Since we will not gift him a pleasant pair of Blue Suede Shoes, we are honoring him with these fascinating facts you'll not know.
Here are eight things we were All Shook Up to find out about the legendary Hound Dog:
1. Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi where he was raised by loving, working-class parents who had little or no money.
After moving to Memphis as an adolescent, his family had only been off welfare a couple of weeks at he was discovered by music producer Sam Phillips, consistent with a Britannica biography.
2. Elvis had a twin brother, Jessie Garon, who was born stillborn, consistent with the official Presley website. Elvis would frequently mention his twin in his adult years.
3. Before his music career took off, Elvis was a teamster for an electrical company while attending a school where he studied to be an electrician. He quit this job in 1954 when he started traveling and recording music with local musicians Scotty Moore and Bill Black.
4. Elvis bought Graceland for $102,500 when he was 22 years old for himself, his parents, and his paternal grandmother to measure in. The home is now designated a National Historic Landmark and welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually, consistent with the Graceland website.
5. Elvis played an enormous role within the national inoculation effort during the polio outbreak in the 1940s.
On October 28, 1956, the star received his polio vaccine on the "The Sullivan Show" while many viewers watched -- a movie that helped convince teens and young adults (people who didn't think they were in danger for the disease) that they needed the vaccine to guard others against the deadly virus.
6. Elvis served within the army for 2 years during the peak of his fame.
Drafted at 23-years-old, Elvis was eventually stationed in Germany where, in between opening thousands of pieces of mail, he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu who he would marry in 1967 and divorce six years later.
7. Elvis had a black belt in karate and carried the certificate in his wallet until his death.
8. Elvis has been inducted into five Halls of Fame: Rock 'n' Roll, Country, Gospel, Rockabilly, and R&B. He has sold over one billion records worldwide.
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