Elvis Presley fans from as far as Japan and Brazil gathered Tuesday in
Memphis to sing “Happy Birthday” to the late rock ‘n’ roll icon on the day he
would have turned 78.
Hundreds of Elvis devotees watched as 13-year-old Isabella Scott cut a
birthday cake on the lawn at Graceland, the singer’s longtime Memphis home. Scott heads an Internet-based
Elvis fan club with more than 2,000 members.
The Commercial Appeal, Kyle
Kurlick/Associated Press - Graceland archivist, Dee Dee Antle preps one
of Elvis Presley’s suits January 4, 2013, that he wore for his “Aloha from
Hawaii” concert for display for a new exhibit focusing on Elvis’ trips to
Hawaii at Graceland Crossing near Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tn. Graceland
is preparing for Elvis birthday celebration on Tuesday January 8, 2013 when
they cut a cake to honor.
The mayors of Memphis and Shelby County
also read a proclamation of Elvis Presley Day during the ceremony, which was
attended by fans from Brazil,
England, France, Japan,
Spain and the U.S.
Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Jan. 8, 1935, and moved to Memphis with his parents
at age 13. He was 42 when he died Aug. 16, 1977.
Presley recorded his first song “That’s All Right” at Sun
Studio in Memphis in 1954 and made the West Tennessee city his primary home until his death.
“Like coffee and cream, grits and gravy, peanut butter and
bananas ... Memphis
and Elvis is a combination that was just meant to be,” Memphis Mayor A C
Wharton Jr. told the crowd.
Fans have been celebrating since Saturday, when The Memphis
Symphony Orchestra presented a concert commemorating the 40th anniversary of
Elvis’ landmark “Aloha from Hawaii”
show.
A new exhibit about Presley’s movies and concerts in Hawaii opened Tuesday at the Graceland
tourist attraction, which is across the street from the mansion.
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