20 Wild Facts About Elvis Presley

1.

"Elvis Presley was a natural blonde who used to dye his hair black." - u/Status-Victory

2.

"In the last four years of Elvis Presley’s life, he had been prescribed 19,000 doses of drugs. In 1977 alone[the year of his death], Dr. Nicholpoulous had written 199 prescriptions totaling more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics to Elvis."

3.

"in 2012 a librarian at a high school in Tupelo Mississippi discovered a library card in the back of an old book signed in 1948 by a then 13 year old Elvis Presley. It is the oldest known autograph by Elvis." - u/big_macaroons

4.

"Elvis Presley Never Wrote Any of His Own Songs despite being one of the most recognizable musicians of all time." - u/dd28064212

5.

"TIL that Elvis Presley’s breakout hit Heartbreak Hotel was inspired by Alvin Krolik, a depressed divorcée who was killed while robbing an El Paso liquor store. Krolik had claimed he walked a “lonely street.” It became the Heartbreak Hotel’s gloomy address and one of the song’s most memorable lines." - u/MostlySoFlo

6.

"Brenda Lee (best known for her hit "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s, the most by a woman and surpassed only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles." - u/jcd1974

7.

"Elvis Presley, throughout his entire career, performed in only three venues that weren't in the United States. The three venues were all in Canada. Presley performed in them during brief tours in Canada in 1957." - u/GregJamesDahlen

8.

"in 1993, the US postal service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Elvis Presley's 58th birthday, fans mailed envelopes with first-day issues of the stamp to fictitious addresses so that they would receive their letters back, marked with the words "return to sender"." - u/Doll_Tow_Jet-ski

9.

"There are 11 musicians who have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. They are Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Brenda Lee, Floyd Cramer, and Sam Phillips." - u/SculpinIPAlcoholic

10.

"Elvis Presley was Elton John's wakeup call. In 1976 Elton met Elvis backstage in June 1976 “It was sad,” , recalling Presley’s drugged state. John and his mom were escorted to their seats and they watched with equal parts horror and admiration."

11.

"Elvis Presley Based His Look On a DC Comics Superhero." - u/PlasticReviews

12.

"Barry White spent 4 months in jail for stealing $30,000 worth of Cadillac tires when he was 16. While behind bars, he heard Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" which he stated inspired him to become a singer." - u/trifletruffles

13.

"Elvis Presley's first major record deal came in 1955 when several labels began to show interest in him. Three record labels made offers of $25,000 but Elvis ended up signing with RCA Records who offered $40,000." - u/MarineKingPrime_

14.

"The artists with the most #1 singles in history are The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (19), Elvis Presley (17), Rihanna (14), and Michael Jackson (13)." - u/arashtp

15.

"Elvis Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army. At the peak of his career, he received his draft notice for a two-year stint in the army. Fans sent tens of thousands of letters to the army asking for him to be spared, but Elvis refused to decline. He was sworn as an army private on March 24, 1958." - u/iamabn5

16.

"Elvis Presley's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker prevented Elvis from touring outside of the US (except for 3 shows in Canada in 1957) because Parker was, among other things, an illegal alien from the Netherlands that was suspected of murder." - u/deadtedw

17.

"the peak of TV attention can be assigned an exact date: Sunday, September 9, 1956, when Elvis Presley made his first appearance on television, on CBS’s Ed Sullivan Show. Its 82.6 percent share of US viewers has never been equaled or bettered." - u/leningrad84

18.

"in 1964, Elvis Presley bought President Franklin D Roosevelt's yacht, USS Potomac (AG-25) for $55,000. He later gave it to St Jude's Children Hospital for a fundraiser, and that hospital sold it for $65,000." - u/dcdiehardfan

19.

"60 years ago, the actress Angela Lansbury, who is still living, played Elvis Presley’s mother in “Blue Hawaii.” - u/SubstantialRange

20.

"in 2015 Jack White purchased the 1st ever song recording of Elvis Presley (1953) and worked with music archivist Alan Stoker to digitally transfer it." - u/deadhunt3rr