Museums: Elvis! His Groundbreaking, Hip-Shaking, Newsmaking Story Blooloop

New Exhibit Opens March 12, 2010, at the Newseum

Experience the power of Elvis Presley and the explosive impact he had on music and popular culture in a new Newseum exhibit featuring stage costumes and other professional and personal mementos from the Graceland Archives collection in Memphis, Tenn.

"Elvis! His Groundbreaking, Hip-Shaking, Newsmaking Story" tells the story of Presley as he was portrayed in the news media and explores how his music and physicality pushed the boundaries of mainstream taste and free expression during a time when America was experiencing deep generational shifts. "Elvis!" will open on March 12, 2010, in what would have been the King of Rock ‘n Roll’s 75th birthday year.

"In many ways, Elvis embodied free expression in America, " said Ken Paulson, president of the Newseum. "We’re delighted to join with our colleagues at Graceland to tell his story through photos, videos and news coverage spanning more than two decades."

Produced in collaboration with Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc., the Newseum exhibit includes a number of rare objects from the Graceland vaults that have never before been publicly displayed. See private telegrams, letters and scrapbooks that chronicle Presley’s rise as a music and media sensation, as well as his death and his enduring legacy.

The exhibit also includes an original Newseum-produced video featuring vintage footage of the entertainer, from performances to press conferences, shown on a dazzling 90-foot-long video wall in the Newseum’s Big Screen Theater.

Relive some of the top headline-making moments from Presley’s career, including:

The breakthrough recordings that made music history.
The smoldering performances that made him a symbol of youthful rebellion and a target of censorship.
The early television appearances that generated controversy and news coverage.
His White House meeting with President Richard M. Nixon.
His shocking 1977 death, which dominated the news as no entertainer’s death ever had before.
The Newseum exhibit features rare photographs and original newspapers and magazines covering Presley’s career. Artifacts on loan from Graceland include Presley’s iconic 1957 Harley-Davidson motorcycle; the "American Eagle" jumpsuit and cape worn during the rehearsal for his 1973 "Aloha From Hawaii" concert, seen by more than 1 billion viewers worldwide; the gold and diamond belt presented to him in 1969 for breaking Las Vegas attendance records; and memorable costumes from his stage and screen appearances.

Also included are rare news scrapbooks compiled by his manager, Col. Tom Parker; the coat and belt Presley wore during his historic 1970 White House meeting with Nixon; and the memorial tribute book from his funeral.

"Elvis!" will be on display at the Newseum through Feb. 14, 2011.

About the Newseum

The Newseum — a 250, 000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. Within its seven levels of galleries and theaters, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

The Newseum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors (65 and older) and $12.95 for youth (7 to 18). Annual memberships also are available. For additional information, call 888/NEWSEUM (888/639-7386) or visit newseum.org.

About Elvis Presley Enterprises

Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing and television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit elvis.com. EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (ckx.com), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market® under the ticker symbol CKXE.