by Hannah Goacher, Group Marketing Executive
He may have left the building but the spirit of Elvis is very much present in his Memphis home, the famous Graceland mansion.
I’d never considered myself a huge fan of Elvis. But you can’t go to Memphis and stay in the Graceland camping site and not pop next door for a visit to the place itself.
You can’t help but feel that the place is a bit of a Mecca for music lovers. There is a strange and quiet atmosphere in the place, which is only enhanced by the headset you get given as a tour guide which hinders chatter as you walk around.
The house itself is like stepping into a time warp, the rooms all kept in pristine 1970s condition. The old 1950s style TV set still hangs on the wall and the décor all reflects a family with a lot of creativity and iconic personal style.
There is a jungle-style room, complete with an indoor waterfall, which also doubled up as a recording studio where Elvis recorded most of his final two albums.
Many parts of the house and property are now in museum-style with exhibits about the Presley family where you can see Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding clothes on display along with Lisa Marie’s toy chest and baby clothes.
Perhaps most impressive, is the car museum, which takes on a really fun 1950s drive-in vibe full of all beautiful vintage bikes and cars and of course the famous pink Cadillac. This part of the museum feels so much more relaxed than the rest of the house, and the place where I felt that the spirit and character of Elvis, as I knew from popular culture, was most present.
The private planes, The Lisa Marie (a convair 880) and Hound Dog II (a Lockheed Jetstar) are also on display for visitors to see, both inside and out. Like the house, the Lisa Marie has been preserved as it was when it was used by the family, it is quite ostentatiously decorated and really shows the depth of the family wealth.
Between the giant mansion, the cars, the private planes and beautiful grounds, it is easy to get lost in the world of a man, who I, much to the horror of others, have had little experience of apart from the clichés of pop culture that have somewhat tarnished a great talent. It is a place that shows the life and times of not just one of the most famous names on the planet, but a family home, a personality beyond the limelight and a legacy that has survived to give music fans a place to pay tribute to an icon.
Make sure you swing on by our vinyl selection in store at World of Rare Books to top up your Elvis vinyl collection.
