I spent the Day at the Graceland Museum, a "bucket list" item for me and was completely blown away by how much Elvis has pervaded our culture. The best selling individual artist of all time, The King has not only greatly influenced rock-n-roll, but also Style, Image, as well as setting a new standard for Live Performance. The photo essay displays the full spectrum of his everlasting legacy.
A photograph of a photograph! I don't usual like to photograph another person's photo, but I was so happy with how clear this turned out. You almost can't tell it's a photo by the cleanliness of the edges of the photo. It helped me set the tone of the photo essay. It illustrates Elvis' appeal, proving why it's the cornerstone image to begin our journey of Elvis' legacy. This image is every reason why Elvis has endured: his youth, matinee idol good looks, and wholesome image that radiated out to so many fans. People loved that he served and admired his patriotism towards his country. Side note, this is how he met his wife, Priscilla Beaulieu, while stationed in Germany.
The entrance to Graceland museum, where my journey began.
The sprawling front lawn of the Graceland estate. Elvis purchased the 13.8-acre estate-- situated in Memphis, TN, when he was just 22 years old, for just over $100,000, after skyrocketing to huge success. He lived at the estate until his death. All his family members are buried here, in the Meditation Garden. Over 20 million individuals have visited this historic landmark.
Detail of the chandelier that greets you when you open the doors at Graceland. This is actually my favorite image of the essay. If you look closely, you will see a strand of crystals has been broken. This is the spot where a young, fit Elvis did a karate kick in his foyer and busted the crystal chain. It remains the same, some 50+ years later. It's a testament to the legend.
The iconic white piano back in the music room at Graceland. Elvis purchased the piano and had it designed with gold accents and in white, to suit his tastes at Graceland. While there, other famous artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis played the instrument with Elvis. The piano changed hands after being sold, but in 2017, the estate was able to re-acquire it and place it back in its original setting in the musical room at Graceland, after refurbishing it back to its original glory. The beautiful piano sits at the end of an entertaining room at Graceland, which I photographed just after the holiday decorations went up. I purposely went for a soft focus on this shot, which reminded me so much of Elvis' musical presence. You can almost feel his presence in the room. Because of the introspective nature of this image, I almost chose it for my closing picture, but decided it better suited the middle of the essay, offering the audience a breather between some of the more ostentatious elements of Elvis' legacy.
More Christmas at Graceland. The King's portrait greets you right when you walk into the mansion, at the foot of the stairs, which were adorned with poinsettia garland. Also, the staircase if mirrored, which is a common theme throughout Graceland.
All of Elvis Presley's hit records adorn an entire wall of his Career Exhibit at Graceland. It shows Elvis' huge influence on music. Nothing demonstrates the influence on rock-n-roll like this wall of records, which overwhelms in its awesome display of records that just seem to go on forever. Just looking at this wall tells you why he's The King, the most successful solo artist of all time, the most prolific rock-n-roll artist, and the first big star in modern music. This wall seemingly stretches on forever!
Elvis' Army cap and suitcase, part of the Army Exhibit at Graceland. Although Elvis could have been excused from the Army, he chose to serve, endearing him to many more fans in the United States. Elvis served for two years, during which time his beloved mother passed away, devastating the singer.
Sparkling detail on the gold suit from his Tour. The Style Exhibit at Graceland contained so much. If you think about the incredible style that Elvis displayed throughout his life, you would never guess his humble upbringing, having moved from home to home as a child and living in public housing. Elvis' father, Vernon, had been jailed for check fraud and Elvis faced much adversity before going to Sam Philips' recording studio in Memphis to record a track for his mother (and setting himself on the path to super stardom).
However, Elvis's prolific style was there from the outset. Early photos always showed him the best dressed out of any group, with a very distinct, strong fashion sense, even if he couldn't afford it. Somehow, his fashion talent displayed a confidence that he was destined for greater things. Also, it shows that his fashion ability was innate and very much his own, right from the start. Even later outfits had his own personal stamp of quality, having been selected himself.
The Style Exhibit at Graceland was truly spectacular. There were so many suits and outfits to photograph and a plethora of choices (not to mention eye candy). I snapped images of whole suits, beaded capes, outfits from when he started, the Comeback Tour, and his later years. After sifting through the images, I choose this one simply because of the details perceived up-close. The small details here demonstrate the impeccable style the man had, which helped created the enduring image that has lasted until this day.
Artists from all facets of music have been influenced by his styles. From the Beatles, to Dolly Parton, to Jennifer Lopez: Elvis has been setting the trend that so many follow many decades later.
No one did style like Elvis! More glorious detail from his many, many Tour suits. Each one was stunning.
One of many status cars at the Motors Exhibit at Graceland, the iconic pink Cadillac. When you hear of Graceland, you always think of Elvis' massive car collection as one of the highlights. The Motors Exhibit certainly did not disappoint. And while there were many gorgeous, stylish vehicles that I photographed, my heart settled on the pink Cadillac. You always hear about this iconic image from the 1950's, but it's one thing to see one in person. And it was magnificent..
The Airplanes Exhibit at Graceland. I took several images of Elvis' private, commercial-size plane, which he used to endure those incredible, exhausting, massive tours that took him all over the nation. Quite frankly, he put Las Vegas on the map, being the first in-residence star to bring the masses to him to watch perform live. How did he do it all? By flying him and his staff around in a commercial-size plane, which bears all the stylish hallmarks of the great singer. Considering that his last exhausting tour killed him (well, really his lethal combination of toxic drugs did, but grueling tour didn't help), this is the view I imagined Elvis would have seen as he wearily exited his plane to put on another show. His health was failing towards the end, but he still had a reputation for putting on an excellent performance.
All of Elvis Presley's relatives are buried in the Meditation Garden at Graceland, including the legend himself, who passed away at his famous home at the young age of 42. The Meditation Garden is a beautiful, balanced, contemplative spot for fans to pay their respects to the legendary singer. Also buried here are Elvis' beloved mother, his father, Elvis' stillborn twin brother, but also his grandson, sadly, who killed himself last year. Rumor has it that the bodies are not actually buried here, due to fear of grave robbers, but truly buried at an undisclosed site on Graceland.
The microphone used to record so many of the rock-n-roll legends that came out of Sun Studio in Memphis in the 1950's. This is the mic that recorded Elvis' first hit, but also Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. It's such a draw in music that other, later legends have paid their respects and asked to record tracks with it as well, including Paul McCartney and U2. Let's just say that this mic has seen (or, rather, heard) a lot of history.
