As our group of 10 visitors walked along the driveway in front of Graceland last Saturday with our tour guide Tony, for some reason I was riveted by the small window above the front door.
The two second-floor windows to the right, Tony said, were Elvis Presley’s bedroom. The window above the door was his bathroom, which means that’s where he died almost 44 years ago.
I’m not a huge Elvis fan, and I’m not obsessed with death. The window just created a feeling of, what a sad and premature ending for someone who had such a tremendous impact on American culture.
It took many years to get me on a Graceland tour. I had two chances before, once in the 1980s and then in the 2000s, but passed on both because the price was too high.
So of course, this time around, I paid $190 for a VIP ticket. Mary Ann was with me, along with our oldest son John, my brother Patrick, his wife Teresa and their friend Bethany from Florida.
If there is a big-time Elvis fan among us, it’s Pat. True story: A few years ago he wore a white Elvis suit and black wig to campaign along a roadside for someone running for office. Anybody who thinks I do nutty things is looking at the wrong Ryan.
The visit to Graceland was part of a family reunion weekend planned and executed by daughter Audrey, who lives in Memphis — next to the former hotel, in fact, where Elvis gave his first radio interview in 1954.
Nine of 11 family members made it, including all seven from my wing, which has expanded to include Audrey’s husband Zach and Thomas’ fiancee Kayla.
Uncle Pat’s daughters missed out. Alia is in training at a Florida police academy, and Katerina had to work.
Mary Ann and I “paid” for our Graceland tour by staying at Audrey’s and Zach’s place instead of a hotel. And I am pleased and surprised to report that the VIP tour was worth the price of admission.
It’s not just Graceland anymore. Across Highway 51 from his home, a gigantic entertainment complex opened a few years ago. Its exhibits remind you how influential and game-changing Elvis really was.
The displays there include every memorable costume he wore, many of the guitars he played, all the cars he owned and all the awards he got for selling so many records.
One wall is at least 20 feet tall and filled with gold and platinum albums. Another display includes 24 gold records just from 1956 to 1958.
There were several bonuses with the VIP tour, and one of them was access to a building 100 yards behind Graceland where some of Elvis’ personal effects are displayed.
Tony had us put on soft white gloves to do this, but we all got to hold the keys to Elvis’ 1955 pink Cadillac — which of course is on display across the street. That was fun.
Even more interesting was the racquetball building. It was there, Tony said, that Elvis played for a while early on the morning of Aug. 16, 1977. He played a couple of songs on a piano that is still near the court, including “Unchained Melody,” and then went back to the house. A few hours later he was dead.
We tend to focus on 1960s movie Elvis, or 1970s Las Vegas concert Elvis, or Elvis the prescription drug addict at the end of his life. We forget the young Elvis, who with Memphis record producer Sam Phillips found the formula to merge musical genres with a provocative stage presence.
I am far more interested in the 1950s Elvis, and three photographs that I really like may explain this.
One is the 1956 picture of Elvis at a piano in the Sun Records studio, with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash crowded over his shoulders. It’s called the “Million Dollar Quartet” photo, but that’s way underpriced.
Then there’s another 1956 photo of Elvis at his homecoming concert in Tupelo. You can see him swaying and his teenage fans going nuts. It predicts all that lies ahead.
Finally, there is the picture of the 2-year-old Elvis with his parents, Gladys and Vernon. I like it because it’s so 1930s, hardscrabble, working-class Mississippi. Anybody who grew up here has a picture like this of their own family in an album somewhere.
From that nothing, Elvis Presley became a superstar who truly changed the world. So yes indeed, I’m going to Graceland, and I’m glad I did.
