Never-Before-Seen Photos of the King of Rock & Roll

When Elvis turned 11, his parents could not  afford the bicycle that he wanted for his birthday so he asked his parents for money to buy a rifle instead. His mother, who was not too pleased with his second choice of gift, managed to talk him into getting a guitar instead, and the young Elvis bought his first guitar for $12.95 from the local hardware store. It was with this guitar that Elvis would build his musical journey on, starting with a few simple guitar lessons from friends and uncles.

The singer entered regular Army service as a private, rather than joining Special Services, in which he would have entertained troops. Elvis was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training and was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division. While he was at Fort Hood, his mother, with whom he was very close, became seriously ill. Elvis was granted emergency leave, and he was able to make it to her bedside before she passed away in August.

He is believed to have sold more than one billion records worldwide, about 40 percent of those outside the U.S. Though the figures are controversial due to the methods of computation by the Recording Industry Association of America, Presley still appears to hold the largest number of gold, platinum, and multiplatinum certifications of any artist in history.

Elvis Presley  introduced  June Carter to Johnny Cash and they got married.

"Daddy-O" Dewey Phillips was one of rock 'n' roll's pioneering disk jockeys, along the lines of Cleveland's Alan Freed, before Freed came along. He was the first DJ to broadcast the young Elvis Presley's debut record, "That's All Right/Blue Moon Of Kentucky" (Sun 209), and got Presley to reveal his race in an interview by asking which high school the 19-year-old singer attended.

On May 1, 1967, the real Elvis Presley, King of Rock ’n’ Roll, married his girlfriend of many years, Priscilla Beaulieu, far from Graceland, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. There were no impersonators in sight, but there were members of the press, who were invited by the star’s manager to a press conference between the intimate ceremony and champagne breakfast for 100 that followed.

On February 1, 1968, the couple had a daughter, Lisa Marie. In August, 1972, the Presleys suddenly separated, and on January 8, of this year, Elvis filed for divorce, giving Priscilla custody of their daughter. As they wait for the divorce to become final, Elvis lives in the $550,000 Holmby Hills estate he once shared with his wife; Priscilla and Lisa live in a large, five-room penthouse apartment overlooking a small marina on the Pacific Palisades.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley fell in love with each other and got married. Michael Jackson was a big fan of the king and he decided to adopt a chimpanzee thanks to Elvis.

Despite his immense popularity the world over, Elvis performed a mere five concerts outside of the United States, and all of those in Canada. He did give an impromptu performance while on leave from the U.S. Army in Paris but it was not an official concert and he never performed outside of the United States again.

His feature debut was in Love Me Tender for 20th Century Fox, with the commercial success of the soundtrack EP being a bellwether for the next three Presley films. Loving You, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole were dramatic storylines written around Presley in the role of a musical entertainer.

Elvis Presley who was also known as the perfectionist It is estimated that Elvis Presley has sold over one billion record units worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history..

Sophia Loren and Elvis met each other once; in February of 1958 at Paramount Studios while Elvis was filming King Creole. A photographer, Bob Willoughby, took many memorable shots of Sophia and the King.

The peanut butter and banana sandwich has been referred to as a favorite of Elvis Presley, who was renowned for his food cravings such as the Fool's Gold Loaf, a loaf of Italian bread filled with a pound of bacon, peanut butter, and grape jelly.

Colonel, his manager, and The King shared a love-hate relationship due to the Colonel’s overbearing style of management that Elvis felt at times restricted his creativity and freedom. Yet, most of Elvis’s close friends have observed that a person as emotionally fragile as Elvis needed the Colonel’s firm hand guiding him on some level, and that was the reason that they stuck together for so long.

The autopsy showed that Elvis was massively obese, had extensive plaques in his arteries and had a very enlarged heart. In the last years of his life, he suffered from many heart-attack provoking factors:  a high-sugar, high-fat diet, high blood pressure and chronic insomnia.

His final concert was held in Indianapolis at Market Square Arena, on June 26, 1977. On August 16, 1977 he fell off the toilet and lay in a pool of vomit. He was rushed by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital, where he died at 3:30 pm CST. His autopsy was performed at 7:00 pm. Approximately 80,000 people lined the processional route for his funeral.

Elvis Presley who charmed the whole world with his undeniable talent, good looks and charisma passed away at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977, bidding farewell to his millions of fans that mourned his loss as they would a family member.

Following an attempt to steal the singer's body in late August, the remains of both Presley and his mother were reburied in Graceland's Meditation Garden on October 2.