“A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the business, live concerts.”

ARTIFACT

Elvis and Priscilla Presley document signed contract for work to be built around the couple's Beverly Hills home. Contract issued by the Broadway Home Improvement Center on 8 July 1969. Signed in bold black ink "Elvis Presley" and "Priscilla Presley" on the "Name of Owner" slots. Listed is the couple's residential address (1174 Hillcrest, Beverly Hills) and phone number (278-1719). Contract binds rock music's reigning first couple to the construction of a "wrought iron fence around pool / sheet metal front gates - both" for the sum total of $2,140.00

1956 balance sheet of Elvis' Payroll and Expense Fund for the month of December.

On this payroll sheet you can see Christmas bonuses received by William Black (Bill), D.J. Fontana and W. Scott Moore (Scotty) among others.

This was the award that Elvis received for Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year in 1975, awarded by the people.

Elvis paid over $2,200 for a New Year's Eve party on December 21, 1968 at the Thunderbird Lounge on Adams Street in Memphis. This was his second consecutive New Year's Eve party at the club. Performers included Short Cuts, Vaneese Starks, Flash and the Board of Directors, Billy Lee Riley and B.J. Thomas

Payroll check to Mrs. Trude Forsher during the filming of "Love Me Tender."

On August 20, 1956 Elvis reports to the Fox lot for preproduction, where he is assigned to Dressing Room 6.

This document shows the total and average attendance for headline acts in Las Vegas at the International Hotel from 1969-1971.

 Elvis averaged almost 100,000 in attendance for each month-long engagement in Las Vegas during that time.

A film shooting schedule for one of Elvis' final films, Change of Habit. The film, which was released in November of 1969, co-starred Mary Tyler Moore. In April of 1969, Elvis, Lisa Marie and Priscilla travelled to Hawaii with friends and family and checked into the hotel as the Carpenter family. Dr. John Carpenter was Elvis' character's name in Change of Habit.

Elvis and Colonel Parker sent this letter to former MGM President, Robert H. O'Brien, to celebrate ten years with MGM, which all begin with Jailhouse Rock.

Elvis was a night owl. He would routinely rent out the Memphian Theater or LibertyLand for himself and friends, after closing hours. Here is a receipt for several dates in June when he rented out rides at the amusement park

Elvis really did respect and appreciate his fans. This letter from Elvis to the Colonel, while Elvis was still in the Army, shows how much Elvis cared about his fans.

This letter is from the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch thanking Elvis for donating an entire building from the set of the movie "Follow The Dream" to the charity and explaining how helpful the gift was.

This award honored Elvis as the top male performer in the country in 1977, according to a poll in the New York Daily News.

This letter from Colonel Parker to Stephen Sholes details the work that went into creating the album art for the King Creole record in 1958.

It is no secret that, among things Elvis enjoyed doing late at night, was to have religious and philosophical discussions. These notes about Chi, transcribed on the back of Las Vegas's International Hotel, were most likely the results of one of those discussions.

Like many items clothing items and accessories Elvis owned, this cufflinks and tie clip set from Shields Fifth Avenue is uniquely stylish. What better design for the king of rock 'n' roll than a gold record and guitar?

These bookends are just one of the over 200 artifacts of Lisa Marie's that Graceland has in its archives. Lisa Marie lived in Graceland until she moved, with Priscilla, to Los Angeles. However, Elvis kept a room for her in Graceland for her periodic visits.

Elvis studied religions from Christianity to Buddhism and everything inbetween. The archives team chose this item for the same reason that Elvis probably did: you cannot help but smile when you look at this happy Buddha.

Although it is unclear as to exactly what this is, it seems like it might be part Although it is unclear as to exactly what this is, it seems like it might be part of some code key or game. This piece of paper was found, as is, amongst a stack of papers that Elvis carried around in one of his briefcases. The random words and assigning each letter of the alphabet to a corresponding number would lead one to believe that this is part of some code or game. UPDATE: Gene seems to think this might be numerology, wherein you add up the numbers assigned to the letters in your name to get your earthly or heavenly number. Another possibility to think on

How many times have you checked out of a hotel and forgot to leave the room key? Well, Elvis spent so much time at the International (later, the Hilton) Hotel in Las Vegas, they might as well just let him hold on to it.

