Whole year of tributes for Elvis, king of rock 'n' roll

Jan 4, 2010, 6:57 GMT

Los Angeles - A massive celebration is set to start Friday to mark the 75th birthday of the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley.

And it looks to be among the longest, most crowded birthday celebrations ever held for an artist.

Across the United States, various activities are scheduled to take place throughout 2010. The main event, however, starts Thursday in Presley's mansion, Graceland, and is set to be crowned by a cake- cutting ceremony, all under the eye of ex-wife Priscilla and his daughter Lisa Marie.

The event is part of a long weekend of celebrations at the site where the 'king' was found dead on August 16, 1977. Between Thursday and Sunday, Memphis, Tennessee is set to host a major pilgrimage of Elvis fans seeking to pay tribute to their idol, who was buried in Graceland 32 years ago.

The list of events looks endless. Registered fans are set to gather in Graceland, where there will be an Elvis Day ceremony that is open to the public and broadcast live on the artist's official website.

Special tours of the mansion are to take place, along with concerts of Elvis' favourite gospel music. George Klein, who wrote Elvis: My Best Man, is set to sign copies of the book.

Beyond Graceland, moreover, Memphis is to host charity events in Elvis' name, as well as a concert by the city's Symphony Orchestra and a party on Beale Street, where all nightclubs are to play songs and sell drinks to honour the late singer. For many of these events, tickets sold out well in advance.

In Las Vegas, Elvis' stage city par excellence, the Cirque du Soleil is putting on a show under the title Viva ELVIS, which mixes dance, acrobatics and music, with 75 artists in the recently-opened Aria Resort & Casino.

On Elvis' birthday proper, Friday, Los Angeles is to open an exhibition at the Grammy Museum to show the work of Alfred Wertheimer, the photographer who followed Elvis before he reached stardom. The show, called Elvis 21 and featuring 56 digital prints, will travel to nine US cities over three years.

Washington did not want to miss the fun. In March, the Newseum, which looks out on Capitol Hill, is to open an exhibition on the impact of the performer of All Shook Up on popular culture. The show will feature costumes and other personal objects belonging to Elvis, from the Graceland archives.

The television channel TMC is set to mark January 8 with an Elvis film marathon, including introductions from Priscilla and his best friend Jerry Schilling.

Other media are also joining the celebrations. The radio station Sirius will hold a raffle, while Facebook plans to open a fan page. Apple has designed an application, called Elvis Mobile, so that fans can follow all events to mark the legend's birthday.

There will be enough Elvis to cater for all tastes. Even his mythical red-and-white 1956 Harley Davidson is set to be on show in Milwaukee. And more adventurous fans will have the chance to join an Elvis-themed cruise that is to leave Jacksonville, Florida in November for Nassau, Bahamas, for four days of complete immersion in the king's world.