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<\/a>I was going to start out the new year with all sorts of encouragement about fresh starts, resolutions and what a hopeful year<\/strong> this promises to be. \u00a0 But a quick glance at the calendar quickly disabused me of any notion of improving or uplifting mankind because today is a significant day – Elvis Presley’s birthday.\u00a0 All of us of a certain age have been influenced by him<\/strong>, or at the very least, his music.\u00a0 My favorite movie with him was Blue Hawaii<\/em> and I choose to remember him as that ukulele-playing, handsome heartthrob.\u00a0 But the fact is that had he lived he would have been 81 years old today.\u00a0 Seems hard to imagine Elvis as an old man, adjusting his dentures<\/strong> and screaming “whaaaat?” to his friends and family.\u00a0 I want to remember him with the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana – died young and that’s how he’ll stay forever.\u00a0 I thought I knew a fair amount about Elvis until I started doing some research.\u00a0 Like so much else in my life, I’m a lot more ignorant<\/strong> on the subject than I thought I was.\u00a0 So…here’s a few little known facts about Elvis to commemorate his birthday.<\/p>\nElvis was a twin<\/strong>.\u00a0 Yep – the King of Rock might have been the Prince of Rock.\u00a0 He was the second<\/em> son born to his mom and dad but his older brother died at birth.<\/p>\n It’s good he isn’t in school now. \u00a0<\/strong>Wood shop was Elvis’s favorite subject in high school.\u00a0 He didn’t like music that much and only got a guitar when his mom surprised him with one on his birthday.<\/p>\n He wasn’t an instant sensation. \u00a0<\/strong>Some of Elvis’s first concerts didn’t go over well, with one reviewer likening him to “a jug of corn liquor at a champagne party.”<\/p>\n Elvis wasn’t big on travel.<\/strong>\u00a0 He only ever performed outside of the United States three times, and all three times were in Canada. In 1957, he played Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.<\/p>\n “Maria” could have been his big hit record.<\/strong> \u00a0Elvis was originally pegged to star as Tony in the musical West Side Story<\/em>. His manager Colonel Tom Parker nixed the idea, however, and the part went to Richard Beymer.<\/p>\n This could explain his weight gain.<\/strong> \u00a0Elvis only ever endorsed one product in his lifetime: Texas-based Southern Maid Doughnuts.<\/p>\n A little dab will do you. \u00a0<\/strong>One of the secrets to styling and maintaining his famous hairdo: a combination of Vaseline and rose oil.\u00a0 I hate to think what that looked like when he was sweating.\u00a0 While we’re on hair:<\/p>\n Only his hairdresser knew for sure.<\/strong> \u00a0Elvis’s natural hair color is brown; he dyed his hair black.<\/p>\n Elvis<\/strong> was his own security squad.<\/strong>\u00a0 He was a karate black belt.<\/p>\n Where were the candelabras?<\/strong> \u00a0The idea for Elvis to wear more flamboyant outfits in concert came from none other than Liberace.<\/p>\n He could have lived in Beverly Hills or Scottsdale.<\/strong> \u00a0Elvis went under the knife in the 1970s, receiving a nose job and two facelifts.<\/p>\n He wanted to be the Godfather.<\/strong> \u00a0One film part Elvis always wanted to play but was not considered for: Don Corleone in The Godfather<\/em>. Hard to imagine him making an offer than someone couldn’t refuse.<\/p>\n He must have been referring to Heaven.<\/strong> \u00a0 Elvis’s last words in public were reportedly spoken to his assistant and concerned an upcoming concert tour: “Billy, son, this is gonna be my best tour ever.”<\/p>\n \u201cIf life was fair, Elvis would still be alive and all the impersonators dead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson I was going to start out the new year with all sorts of encouragement about fresh starts, resolutions and what a hopeful year this promises to be. \u00a0 But a quick glance at the calendar quickly … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Fat-Elvis-205x300.jpg\")
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<\/a>So, there you have it.\u00a0 Some little known facts that you can ruminate on as you celebrate Elvis’ birthday.\u00a0 Heck, at the very least it’s a good excuse to eat some cake.\u00a0 I’ll just leave you with this quote from Johnny Carson:<\/p>\n