In 1953, an 18-year-old truck driver stepped into the Memphis Recording Service and paid $4 so he could record two songs. Curious to hear his own singing voice, he sang “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin,” and had them pressed onto vinyl as a present for his mother. Like so many Mother’s Day gifts throughout the ages, it proved to be an impractical one, as his mother didn’t own a record player.
Nonetheless, once the cries of “you should have gotten me something I can actually use!” died down, music history had changed, as that teenager was Elvis Presley. A year later, he would make his second recording for Sun Records and quickly become the most popular singer in American history. But that first record, left behind at a friend of Mama Presley’s who did own a record player, still survives, and on January 8, it can be yours.
Yes, Elvis’ first slice of vinyl is up for sale, as part of a larger auction held at Graceland in the new year, on what would have been the King’s 80th birthday. Other items up for bid include Presley’s first driver’s license, a contract to perform on TV and radio in 1955, and the jacket Elvis wore in Viva Las Vegas.