Maci

Written by Maci

Modified & Updated: 03 Aug 2024

Jessica Corbett

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elvis Presley Facts

Every now and then, an artist comes along that defines a generation. Universally known as the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley rose to fame in the 1960s.  With three Grammy awards under his belt, there is no doubting the King’s talents and charm among fans and music critics alike. Many people acknowledge Elvis as a pioneer of rock and roll – not just in the U.S. – but in the entire world. However, there’s still a lot to learn about him. Find out more about this rock icon with these Elvis Presley facts.

  1. Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935.
  2. He was born in the state of Mississippi in the United States. 
  3. Elvis Presley is known as the King of Rock and Roll.
  4. He signed his first label with Sun Records.
  5. Elvis Presley died at the age of 42.
  1. Elvis Presley’s full name is Elvis Aron Presley. 
  2. Elvis became known to the media and his fans as The King.
  3. He also performed as an actor. 
  4. Elvis Presley counts among the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century.
  5. He relocated to the state of Tennessee at 13 years old.
  6. He began his music career in 1954.
  7. Elvis Presley’s first producer was Sam Phillips. 
  8. Throughout his career, Elvis had several chart-topping singles and albums. 
  9. Elvis Presley was married to Priscilla Beaulieu.
  10. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977.
  1. In his performances, Elvis Presley often played with a band as the lead guitarist. 
  2. Elvis Presley had one child named Lisa Marie Presley. 
  3. Apart from the guitar, Elvis Presley was also known to play the piano. 
  4. Elvis stood 1.82 meters tall.
  5. Elvis Presley also served in the military in 1958.
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Elvis Presley popularized quick weddings in the city of Las Vegas.

In the film Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley had a quick marriage with his co-star Ann Margaret. Due to the success of the film, Las Vegas began to popularize the idea of white little chapels and shotgun weddings in the city. 

Later on, Elvis also had a real wedding in the city of Las Vegas with his wife Priscilla. Today, many of these chapels within the city serve not only as a venue for quick weddings, but also as a tourist attraction.

Elvis Presley Facts
Source: Pexels

He enjoyed playing pranks on people while dressed as a police officer.

In an interview, Elvis Presley described how he would dress up as a police officer and pull people over to give them his autograph. At the time, Elvis would mainly pulled female drivers over when doing so -much to the displeasure of his wife. Today, those Elvis autographs sell for a good sum of money.

He began gaining much more weight towards the end of his career.

From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Elvis developed a habit of overeating along with taking his prescription drugs.

This caused Elvis to quickly gain weight to the point of being severely unmotivated. During this stage in his life, he would need an assistant to help him do small tasks throughout the day such as getting up and maintaining his diet. 

Elvis Presley went through a great state of depression during his career.

Around the late 1960s, Elvis began to develop poor personal habits and an addiction to his prescription drugs. 

By the early 1970s, he was officially diagnosed with depression and bagun taking antidepressants to manage it. 

Elvis Presley had a twin brother.

Elvis Presley was born in a two-room house located in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935. His mother stated that she went through a complicated birth which led Elvis’s twin brother unable to survive the procedure. 

After being hospitalized, his mother no longer had other children after him. As a result, Elvis grew up to have a good relationship with his mother who was strongly attached to him. 

Elvis Presley Facts
Source: Pexels

Elvis had a badge as a narcotics agent from the President of the United States.

Elvis Presley once met with Richard Nixon in 1970 at the Oval Office during his presidency. At the time, Elvis already showed signs of his drug addiction which led him to ask the president for a badge as a narcotics agent. 

Surprisingly, President Nixon agreed to this despite the lack of training that Elvis had as a narcotics agent.

As of 2020, Elvis Presley has a net worth of $300 million.

Due to his success and fame as a musical icon, Elvis Presley accumulated a large fortune during his life. However, Elvis also enjoyed spending his fortune on his family and friends, which left behind large debts in his bank account.  

In 1993, whatever was left of Elvis’s wealth was inherited by his daughter Lisa when she turned 25 years of age. Lisa Presley also inherited the house of Elvis Presley known as Graceland.

Elvis Presley starred in over 30 films.

During his career, Elvis Presley also got involved in the film-making industry as an actor. Starring in over 30 feature films, this only made his female fanbase grow even wider. 

At the time, Elvis’s performances were considered phenomenal which left critics with nothing negative to say.

He was considered a germaphobe.

