two days after his 21th birthday, appeared on the Milton Berle Show in Hollywood, played in Las Vegas for the first time, and met with movie producer Hal Wallis for a screen test. On March 31, 1956, his first album entered the Billboard chart at #11. Elvis began filming his first movie, "Love Me Tender" in August of 1956. He returned to Tupelo and played at the Mississippi and Alabama State Fair on September 26, 1956. His second album, "Elvis", spent 26 weeks as #1 during 1956.

Elvis filmed "Loving You" and "Jailhouse Rock" in 1957. He bought Graceland in March of 1957 for $100,000 and moved into it in April. He recorded a Christmas album and appeared at the Mississippi-Alabama State Dairy Show on September 27th. He received his draft papers in December to report to the downtown induction office in Memephis on January 20, 1958 but was given a deferment to finish filming the movie Creole.

He reported for active duty in March 1958 and arrived in Fort Hood, Texas on March 29, 1958 to begin basic training. Vernon and Gladys moved to Kileen, Texas so Elvis could live off base during his basic training. Gladys developed acute hepatitis August, returning to Memphis for hospitalization and died on August 14, 1958 at the age of 42. After completing basic training, Elvis was transferred to West Germany to serve the rest of his two year enlistment.

Elvis met Pricilla Beaulieu, the 14 year old daughter of Captain Joseph and Ann Beaulieu, while stationed in Germany. He returned to the United States and was discharged from active duty on March 05, 1960. His first movie was "GI BLUES" after being discharged. The soundtract album was entered the billboard album chart in October 1960 going to number for one ten weeks, remaining on the chart for 111 days. Vernon remarried July 03, 1960 to Davada "Dee" Stanley, a divorcee with three sons. In 1960, Elvis had three number one singles, one number one album and one number two album.<

On February 25, 1961, Elvis did a benefit for several Memphis charities at Ellis Auditorium. This day was proclaimed "Elvis Presley Day" in Memphis by Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington. This was his first live performance since being discharged from the Army other than his appearance on Frank Sinatra's television show. Elvis performed for a benefit to help raise money for the building of the USS Arizonz Memorial at Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor on March 25, 1961. This was his last live performance until 1968.

Elvis continued to film movies and recorded "Good Luck Charm" which became a number one single in 1962, his last number one pop single until 1969. Pricilla Beaulieu flew from Germany to Los Angeles in the summer of 1962 and returned in December to spend Christmas with Elvis at Graceland in Memphis. After Christmas, she went back to her family in Germany for a short period, moving back to Memphis in early 1963 and finished her senior year of high school in Memphis.

From 1963 thru 1966, Elvis films eight more movies. He proposed to Pricilla in December of 1966. They were married at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 01, 1967. They had a second wedding reception at Graceland on May 29 for family and friends who did not attend the wedding in Las Vegas. Elvis bought a ranch in Hernando, Mississippi in February 1967 naming it the "Circle G".

Lisa Marie Presley was born on February 01, 1968. Elvis taped his first live performance since 1961 in June of 1968, "Elvis". Two of his orginal band members, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana sit in on the session. The special aired on December 03.

Elvis recorded in Memphis for the first time since 1955 in January/February 1969. Two albums and four singles were released from this session. "Suspicious Minds" became his first number one single since "Good luck Charm" and was his last number one pop single.Elvis preformed in three one-month long shows in Las Vegas from July 31, 1969 thru September 07, 1970. The first engagement breaks all existing Las Vegas attendance records and Elvis's first live album was recorded. He breaks his own attendance record during the second engagement. MGM was on hand during the third engagement to film a documentary film to be shown in theaters. He visited President Nixon at the White House in December.

1971 was a good year for Elvis. He was named "One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation" by the United States Junior Chambers of Commerce with an awards banquet being held on January 16. In May, he was featured on the cover of Look Magazine. The East Height Garden Club in Tupelo, Mississippi restored the two room house Elvis was born in and it opened for public tours and a stretch of 51 south running in front of Graceland was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard in June. Elvis received the Bing Crosby Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences while playing an engagement in Las Vegas August09/Spetember 06.

By the early part of 1972, Elvis and Pricilla had separated and Pricilla moved out with Lisa Marie. They filed for a divorce in July and he began dating Linda Thompson.

Elvis performed at the Honolulu International Center Arena on January 14, 1973. The "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite" was broadcast live and beamed by Globecam Satellite to Australia, South korea, Japan, Thailand, the Phillipines and South Vietmam. A tape of the show was shown on NBC on April 04th. In March, Elvis and the Colonel sold Elvis's singers royalty rights to RCA on all of his recordings up to that point. Elvis and Pricilla were granted a divorce on October 09th. Elvis was hospitalized in Memphis from October 15 thru November 01 for pneumonia and pleurist, an enlarged colon, and hepatitis.

Elvis continued to tour in concert from January 1974 throughtout June 1977. His last concert was June 26, 1977 in Indianapolis at the Indiana's Market Square Arena. Elvis bought a Convair 880 jet in 1975, naming it the Lisa Marie. He held a recording section in the den at Graceland in February 1976, using mobile equipment brought in RCA. Elvis and Linda Thompson broke up in November 1976 and he began dating Ginger Alden. He was hospitalize from January 29th thru February 14, 1975 and again April 01 thru 05, 1977.

Elvis Aaron Presley died Tuesday, August 16, 1977. He was found lying unconscious in the bath room floor of his Graceland Mansion at 2:30 p.m. by his road manager and good friend, Joe Esposito. Esposito could find no signs of breathing or a heartbeat and summoned EMS, starting CPR. Elvis was carried to Baptist Hospital's emergency room where he was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m at the age of 42. He was emtombed Thursday, August 18, in the Forest Hill Cemetary mausoleum. He was survived by his daughter, Lisa Marie, his father Vernon and step-mother Dee, three step-brothers, David, Billy and Ricky Stanley, and his grandmother, Mrs. Minnie Presley.

Gladys Presley's body was later moved from a grave in the cemetery to the mausoleum. An attempt was made on August 28, 1977 to steal Elvis's body and hold it for ransom. The bodies of Elvis and his mother were moved from Forest Hill Cemetery to the grounds at Graceland, where they were buried. The statue which stood over Gladys's grave was later moved to Graceland. Vernon Presley died June 26, 1979 and was buried beside Gladys and Elvis.

After the death of Elvis, the Tupelo Garden Club developed the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation of Tupelo. They added sidewalks, landscaping and a retaining wall around his birthplace. A nearby youth center was converted into a gift shop and museum. A chapel was added, with a total of seven rooms being added over the years. A hammer that was used to build the house is in the museum. The chapel was Elvis's idea. While visiting at Graceland, a friend from Tupelo asked him "Elvis if they ever did anything back home in your honor or your memory what would you like". Elvis replied, "I don't know, if they ever did do anything, why don't you just build a chapel, a place where my fans could meditate".

Elvis Photo's

Willie Nelson

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