With Mariah Carey's recent eclipse of Elvis's record for most number one hits as a solo artist (she now has 18), Blender salutes the King's immortal music, his tabloid appetites and his "Fat Elvis" free fall.
6. Elvis's gold suit was the genuine article.The colonel had it designed for him for the opening date of a 10-city tour in 1957. It was made by famous Hollywood tailor Nudie Cohen and cost $2,500. During the show, Elvis fell to his knees and left a pile of gold leaf on the stage. Afterward, a distraught Parker begged him never to do such a move again.
7. Elvis had "it.""He had a very, very contagious personality," Phillips says. "He was just like flypaper. Get close to it, and watch out—you'll get stuck!"
8. He really loved his mother, Gladys.At her funeral in 1958, he tried to jump into her grave. For days afterward, he carried her nightgown around with him.
9. Uncle Sam first got him into drugs.Private Presley was given amphetamine pills by a sergeant in 1958, and he became an epic pill enthusiast. He bought them in quart bottles from the dispensary.
10. But he never got drunk.Ernst Jorgensen, RCA Records's official Presley archivist and historian: "It wasn't like Elvis never drank alcohol as a principle. He just drank very little."