According to his wife Elvis considered himself an extreme germaphobe. Often, Elvis would drink from the part of the mug that was above the handle knowing fully well that others would not drink from a mug like this. 

Elvis would also only use one cup that only he could use. All in all, his wife described his habits to be religious when it comes to avoiding germs and dirt. 

He was not always welcomed in the city of Las Vegas.

Elvis Presley first came to Las Vegas during the late 1950s. At the time, Rock and Roll had not been as widespread as it was during the 60s which led Elvis’s performances to be unwelcomed. 

Over time, the genre of Rock and Roll grew to become more popular and Elvis was considered an icon in the city by the early 70s. How’s that for neat Elvis Presley facts?

Elvis Presley Facts
Source: Pexels

Many believe that Elvis Presley might have faked his death.

Due to his condition before the announcement of his death, many turned to believe that Elvis faked his death to run away from the fame and the spotlight. At the time, this was considered to be a common occurrence with large musical celebrities such as Jim Morrison and Tupac. 

During his musical career, Elvis had recorded over 600 songs and became one of the most commonly impersonated celebrities in the world. Despite the tragic end of his legacy, he was considered one of the greatest icons in early pop culture. Definitely one of the more controversial Elvis Presley Facts.

Elvis Presley had his huge comeback during the early 1960s.

After the initial hype of his carer, Elvis Presley slowly moved down the musical charts. However, this all turned around during his comeback tour in the early 1960s which was simply called Elvis

After a successful run, he released a new album which put him in the top ten charts again and sparked his popularity among old and new fans. During this time, Elvis also pledged that he would no longer perform songs that he did not believe in despite the impact it would have on his musical career. 

Elvis Presley died from a heart attack in 1977.

Around the time of his death, Elvis Presley had been in very poor health. He suffered from high blood pressure, an enlarged colon, and also had glaucoma and liver damage. 

Later on, his autobiopsy also revealed that Elvis suffered from a genetic heart muscle disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This eventually led to the fatal heart attack in 1977. 

Elvis Presley never toured Europe.

It may seem like one of the unlikely-sounding Elvis Presley facts, but he never performed outside America and Canada. Some theorize that this was because Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Parker, was an illegal immigrant from Holland. Many believe that this is why Elvis never went on tour in Europe as it would cause Colonel Parker to be deported from America if he tried to apply for a passport. 

Colonel Parker also pushed for the marriage of Priscilla and Elvis for the sake of the King’s image. In turn, this decision made Elvis even more popular. 

There is a sandwich named after Elvis Presley.

In his life, Elvis has been known to love a bread called Fool’s Gold Loaf. He was also known to be a large fan of peanut butter, which eventually led to a variation of his favorite sandwich named after him.

The sandwich was simply named ‘The Elvis Sandwich’ and consisted of two slices of bread, sliced bananas, bacon, and peanut butter. How’s that for yummy Elvis Presley Facts?

A critic once described Elvis Presley’s songs as borderline pornographic.

During his comeback, Elvis Presley was signed to RCA record labels which allowed him to record hit songs such as Are You Lonesome Tonight? and It’s Now or Never. This album was well received by many apart from one music critic who stated that his songs have now become borderline pornographic compared to his previous works. 

However, the songs in this album were also considered to be some of his memorable works as Elvis rushed into the studio to record as soon as his tenure in the military finished.

Elvis Presley had more than one lover at a time.

Throughout his career as the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley has had several personal relationships. At the time, Elvis became notorious for his devilish charms and charisma which led many women to swoon over him. 

However, despite his many relationships, it is unclear as to whether or not Elvis had sexual relations with the majority of these women. This was a topic that Elvis constantly kept to himself while his previous partners also rarely shared details on what went on during their time together.

Teenagers were convinced to take a Polio vaccine because of Elvis Presley.

During 1955, researchers and doctors were able to successfully make a vaccine for the Polio disease. However, many doctors had trouble convincing the youth to take the vaccine for the sake of their health

Elvis Presley then decided to take this to the press and publicly stated that he took the vaccine himself. This would lead his younger fans to be convinced and do the same.

Elvis’s wife, Priscilla was asked to always look her best at all times.

Despite having a long relationship and marriage before their divorce, Elvis never once saw Priscilla doing her hair or makeup. Additionally, Elvis asked this from her specifically stating that he wanted her to uphold the same beauty standards as he did for the sake of his career.

Priscilla Presley stated that she was also always in full makeup around Elvis and that he has never seen her get dressed. 

