Elvis Wanted a Rifle for His Birthday. His Mother Bought Him a Guitar
From a hardware store in Tupelo to a mansion in Memphis, the King's rise took just eleven years.
In January 1946, an 11-year-old Elvis Presley walked into the Tupelo Hardware Company in Mississippi with his mother, Gladys. He had his eye on a rifle. Gladys didn't like the idea and talked him into a guitar instead.
A record for his mother
In 1953, as a shy truck driver in Memphis, Elvis paid a few dollars to record two songs at the Memphis Recording Service, home of Sun Records. He later said it was a gift for his mother. The studio's owner, Sam Phillips, remembered the voice.
That's All Right
In 1954 Phillips brought him back to record. A loose jam on the song That's All Right turned into his first single, and Memphis radio played it again and again. Within two years he was a national sensation.
Graceland
In 1957, at just 22, Elvis bought Graceland, a mansion in Memphis, for about $102,500. He moved his parents in with him. A year later he was drafted into the Army and served in Germany, refusing special treatment.
Graceland is now one of the most visited homes in America, and the guitar story is still told on tours in Tupelo.
This story is based on the stars' own interviews and memoirs and on widely reported history. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
