Elvis' Birthday Celebrated in Graceland and Around the World

Elvis B-day is here again. I expect their will be a lot of great movies on tonight if you have cable. They might even bring some to Basic if you are lucky. I am not as big of a fan of Elvis to go all the way to Graceland, but then again I wasn't around during Elvis time.

by Robert Dougherty

Elvis Presley fans celebrate the milestones of the King's life like clockwork. Graceland is fuller than usual on certain anniversaries, like last year when the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death was commemorated. Today, Elvis Presley fans celebrate a less morbid milestone, of the day when it all bega

Elvis Presley's birthday will be celebrated today by Elvis fans, many of which are in Graceland already. The 74th birthday celebration should be a mere prelude to the bigger milestone of his 75th birthday in 2010.

Nevertheless, Elvis birthday tributes will be taking place all over, especially in Graceland. Elvis's birthday has already been celebrated with a few days worth of events, with a few more to come the rest of the week.

For Elvis's actual birthday today, Graceland will have gospel tributes, Elvis-style renditions of Happy Birthday, a special ceremony hosted by Priscilla Presley, birthday toy beat scavenger hunts, and more.

The Elvis birthday tributes continue on at Graceland up to Sunday, January 11. Countless other Elvis fans will likely have their own tributes set up in the rest of the country.

The Elvis birthday bashes are taking place as the Elvis industry in general continues to thrive, even during the recession. Elvis continues to be the number 1 earner among dead celebrities, according to Forbes Magazine. Presley's song "If I Can Dream" will even be used as part of Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony.

Graceland continues to see a steady supply of tourists, with attendance only down in 2008 because 2007 was the anniversary year of Elvis's death. Graceland will undergo more developments and improvements in the years to come.

The anniversary of Elvis's birthday is more joyous to celebrate than his death, one would imagine. His first birthday on January 8, 1934 is when the whole Elvis phenomenon technically kicked off, after all.

The anniversary of his death, on August 16, is a bit more mournful, especially considering what Presley had become by then. But it may not be so sad for those who are in the "Elvis is still alive" camp.

Still, Elvis's birthday is another occasion to celebrate the King's life, especially when it was facing happier times.

Sources

Elvis.com- "The Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration" www.elvis.com/graceland/calendar/elvis_birthday.asp

UPI.com- "Elvis business good, despite economy"