Growing up, I always liked Elvis, and I remember being sad when the radio DJ told us that he had died. Still, I had never quite experienced all-out Elvis Love until my visit to Graceland in 1991. Some college friends and I drove to Memphis over spring break, listening to a mix tape (1991, after all) of every song about Elvis you could ever imagine. Then we'd listen to Elvis himself, hit after hit after hit. By the time we wandered into our first gift shop on Elvis Presley Boulevard, where even more Elvis music was piped in, we were oh-so-close to Elvis overload.
But somewhere between the tacky souvenirs and the Jungle Room, his legendary charisma kicked in. I was hooked. Ever since then, Elvis has had a special place in my heart. When Brett and I renewed our vows in Vegas, it was a given that an Elvis impersonator would officiate...
...even if he didn't look all that much like the real Elvis!It says something that even 31 years after his death, Elvis's birthday still merits multiple comments on Facebook as friend after friend pays tribute to the King. Here's my contribution to the virtual ElvisFest:
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