Elvis enjoyed the occasional cigar, and everyone knows his affinity for guns. So, it should not surprise anyone that he owned this gun lighter, which is a combination of both hobbies.

On January 8, 1946, Elvis's 11th birthday, Gladys took him to the Tupelo Hardware store to let him pick out a gift. Although he originally wanted a rifle or a bicycle, he and Gladys eventually agreed on a generic brand guitar. Here is the sign that hung outside that hardware store. The shiny appearance of the sign is from the protective covering that the Graceland Archives department uses to keep some larger artifacts safe from the elements.

This trophy was a gift in 1961 to Elvis for his role in Kid Galahad. The plaque reads: Elvis in Kid Galahad From Ramon and Orlando 1961 Orlando De La Fuente played the roll of Ramon 'Sugarboy' Romero in the film.

Colonel Parker dresses up as Santa and poses with Elvis and some cast members from the set of Wild In the Country in November and December of 1960.

RCA buying Elvis's Sun Studio contract from Sam Phillips in 1955 has to go down as one of the biggest steals in the history of the music industry. RCA Victor purchased this contract for $35,000 plus a 5,000 bonus for Elvis.

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, here is an advertisement for the 1968 Mother's Day Special Radio Program. Colonel Parker would put together a special 30 minute lineup of Elvis songs to be heard in certain markets on Mother's Day.

This is a set photo from Elvis's 1969 film, Trouble with Girls. Originally entitled Chautauqua, filming began on October 28,1969 and wrapped on December 16,1969. Several people made their film debuts in this movie including Marlyn Mason, Nicole Jaffe and Anissa Jones.

This "Thank You" ran in the Maui paper from Elvis and Colonel Parker to thank everyone for their support in Hawaii. The show raised over $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.

This 1956 article illustrates the typical media view of Elvis when he first hit the scene and started becoming popular. Because he was unlike anyone else in many ways, parents and the media viewed Elvis as a threat to society. In this article, you can sense that the writer is trying to portray Elvis in a negative light.

Rare photo from Elvis's assignment to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany.

 Many people know about the Aloha from Hawaii concert that was broadcast via satellite. However, not everyone knows that the event was also a huge fundaraiser for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Honolulu, HI. Elvis was one of the first donors, with a gift of $1,000.

Elvis was named an honorary Sheriff or Deputy in Counties and States all over the United States. He was intrigued by the whole law enforcement world, and even liked to do a little detective work of his own at times. Here is his honorary Shelby County Sheriff ID card.

In honor of tax season, here is Elvis's first-ever tax return. Notice how the the "Occupation" is listed is "semi-skilled." Oh, if they only knew...

This 1955 telegram to Elvis's manager, Tom Parker, shows the compensation details for Elvis's first ever television appearance on the Jackie Gleason Show in January of 1956.

Elvis loved to play racquetball, and played the sport right up until the morning of the day he died. The racquetball building construction was completed in 1975. Here is a set of racquetballs, that Elvis used, from the Graceland archives.

Elvis's love and compassion did not just apply to other human beings. His love for animals is widely known, as he had everything from hens to horses on the Graceland property while he lived there. This rabies vaccination certificate is just one indication that the animals were cared for

Even Elvis had an allowance. While he was in Germany, Vernon periodically deposited money into Elvis's account based on need.

The boarding pass issued to Elvis by the Military Air Transport Service for his trip home to Memphis after his discharge from the Army in March 1960.

This receipt details the purchase of the famous peacock stained glass windows that are located between the living room and the music room on the first floor of Graceland.

Elvis examining one of his records on the day Elvis was inducted into the U.S. Army.

