Walkin’ In Graceland
Paul Simon was ringing in my ears that day as we drove the 3 hours from Nashville to Memphis. “ I’m goin’ to Graceland”. It was a bucket list item that I never thought would happen. Memphis is not really a vacation destination, so I could never justify a trip out there. Especially when my kids were little. But now I’m at a ripe old age with no kids to hold me and I just happen to be in Nashville for a conference. It would be a shame to come all this way from the west coast and NOT see the home of the King.
Always Was An Elvis Guy
I was 13 years old when Elvis died and I was a big fan. I remember hoping that he would lose the weight and get back to looking great. At that point in my life, I had a strong appreciation for Elvis and had been fascinated by him since I was a little kid. My aunt, who grew up a bobby socker (fan of early Sinatra) was also an original Elvis fan. I was very young when she let me borrow 3 or 4 Elvis albums. I was mesmerized! In the years following, I digested as much Elvis as I could. I read many books including the definitive two volume set by Peter Guralnick (Last Train To Memphis:The Rise of Elvis Presley and Careless Love: The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley) . Watched the concert and Hollywood movies for years.
I thought I knew Elvis pretty well, as well as a fan could, anyway. My love of Elvis is not a fanatical one but it is a big part of my personality. I have done numerous deep dives on this boy from Tupelo, Mississippi. I knew about the three major careers he had. His humble beginnings and tragic end. His story was very familiar to me. I have long lamented about Elvis’s ridiculous movie career and the lack of real music during that time. I fell in love with the ‘68 Comeback Special Elvis and the Vegas Elvis that followed. However, I was NOT ready for the next level. The next level being a visit to Elvis’s home in Memphis, Graceland. Of course, I have seen Graceland on TV many, many times but I was not prepared for the feeling that came over me actually being there.
On The Grounds
I was lucky enough to have the gift of a guided tour through Graceland. My wife surprised me with the VIP tour package. The parking area is across the street from the mansion and is called Elvis Presley’s Memphis. This area is an amazing 200,000 sq. ft.! It is where they house a lot, but not EVERYTHING, that Elvis touched. His cars, clothes, personal belongings. There are a few restaurants, gift shops and interactive fun. The exhibits rotate but all are displayed beautifully. We got to hang out in this area after our tour. The goosebumps started when we drove across Elvis Presley Blvd onboard a shuttle, through the famous mansion gates, to a VIP staging area on the side of the mansion. It was on that walk from the staging area, around the building, to the Graceland front doors, that I got my first up close view of the home of Elvis. It took my breath away to see those iconic columns framing the front door. And YES, everything did look smaller in real life, but still beautiful.
I won’t bore you with a rundown of the house tour but I will say that it was a pristine time capsule inside Graceland. Everything is painstakingly cared for and resembles how it looked when Elvis and his family walked down those halls. Funny side note: our tour guide told us that part of her job was housekeeping Graceland. She had to vacuum and dust. No real surprises as far as the house goes. I have seen pictures of everything I am seeing in person. It was the stories told by our tour guide that brought Elvis right to us in the room.
A Family Affair
Stories about who may have sat on that custom made 15 foot couch or of when Elvis actually recorded an album in the famous “Jungle Room” . It was still cool to see all these famous things.
What sticks out for me about this day were the tidbits that we learned while walking through the grounds of the country’s most famous house (other than that White one). For instance, like many employers, Elvis hired much of his extended family to work at the house. He had ones that worked close to him but others who did things like: clean the pool, answer the fan mail, etc. I feel that Elvis Presley Enterprises operated like many family-owned businesses. They kind of made it up as they went along. They had Col. Tom Parker as their only guide through this strange world but not even he could prepare them for what would happen.
I was struck when we entered Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley’s, office. It was a separate building next to Graceland, nothing special really. It looked like any other office, with file cabinets and desks. The room is famous for being the place that Elvis held his first press conference after returning from the Army. I have seen that footage many times and to see the actual desk, phone, file cabinets was unexpectedly fulfilling. There was a sign on the door admonishing people from hanging out in the office with no official business. I can only imagine the shenanigans Elvis and his entourage could get into in that office. I wondered about the poor, uneducated Vernon managing Elvis’s money and such. How overwhelming it must have been.
Boys Will Be Boys
Speaking of shenanigans, there were plenty happening around Graceland while Elvis was alive. Golf cart racing, racquetball playing, guns shooting, tackle football, SLOT CAR RACING. That’s correct! Elvis had a huge slot car track built off of the main house. When he got tired of the slot car track, it was disassembled and given to a local Boy Scout troop.
We were also told a story about Elvis and his boys shooting guns on the property. There was a 2 story extension built onto Graceland that had a large balcony area. Elvis and crew would shoot rifles from that balcony across a small meadow and try to hit the target of a utility shed near Vernon’s office. As the guide told us this story, we were walking out of this utility shed. She asked us to turn around and look at the entrance to the shed. It was riddled with bullet holes from all the missed shots one of which hit a playground slide nearby!
A Generous King
The stories of Elvis’s generosity are many. Someone would compliment his ring and he would take the ring off his finger and just give it to the person. He loved the look on people’s faces when he gifted them jewelry or even a CAR! Sometimes to random people. But many times to those closest to him. Elvis loved to surprise strangers but really loved to surprise the guys and ladies who worked for him. We saw many examples of rings or items that Elvis gave away to people only to have that person stipulate, in their will, that the item be returned back to Graceland when they died. Now THAT’S a fan!
There was a photo that showed 5 cars parked in front of the Graceland front steps. Our guide explained that when Elvis came off the road and returned to Graceland, his staff would park the cars right in front of the house WITH the keys in the ignition. This was so Elvis could jump into any one of them he fancied and immediately drive off.
Getting The V.I.P. Treatment
Being on the VIP tour gave us a few special perks. One of them happened in a normal looking room near the racquetball court. Our group walked into the room that had wallpaper of thousands of Elvis photos. The guide handed us each a pair of linen gloves and told us that we were going to ‘touch an artifact’ so put the gloves on! My heart started racing. An artifact?! The perfect description of an Elvis personal item. She opened a locked cabinet that had scarves, watches, rings, wallets, glasses and a number of other personal items belonging to Elvis.. She then pulled a tray out that had an ornate 6 inch wide belt laying on it. THIS was our artifact. We each got to hold the belt which was not a stage belt but still an ornate one with brass lion heads and chains on it. She showed us a picture of Elvis wearing the belt. There were sweat stains on it!!
All in all, a soul-affirming visit to the home of the GOAT of the music business. I was mesmerized by Elvis at a young age and that fascination only grew as I grew. After studying and viewing a lot of Elvis material over the years, I can safely say that, while I am still curious, I feel like I know a little bit more about the man (yes, he was just a man) after visiting the amazing Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
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