Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo,
Mississippi. In 1938, when Elvis was three years old, his father was
convicted of forgery. Vernon, Gladys's brother Travis Smith, and Luther
Gable went to prison for altering a check from Orville Bean, Vernon's
boss, from $3 to $8 and then cashing it at a local bank. Vernon was
sentenced to three years at Mississippi State Penitentiary. On July 18,
1953 Presley paid $3.25 to record the first of two double-sided demo
acetates at Sun Studios, "My Happiness" and "That's When
Your Heartaches Begin", he gave it to his mother as a much-belated
birthday present. On August 15, 1955, Presley was signed by "Hank
Snow Attractions", a management company jointly owned by singer
Hank Snow and "Colonel" Tom Parker. Shortly thereafter, "Colonel"
Parker took full control and, recognizing the limitations of Sun
Studios, negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records to acquire Presley's
Sun contract for $35,000 on November 21, 1955. Presley's first single
for RCA "Heartbreak Hotel" quickly sold one million copies and
within a year RCA would go on to sell ten million Presley singles. On
August 16, 1977, at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, Presley
was found lying on the floor of his bedroom's bathroom, Presley was 42
years old, and when he died, "he weighed 350 pounds.
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