Based 4,300 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee, the pilgrimage to Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion has previously been confined to only the most devoted fans.
But with 300 of The King’s most personal items being shipped to London for a nine-month public exhibition, soon anyone with a love of The King will be able to have the full ‘Graceland experience’.
The Elvis at the O2 exhibition will include some of the singer’s trademark pieces, such as the leather outfit from his 1968 television special, the American Eagle jumpsuit Presley wore in the Aloha to Hawaii concert, the Red MG Roadster from his film Blue Hawaii and his custom-made ‘Taking care of business’ ring.
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Fans of Elvis Presley will get the chance to see some of his personal items when an exhibition comes to London next month. He is pictured wearing his Aloha jumpsuit, which is among the 300-piece collection
But it will also give a rare insight into Presley’s personal life, putting on display items such as the first Christmas present he was bought by Priscilla, 69, his wallet containing a picture of his two year old daughter Lisa Marie and a gold phone from his home.
Presley was found dead in the bathroom of Graceland on August 16, 1977, aged 42 shortly before he was scheduled to begin another tour.
Angie Marchese, Graceland’s Director of Archives, said: ‘Elvis didn’t have anything out in Graceland that didn’t mean something to him because, obviously, he has thousands of pieces and gifts from fans, so everything Elvis chose to put out was special to him.
‘I have close to a million documents, 5,000 pieces of wardrobe in the collection, it’s massive. How I chose the exhibition was I asked myself: “What are the key pieces that tell this story” and I kept in mind that the majority of the people who come and see this exhibition will probably never have a chance to come and visit Graceland.
‘I wanted them to feel like they were part of this magical legacy that Elvis has left behind. So it was really important to have his school report card, or the jump suit his wore for the Aloha Hawaii concert or the little pieces from Graceland.’
The exhibition, which will open next month, will include sections exploring Mr Presley’s childhood, his rise to fame in the 1950s, his time in the army, as a Hollywood star, his return to music with the 1968 television special and his later life in Las Vegas, as well as more personal aspects of his character.
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Elvis with a 1956 Lincoln car, which is one of the cars which will be on show at the O2 for the next nine-months
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Fans will get the chance to see iconic item’s like the King’s black leather suit from his 1968 TV special (above)
While Graceland does not want to put a price on any individual item, describing them all as ‘priceless’, one piece that can have its financial worth estimated is the singer’s ‘Taking Care of Business’ ring.
Presley had it custom made in 1974 by Lowell Hays Jewellers in Memphis, for a cost of around $35,000, it is gold and onyx and contains 16 carats of diamonds with a solitaire of 11 and a half carats ion the middle.
Miss Marchese said: ‘Elvis came up with the TCB logo in 1969, it stands for taking care of business in a flash.
‘The first thing he had his jeweller make with that motif was necklaces, which he would give to close friends and entourage members.
‘It was his motto, his way of thinking. We’re taking care of business, we’re going to get this done, whether it’s in personal life or professional, it was how he thought about things.
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Many fans have made the 4,300 mile pilgrimage to his Graceland mansion in Memphis (above is his Aloha cape)
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Presley was found dead in his bathroom in 1977 at the age of 42. Pictured is his Taking Care of Business ring
‘He eventually had the ring made in 1974 and he wore it all the way through to 1977 [when he died].’
There will also be a selection of Presley’s cars available for fans to admire at the exhibition.
There will be the red 1960 MG Roadster from the film Blue Hawaii, the only car that actually belonged to Presleythat he used in his films.
Also included will by the 1956 Lincoln Continental he bought in Miami while on tour to replace the car he had been driving which was covered in messages during the night by fans after they found out where he was staying.
One of only 3,000 of the models ever to be made, the Lincoln cost $10,000, more than the price of a Rolls Royce at the time.
Another key piece will be the 1955 Pink Fleetwood Cadillac which he used for touring before giving it to his mother, it was originally blue but he had it custom painted pink. Miss Marchese describes the Cadillac as ‘the most important car that we have in our collection’.
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Elvis and the Red MG from his movie Blue Hawaii which features among the connection being flown to the UK
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The King’s gold phone is among the enormous collection showing a rare insight into his personal life
She added: ‘Elvis drove around a lot. He was the kind of guy who didn’t like to be chauffeured around, he would rather drive himself or even chauffer his friends around town. But he loved cars, they were really a status symbol for him. When he was able to buy cars it was a sign to him he had made it. They then became a thing that he would give away, if you were part of Elvis’s close group of people it would not be unusual for you to receive a car as a gift to say thank you or show how important you were to him’.
And, with Presley being known for his flamboyant clothes on stage, some of his most famous performance outfits are being shipped over for the exhibition.
They include the American Eagle outfit and accompanying cape, covered in semi-precious stones and gold-plated studs, he wore for a televised concert knowing he was going to be watched by millions of people aroudn the world.
Miss Marchese explains: ‘Because it was going to be seen worldwide, what he really wanted to do was wear something that represented America, so he went with the red, white and blue motif and the American eagle, which is the national bird.
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It will give a rare insight with items on display such as the first Christmas present he was bought by Priscilla
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Over 300 items will include cars, personal items, historical documents, iconic stage costumes, guitars, gold and platinum records, and photography, in addition to audio and video presentations
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It will will include sections exploring Mr Presley’s childhood, his rise to fame in the 1950s, his time in the army, as a Hollywood star, his return to music with the 1968 television special and his later life in Las Vegas
‘He felt it would make a significant statement given the show was being seen in over 40 nations. When it aired in January 1973 it was watched by more people than when man walked on the moon, it was seen by 1.5billion people.’
Also included is Preseley’s black leather outfit from his 1968 television special, marking his return to the stage after years in Hollywood, will also make a limited appearance at the O2.
Miss Marchese explained: ‘That show really gave Elvis the confidence to leave his movie career behind and return to his first love which was stage performance. Before that, he had been so involved in Hollywood he hadn’t been in front of a live audience in almost eight years. The suit is iconic, it really represents that turning point in his career.’
Tickets are available from Friday.
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The living room at the Graceland mansion where fans have made the special trip to see his home and items
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Tickets to the exhibition which aims to bring Graceland (pictured) to London will go on sale this Friday
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