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Twenty four years ago this month, Elvis Presley passed away at his Graceland
mansion.
Being southern born and western bread, Elvis was an early and constant
influence on my musical tastes. My first of two visits to Graceland was as
a kid in 1969 when my family was relocating from Huntsville, Alabama to Phoenix,
Arizona. We went up to the gates and Elvis' uncle, Vester, was manning
it. He gave us a couple of pocket calendars and sent us on our way.
Another one of my childhood highlights was being
able to see Elvis in concert on Easter Sunday, 1973, in Phoenix, Arizona.
I showed up for the concert two hours early. My reward for doing so was
getting to meet Colonel Parker. True to character, after asking some basic
questions, I asked him if I could go back stage and meet Elvis.
Surprise! He said, "No." At least he wasn't rude about it.
To commemorate the anniversary of his passing, I'm highlighting photos of
the swimming pool at Graceland. I would like to extend a very special
thanks to Mick Melvin, an Elvis fan and expert who resides on the southern
English coast. Mick is a real class act who was very kind enough to allow
me to use his pool photo from his website (check it out here!).
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