Elvis Presley was allergic to eyelash dye.

As he aged, Elvis Presley became more and more concerned with how he could keep his youthful looks. One of the methods he repeated was using black hair dye to keep his hair from looking white and old. 

This included Elvis dying his head, eyebrows, and as well as his eyelashes. However, at one point during the procedure, some of the dye went into Elvis’s eyes which caused a severe allergic reaction and health complications later on in his life. 

Elvis Presley Facts
Source: Unsplash

The promoter that Elvis Presley worked with used to work in a carnival.

Elvis Presley’s manager and promoter, Colonel Parker was said to have previously been a carnival promoter. However, despite his unlikely background, Elvis made Parker one of his most trusted confidants and played a large role in the making of Elvis’s success. 

Oftentimes, Colonel Parker would also refer to Elvis as ‘my attraction’ as if he were a part of his carnival. While he may have questionable motives, he was still able to help Elvis rise to fame and fortune using his promotion techniques. 

Elvis Presley joined the United States Military for two years.

At the height of his fame and musical career, Elvis Presley joined the military in 1958. Elvis served in the United States military for two years during the time of the Cold War until the year 1960.

Despite already being a famous musician at the time, he was still drafted and his number was called from the reserve.

Elvis Presley had relationships with underage women.

At the time, Elvis Presley was known to have personal relationships with several teenage girls during his twenties. Elvis stated that he had a preference for younger and more beautiful women.

However, Elvis referred to them as Jail Bait and refrained from having sexual relationships with them. Oftentimes, they would only lie in bed together while having these girls in white underwear.

He purchased the house called Graceland in 1957 during the first year of his career.

Elvis Presley purchased his famous home for $100,000 which later on became an iconic tourist attraction left by his legacy. Many believe that the house’s name comes from Grace, the daughter of the previous owner. 

Many fans would also often wait outside his house to catch a glimpse of the King of Rock and Roll. After the death of his mother, Elvis also received several letters and cards in the mail wishing him condolences by fans.

Elvis Presley was known to frequently carry a gun around with him.

Elvis Presley stated that he had been fond of guns ever since his childhood. Once he became an adult and made his own money, he purchased a rifle that he had been wanting for some time for himself. 

It was also stated that Elvis carried guns around with him frequently and would carelessly leave his pistol in his dressing room. At the time, one of his previous girlfriends also noted that Elvis once shot the TV in his home describing him to be a bit trigger happy. 

Source: Unsplash

He was a huge fan of Karate.

Elvis Presley stated that he was a big fan of the fighting style and practiced the art of Chito-Ryu during his time in the military. At the time, he was instructed by Hank Slemansky who trained him for two years before Elvis left the military and returned to his musical career. 

After returning on tour, Elvis would use his new moves on stage during his performances. Elvis also received his black belt in karate before he left Germany in 1960.

His first album stayed in the #1 spot for ten weeks straight.

His debut album simply titled ‘Elvis Presley’ released in 1956 and quickly soared to the number one spot on music charts. At the time, it was also the first Rock and Roll album to ever hit the number one spot which remained unbeatable for ten weeks straight. 

Because of this, Elvis Presley also earned the nickname of the Atomic Powered Singer. Grab a copy here and listen to the King of Rock yourself.

Elvis Presley named his penis after himself.

The King of Rock and Roll was known to have several short relationships with many women before marrying Priscilla. During those years, Elvis referred to his manhood as Little Elvis and stated that he was rarely left alone. 

During his discharge from the military in 1960, several women waited for him in each train stop from New Jersey to Tennessee just to catch a glimpse of the returning rock star. Elvis also took many of these women along with him to keep him company during his trip back home. 

Elvis never wrote any of his songs.

Of all his songs and hit singles, Elvis didn’t write a single one. However, he still stood out for his singing voice and hypnotic charisma. 

Throughout the span of his career, Elvis Presley was signed to 3 different record labels who wrote his songs for him. However, Elvis was given co-writing credit for some of the tracks that he has performed.

Elvis Presley frequently used shoe polish to make his hair black.

Elvis Presley’s career began rising during the mid-1950s. Due to his voice talent and maintained good looks, he quickly gained fans from all over the world. 

However, as he grew older, Elvis began to be more concerned over his looks and looked for ways to remain youthful. Because he was allergic to hair dye, he used shoe polish to maintain his black hair to keep looking young and fresh. How’s that for weird Elvis Presley facts?

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