The search for Elvis' roots leads to a humble shack in Mississippi

Nov 17, 2009, 5:30 GMT

Tupelo/Memphis, US - Elvis Presley remains the undisputed King of Rock 'n' Roll - even for many people who never experienced him in his prime.

The superstar would have turned 75 on January 8, 2010 and many fans might like to take the date as a cue to revisit some of the scenes of his life. Two prime examples are Graceland mansion in Memphis and the small town of Tupelo where he was born.

The veranda of the small white bungalow in Tupelo is weather- beaten and the steps leading up to it creak with age. To the left hangs a porch-swing on chains and straight ahead is the entrance to the house where Elvis first saw the light of day on January 8, 1935.

The furniture inside has been authentically recreated with a wax- covered kitchen table, a hearth, an iron bestead and a chest of drawers with an old-fashioned radio receiver. A black-and-white picture on the wall depicts two adults with a child. They are Vernon and Gladys Presley with little Elvis Aaron.

This small rural community in the southern state of Mississippi could hardly be more of a contrast to the glittering commerce of Graceland in the music metropolis of Memphis. Tupelo tells a different story too, one of poverty and humble beginnings.

'The house where Elvis was born is the greatest attraction we have in Tupelo,' explains Linda Elliff from the local tourist department. Yearly around 80,000 people come to her to see the museum dedicated to the star at Elvis Presley Drive 306.

Back then Vernon Presley had to borrow 180 dollars in order to built what was little more than a basic shack. There was no running water and no electricity either. The Presleys later moved to the predominantly black Shake Rag district.

The town of Tupelo bought up Presley's home with money donated by the performer following a concert in the town. A bronze statue on the site shows Elvis as a 13-year-old with a guitar in the hand.

The white-painted wooden house of worship, the Assembly of God Church, where the young Elvis heard white gospel music, was moved a few blocks nearer to his birthplace. Visitors take up their places on around 30 wooden pews and are treated to a multimedia show designed to transport them back to the era of the Sunday gospel prayer sessions witnessed here in the 1930s and 1940s.

James Ausbon and Guy Harris were friends of Elvis when they were teenagers - today they are elderly men with sparse white hair. It hardly seems possible that Elvis would have looked the same way if the star had not died at the age of 42. The men explain where they use to hang out with Elvis in Tupelo, down at the ice cream parlour or sharing a cheeseburger at Johnny's Drive-In.

Members of the Elvis Presley Sweethearts, a fan club which dates back to the 1950s, have found each other again. The greying ladies, some of whom need a stick to help them walk, become misty-eyed when they start talking about Elvis, whose presence in Tupelo is overwhelming.

Tourists can trek to his favourite snack bar, see his old primary and secondary schools and even visit the library where he used to take out books. Everything associated with the first 13 years of Elvis' life is there to be inspected.

In 1948 the Presleys moved into a council-owned apartment at Lauderdale Court. The three-roomed flat is open to the public albeit only on the anniversary of his birthday and his death. Elvis used to practice guitar and singing in a basement laundry room and would stroll down to the local black gospel church in what was then a strictly racially-segregated city to sit on the steps and soak up the music that was performed here.

In Memphis itself there is no getting away from Elvis either. The 18-year-old truck driver with the slicked-back hair, long sideburns and extravagant clothing first went into the Sun Studio in July 1953. He paid four dollars to record a country ballad which failed to make any commercial impact.

A year later he was fooling around with some musicians in the studio when they came up with 'That's All Right.' The song became a hit overnight and launched the career of a white boy who sang like a black artist and whose swivelling hips caused enormous controversy in the deeply conservative south. Today Sun Studio is a protected building which should ensure its preservation.

From here a shuttle bus takes visitors to Graceland mansion which is located on Elvis Presley Boulevard. One side of the street is devoted to the trappings of Elvis' stardom. His cars and aeroplanes are there for all to see and there are countless souvenirs and CDs of his music.

Meanwhile, Mary-Beth Ivins, an Elvis fan from Fort Worth in Texas, is standing at Elvis' grave with tears in her eyes: 'Looking at all those awards, the golden discs, the trophies, the pictures and the videos - all those sign of incredible success - his death seems all the more tragic,' she said.