January 8th marks the 91st birthday of legendary American singer and actor Elvis Presley. He was a vibrant and extraordinary personality; we recall some interesting facts from his life.
On the birthday of the legendary King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the Lady Mail team recalled the most unusual facts from the biography of Elvis Presley.
Elvis dyed his hair
The future King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was born blond, and although his hair darkened slightly with age, it remained just above light brown. Seeking to emulate his idols, Tony Curtis and Marlon Brando, Presley began dyeing his hair black and continued to do so throughout his career.
In his youth, he couldn’t always afford hair dye, so Elvis had to make do with shoe polish. Later, the musician used a unique mixture of three different shades to achieve his signature look.
The singer had a twin brother
Jesse Garon Presley was born 33 minutes before his brother and died the following day. Elvis Presley felt a connection to his twin throughout his life, often visiting his brother’s grave and talking to him.
He met his future wife when she was 14 and he was 24.
They met in 1959 in Germany. Elvis was serving in the army there, and Priscilla Beaulieu was living with her family on a military base; her father was an Air Force captain. At the time of their meeting, Presley had a fiancée, but he forgot all about it when he saw the blue-eyed brunette. For years, the musician maintained his serious intentions and waited for her to reach adulthood, often having affairs. They married eight years after their first meeting.
Soon, the couple’s only daughter, Lisa Marie, was born. The singer adored his daughter, but his relationship with his wife became increasingly troubled. His biographer, Sebastian Danshen, wrote that even before their wedding, Elvis told Priscilla of his inability to make love to women who had given birth.
Elvis’s problems with alcohol and drugs, along with his affairs, took their toll. At some point, Priscilla’s patience ran out, and she filed for divorce.
Elvis Presley had a black belt in karate.
While serving in the army in Germany, Presley became deeply involved with karate. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll had been a skilled fighter from his youth, even without any martial arts training, but the musician was drawn to karate’s beauty of swift and abrupt movements. He trained regularly and incorporated karate elements into his stage performances and films. The singer embraced the spirit of this martial art and preached the principles of humility, honesty, and brotherhood. He earned his seventh-degree black belt in 1972.
Elvis Presley never wrote a single song himself.
During his career, Elvis recorded over 600 songs without writing a single one. It’s said he never allowed himself to become tied to a single style, so he recorded songs written by dozens of different composers. On some of his recordings, Presley is listed as a co-writer because his label required some songwriters to sign over 50% of the copyright before Elvis would record.
The musician loved fatty foods
The singer’s weakness was food, especially high-calorie foods. Elvis adored various variations of peanut butter and crispy bacon sandwiches , and the peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwich is named after him.
One of the artist’s favorite dishes is deep-fried pickles.
Elvis never performed outside the United States.
With the exception of a small concert in Canada in 1957, Elvis Presley never performed abroad. Many sources blame his manager, Tom Parker. He refused offers for the singer to perform in other countries because he was an illegal immigrant and feared he wouldn’t be allowed back into the United States after the tour. Parker, however, took half of the musician’s earnings as his own fee. Around 40 percent of Elvis’s album sales come from abroad.
Elvis Presley’s costumes were unique and heavy.
The performer’s image is closely linked to his unique overalls, which he began appearing in in the 70s.
The singer’s first jumpsuits weighed around 12 kilograms, while later ones, covered in intricate embroidery and precious stones, reached around 38 kilograms. This was due to the fact that most of the suits were made from 100% Italian wool gabardine — a dense and heavy fabric.
During his entire career, the musician starred in only one advertisement.
In 1954, Elvis agreed to appear in a Southern Maid Donuts commercial . He sang a jaunty song in exchange for a box of hot, glazed donuts, but the commercial was never released. In total, Presley appeared on television 17 times and also starred in 31 films.
The television series that features the most Elvis tunes is the Disney cartoon “Lilo & Stitch,” which features seven of the singer’s hits.
Elvis swallowed a dental crown, which led to surgery.
While filming Richard Thorpe’s Jailhouse Rock, Presley accidentally swallowed a ceramic crown, which entered his lungs. The exact cause of the accident is unknown. Some believe the crown came loose during a pole dance during which he inhaled it. To reach the correct location and remove the crown, the surgeon had to separate the singer’s precious vocal cords. Fortunately, the surgery was successful; the only aftereffect was that Elvis suffered a temporary hoarseness.
