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And I shall bow in humble adoration
Elvis – How Great Thou Art

Happy 88th birthday Elvis – How Great Thou Art.

And if there is a heaven then Elvis will be on a cloud singing to Gladys and Vernon and his twin Jesse.

It was to How Great Thou Art, one of Elvis’s favourite hymns, that The Great Man was guided to his rest at his funeral service.

All of which was fitting as The King of Kings was at heart a gospel singer.

And How Great Thou Art was one of his gospel standards.

Elvis’s last stand

There is surprisingly little evidence of how important faith was in the life of the Southern Baptist Boy around his home Graceland.

And visitors’ attention is mostly focused on the Jungle Room.

But the most moving corner of his Memphis home is outside in the Memorial Garden where Elvis lies for all eternity.

Next to his parents and the twin who did not survive birth.

And in the Games Room where Elvis, his girlfriend Ginger, and his cousin Billy and his wife Jo kicked back on his last day.

And played racquetball,

But more importantly where Elvis played two songs on his piano, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain and Unchained Melody.

It is poignant to reflect that were Elvis still with us today then none of us would get beyond the big black door.

Priscilla’s promise

And, of course, we have Priscilla Presley to thank for that.

Alas, with every passing year there are fewer of those in Elvis’s inner circle to relay how Elvis lived.

With Billy Smith, the last survivor of the Memphis Mafia.

Although Priscilla, Lisa Marie and her kids are regular visitors where they stay in the roped off quarters upstairs.

For the rest of us, of course, there is Downtown Memphis within easy reach of Elvis touch points.

Sun Studio, Marlowe’s restaurant, where he had his own booth (well, you would) and Beale Street.

Be our guest

Or you could stay at the Guest House Graceland where you can attach a Graceland package.

With a stay, VIP tour + planes package for two from $335 or a Graceland Experience Package from $269.

All of which will mean you can devote the whole day to Elvis’s home and the warehouses which house his clothes and cars.

Of course music is always in the air as a reminder of his enduring appeal. Elvis – How Great Thou Art.

Can you just help me leaving… I’m caught in a trap in Elvis’s wardrobe?

Anybody who has been to Graceland (and you should) will know that you can get lost.

In the warehouses that stock his jumpsuits and his planes, bikes and cars.

Or was that just me? And I must admit I had a suspicious mind about my party leaving me there on my own to get lost.

Movie masterpiece

We get glimpses of Graceland in the epic Baz Luhrmann biopic of Elvis which we sang all the way through at the cinema.

But what you can’t appreciate until you actually get there is just how homely and remarkably unremarkable it is.

Sure, we’ve heard of the Jungle Room, but it’s really just a man cave with some Seventies wildlife furnishings.

While the dining room is a presentable front room where a family and their friends would feel comfortable.

It is here that Lisa Marie would say that Elvis would hold court in his hearty Deep South droll and they would all eat soul food.

The upstairs are roped off as that’s Priscilla, Lisa Marie’s and their family’s quarters.

Lisa Marie’s memories

But Elvis’s only child leaves us with a lasting image of the King in an audio reveal in the house.

When she explains that they would hear Elvis before they saw him come down the stairs.

On account of his clinking jewellery.

Butterfly collector: Elvis on stage

Elvis the icon, the superstar, of those jumpsuits and cars and planes, and guitars, pianos and platinum discs we already know.

But only in visiting Graceland and Memphis will you get an insight into Elvis’s home life and downtime.

Elvis’s Memphis

I’ll have what Elvis is having: Memphis diner

In the diner where he would come to eat his banana and peanut butter sandwiches.

And where he would leave his golf buggy outside.

There is still staff there who will say they met him and that they would exchange good wishes to each others’ families.

You can visit to landmarks in Elvis’s life… Sun Studio where he cut That’s Alright Mamma, and Lansky Bros on Beale Street.

And they proudly proclaim they are Clothier to the King.

All of which you’ll see in its glory in the jumpsuit warehouse I’m happy to be stuck in.

Elvis’s legacy

Elvis Presley continues to bring colour to our lives 45 years after he died, aged only 42.

And you get stuck in a trap in Elvis’s wardrobe.

I’ll take that, particularly if his music is on a reel, and I’m in great Graceland in magical Memphis.

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Elvis – How Great Thou Art