Elvis Presley’s original blue suede shoes that the late singer rocked on stage and television are set to be auctioned off on Friday.
Bidding on the iconic pair of shoes will open at US$69,751, with the footwear estimated to fetch between US$126,835 and US$152,203, according to auction house Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England.
The "Blue Suede Shoes" singer mentioned wearing the pair before performing on NBC's "The Steve Allen Show" on July 1, 1956, and again during a comedy skit with Andy Griffith during the show, the auction house says.
Presley sang "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" and "Hound Dog," which he crooned to a real hound dog during the same show.
Three documents illustrating the history of the iconic memorabilia come with the shoes, including an Elvis Presley Museum letter of authenticity signed by Jimmy Velvet.
A third document is a letter from Alan Fortas, another close friend of Presley’s who worked as a ranch foreman at Presley’s Circle G Ranch. In the letter, Fortas describes how Elvis gifted him the famous shoes before the singer left for the Army in 1958. "The night before Elvis' army induction here in Memphis, Elvis had an all-night party at Graceland," the letter reads, in part. "Afterwards we went to the Rainbow roller rink. When we all got home Elvis called some of us upstairs and was giving away some of his clothes he didn't think he would be wearing or wanted when he came back from the army. That night Elvis gave me these blue suede shoes size 10 1/2. I've owned these all these years."
The five 10-inch "SUN Splattered" 78 RPM singles have been released.
Publicity stated: To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Elvis' first SUN record releases is a uniquely designed 5 record 'SUN-splat' 78rpm vinyl release, out on the first week of July 2024.
Book Reprint
Publicity stated: Alan and Maria Posener's popular German Elvis biography is being reissued later this year. It was originally published by Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmBH in 1993 and reprinted in 2000.
It comprises 160 pages and is available for pre-order now from Amazon stores. It is also available "now" in Kindle format.
King of the Whole Wide World
Reality Bites Publishing released the 126-page paperback 'Elvis Presley - King of the Whole Wide World' by Deacon Archer.
Elvis Aron Presley, the son of Vernon Presley and Gladys Love Presley, entered the world with a powerful presence, destined to captivate the hearts of millions. His birth marked the beginning of a journey that would lead him to achieve a level of adoration we would likely never see again.
Despite his lack of formal education in music, Elvis developed a natural talent for it, and would spend hours in record stores, listening to songs on jukeboxes and in listening booths. This ignited a passion within him, and by the time he graduated high school in June of 1953, he had already set his sights on a career in music that would see him forever known as the King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis was a complex and intriguing character, but forty-six years after his untimely death, he is still regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style polarized fifties America, making him a controversial figure. But his talent knew no bounds, and his music transcended racial barriers, bringing him unparalleled success.
However, the life of this musical icon was not without its struggles. Elvis battled with drug addiction, which ultimately led to his untimely death on the 16th of August, 1977. He was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital at 3:30 pm. He was only 42 years old. Was his untimely demise a tragedy, or a carefully orchestrated plan to remove Elvis from the public eye?
Elvis Encore Performance VIII
The book 'Elvis Encore Performance VIII - From Elvis Presley Boulevard to Chicago, Illinois Live October 14-15, 1976' has been released.
(Source: Elvis Fans on Facebook / Fox Business / Elvis Presley: A Life in Books; Amazon Australia / Bear Family)