45 Years Since We Lost Elvis, The King of Rock-n-Roll
It is the 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley passing away at his his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Thousands of fans gathered throughout the night and even more are expected to show their respect throughout the day. Even after 45 years, Elvis is still considered one of the highest money making artists in music history!
Of course living here in Las Vegas, Elvis performed quite a bit at The International, which of course became The Hilton, then ended up being what we know it as today as The Westgate. Thousands of fans would jam pack the theater inside the hotel both on the floor and in the balcony!
From 1969 until his death in 1977, Elvis would perform a record setting 636 shows at The International Hotel in Las Vegas in month-long stints doing two shows a night, seven nights a week! Just think about that…two shows nightly, seven nights a week. Reportedly, Elvis was paid $100,000.00 per week for four week engagements. About the same pay for entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other big name stars.
More importantly, the number of shows Elvis sold out at the International…the debate continues because some would say 837 shows, however the number might really be closer to 636. At this point, does it really matter? The fact is that every show Elvis did at The International was SOLD OUT!
The Mike & Carla Morning Show reminisced about Elvis, being at the hotel and even staying in the “Elvis Suite” at one time! As Mike O’Brian talked about broadcasting “live” from the suite to commemorate the release of the Elvis stamp back on January 8, 1993, Carla Rea talked about staying in the suite thanks to a “friend” at the hotel!
Lots of great memories regarding Elvis here in Las Vegas, so listen to the segment from this morning and better yet, scroll down and glance at the gallery of Elvis we put together as we observe the 45th anniversary of his death!
GALLERY: Classic Images of Elvis Presley