2008 is the 40th anniversary of the first airing Elvis's 1968 television special. This extravagant entertainment special features Elvis in some of his greatest and best-loved moments captured on video. Elvis's informal jamming in front of a.  small audience is regarded as a forerunner of the "unplugged" concept, later popularized by MTV. This is one of Elvis's song lists from show

This week's artifact is Elvis's 1956 AFTRA membership card. AFTRA stands for American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and acts almost as a union for performers.

Since Priscilla has been a hot media topic lately due to her being part of the cast of Dancing With the Stars, we thought we would take you back to the day she and Elvis were married with this photo from a May 1967 newspaper.

This photo of Elvis on a golf cart was taken at Graceland while he was on leave from the Army in June of 1958.

This wirstband was part of the famous black leather outfit that Elvis wore during the studio "in-the-round" sessions. The outfit was designed by Bill Belew, and it is said that Elvis perspired so much that the suit had to practically be cut off of him after the performance.

Check, written to the International School of Languages in August of 1967 for French lessons for Priscilla. Since Elvis was out of town so often, he would come up with different things like this to occupy Priscilla's time, such as dance and karate.

1956 business contract signed by Col. Parker and Elvis to signify the start of The Elvis Presley Show, with performance dates between February 5 and February 26.

Check from February 1968 for a Colt Python pistol. When Lt. Col. Beaulieu (Priscilla's father) was going to Vietnam, Elvis worried about his safety. Concerned that Lt. Col. Beaulieu might get stuck in a dangerous situation, Elvis Presented him with the pistol, which he always carried but never had to use.

Letter from Danny Thomas to Colonel Parker, thanking Elvis for donating the USS Potomac, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's former yacht. Elvis purchased the yacht then dontated it to St. Jude Children's Reasearch Hospital. From November 1, 2007 - January 11, 2008 visitors to both Elvis.com and Graceland will be encouraged to make a difference in the life of a child this holiday season by joining Marlo Thomas, her celebrity friends and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® for their Thanks and Giving campaign.

This is one of the last remaining squares of the carpet that was in the Graceland kitchen from 1974 until the kitchen was opened up for tours in 1993.

This note, written by Colonel Parker, shows everyone's flight arrangements on the trip to Hawaii for the March 1961 Hawaii Benefit Show at Bloch Arena.

This is the leave of absence request that allowed Elvis to spend two weeks in France in January of 1960. Elvis took a few friends with him to France to study under the famous martial arts instructor Tetsuji Murakami, a Master of the Japanese Shotokan technique. Elvis and his friends also caught a performance by the American Gospel group, the Golden Gate Quartet.

Due to the number of guns and gun-related artifacts in the Graceland archives, it is obvious that Elvis had an affinity for firearms. Elvis Insiders might get a chuckle from the irony of a sports store receipt including guns, ammunition and a first aid kit. Alway be prepared!

This coat is an International Costume Company piece, designed after coats Elvis bought at Lansky's. More than likely, Elvis bought an International Fashion coat from Lanksy's and liked it so much, he had Bill Belew make him another one like it with a few changes. The Graceland archives has two red coats (one from each designer), one dark blue, one light blue, one black, and one cream-colored. He is actually wearing the dark blue coat in the famous photo with Muhammad Ali.

Writing on the Graceland wall today is a tradition that dates back to when Elvis first purchased Graceland. The same thing happened with this mailbox, which is the original mailbox that stood outside of Graceland while Elvis lived there. After enough signatures and notes covered the mailbox, it would be repainted. 

This 1973 receipt for stage apparel reflects just how much Elvis cared about his fans. On average, Elvis usually gave to fans anywhere from 15-30 scarfs at most concerts in which he performed in the 1970s. Each scarf cost roughly $5.50 in 1973, which would equal roughly $25.60 today. However, any fan lucky enough to get one surely knows that it is priceless. So, every show, Elvis was giving away the equivalent of $560 today.

 Letter from Carolyn Asmus, Col. Parker's secretary, to Gladys and Vernon, letting them know where their son would be during a month of his 1956 tour.

Have you ever wondered what Elvis's phone number was? How about how much his phone bill cost? That would be over $800 today!

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