Today in Elvis History

It's January sixteenth, and on this day in 1971… Elvis Presley was honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce. The award ceremony, held in Memphis, was a grand affair attended by dignitaries including ambassador-appointee George Bush.

Elvis, accompanied by Priscilla, began the day at a JCC prayer breakfast, later addressing the press with a rare public statement: “I don’t go along with music advocating drugs and desecration of the flag. I think an entertainer is for entertaining and to make people happy.”

In the evening, he hosted a private reception at Graceland for fellow honorees and Jaycee officials, offering informal tours of the mansion. This was followed by a formal dinner for one hundred guests at the Four Flames Restaurant, complete with personalized place cards embossed with his signature TCB logo.

At the main awards ceremony that night at Ellis Auditorium, Elvis proudly accepted the Jaycees trophy—an award he considered one of his most meaningful, and one he would carry with him on his travels from that day forward.

It's January fifteenth, and on this day in 1955... Elvis Presley performed at the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, Louisiana, wearing a rust-colored suit, a black-dotted purple tie, and pink socks. But the real headline wasn’t his outfit—or even the songs he sang, which included “Hearts of Stone,” “That’s All Right,” and “Tweedle Dee.” It was who was in the audience: Colonel Tom Parker and his associate Tom Diskin. This marked the first time the Colonel saw Elvis live. After the show, Parker began laying the groundwork to form a connection with Elvis’s manager, Bob Neal—setting in motion a relationship that would change the course of Elvis’s career forever.

It's January eleventh, and on this day in 1973… Elvis Presley made a last-minute wardrobe adjustment ahead of one of the most iconic performances of his career: *Aloha from Hawaii*. The American-eagle jumpsuit and matching cape he planned to wear were custom-designed by Bill Belew for the satellite broadcast. But the night before the show, Elvis gave away his ornate belt to the wife of his friend, actor Jack Lord. In a pinch, Elvis’s road manager Joe Esposito phoned Belew, who rushed to send a replacement just in time. That eagle belt—and the jumpsuit—would go on to become one of the most recognizable costumes in Elvis history.

It's January 13th, and on this day in 1973… Elvis Presley made television history with *Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite*, performing live at the International Convention Center Arena in Honolulu. The concert was broadcast in real time to much of the Far East, including Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Vietnam, and later shown to European audiences via Eurovision. It was the first entertainment special ever broadcast live around the world via satellite, reaching over one billion people—an audience larger than the moon landing.

The concert raised more than triple its announced \$25,000 goal for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. At the end of the show, Elvis famously threw both his belt and cape into the audience. Then, after the crowd cleared out, he returned to the stage to record five more songs—four of them from *Blue Hawaii*—for the U.S. broadcast version. The performance marked a new pinnacle in global entertainment, firmly establishing Elvis as not just the King of Rock and Roll, but the King of worldwide television spectacle.

It's January twelfth, and on this day in 1973… Elvis Presley took the stage at the International Convention Center Arena in Honolulu for the dress rehearsal of *Aloha from Hawaii*, one of the most iconic performances of his career. Though billed as a rehearsal, this full concert was taped as a backup in case technical issues disrupted the live satellite broadcast scheduled for the next night. With a giant flashing Elvis figure behind him and a long runway stretching into the audience, the King delivered the same powerhouse setlist planned for the broadcast. Admission was free, but donations were encouraged, with a fundraising goal of \$25,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.

It's January eleventh, and on this day in 1975… two teenage girls from Mississippi attempted one of the most bizarre stunts in Elvis Presley fan history. Nineteen-year-old Patsy Haynes and seventeen-year-old Areecia “Honeybee” Benson had themselves shipped to Graceland in a crate labeled “Russian Wolfhounds.” The REA Express delivery arrived at the gatehouse, where Elvis’s uncle Vester Presley, working as the gatekeeper, called up to the mansion to report the odd package. Told Elvis didn’t need any more dogs, Vester sent the crate back—only for handlers to discover the two girls hidden inside. Despite their creative scheme, the girls never got to see Elvis.

It's January tenth, and on this day in 1956... Elvis Presley walked into RCA’s McGavock Street studio in Nashville for his very first recording session with his new label. Backed by legends like Chet Atkins on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano, and D.J. Fontana on drums, Elvis laid down “Heartbreak Hotel,” “I Got a Woman,” and “Money Honey.” But despite the all-star crew, the recordings fell flat for Elvis. The excessive echo effects used by RCA didn’t match the raw energy Sam Phillips had captured at Sun Records, and Elvis left the session disappointed with the results. Still, the moment marked the official beginning of his groundbreaking career with RCA.

It's January ninth, and on this day in 1971... Elvis Presley was named one of the nation's Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of America. The prestigious Jaycee award, given to men under 35 who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their fields, had previously honored the likes of Orson Welles and Jesse Jackson. Elvis was nominated by former Shelby County Sheriff Bill Morris—whom Elvis had gifted a Mercedes just weeks earlier. Sharing the spotlight that year were figures like Ronald Reagan’s press secretary Ron Ziegler and civil rights activist Tom Atkins. This national recognition marked a rare moment where Elvis was celebrated not just as an entertainer, but as a distinguished American citizen.

It's January eighth, and on this day in 1935… Elvis Aaron Presley was born at 4:35 a.m. in a two-room house built by his father on Old Saltillo Road in East Tupelo, Mississippi. He was the second of twin boys—his brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn just 35 minutes earlier. Elvis would remain the only child of Vernon and Gladys Presley, the lone survivor after a series of miscarriages. This humble birth marked the beginning of a life that would change the sound and spirit of music forever.

And on this day in 1946… Eleven-year-old Elvis received a guitar from his parents for his birthday. He had hoped for a bicycle, but that guitar would soon become the most fateful substitution in music history.

Then in 1960… While stationed in Germany, Elvis was interviewed on his birthday by Dick Clark for *American Bandstand*. That night, he celebrated with about 200 guests—including Priscilla—at a local recreation center, where he was awarded a trophy naming him “Most Valuable Player” of the Bad Nauheim Sunday Afternoon Football Association.

It's January seventh, and on this day in 1967... tragedy struck close to home for Elvis Presley. His uncle Johnny Smith and cousin Brenda were involved in a serious car accident in Memphis. Johnny suffered a deep forehead laceration, while Brenda sustained a fractured skull. Family members suspected Johnny had been drinking at the time, and as a result, Elvis let him go from his job as Graceland’s gatekeeper. In his place, Elvis appointed James Caughley, a persistent member of the Memphis entourage-in-waiting who had been trying to get closer to the inner circle for about a year.