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Elvis Presley’s Graceland Defaced; Vandals Spray-Painted ‘BLM’ On Wall Of King’s Mansion


Billed as, ‘The white boy who sang black’ and ‘The King of Rock and Roll,’ Elvis Aron Presley broke down regional and national barriers in the mid-1950s and gave a worldwide audience a view at the future of a new musical genre called rock and roll. The fame and fortune that followed him for the remainder of his life was legendary, and like his name, the trappings of his lifestyle became household terms.

Had it not been for Elvis (who owned three of them), you may have never heard the song ‘Pink Cadillac’. His Memphis home, Graceland, has for decades been a Mecca for rock and roll tourists from around the world.

In the early morning hours of September 1 though, Elvis Presley’s Graceland home became famous for something else as it was vandalized with “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” graffiti. A report from the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper said that the protest slogans were found spray-painted in black and orange on the stone wall surrounding Presley’s mansion, a signature Memphis landmark and major tourist draw. “Abolish ICE” and “F–k Trump” were also among the spray-painted phrases.

The graffiti covered up many of the hundreds of tributes to the music icon handwritten by fans on the wall over the years. By mid-morning on September 1, workers with power-wash equipment were removing the slogans, according to the Appeal.

A Graceland spokesman declined to comment on the vandalism.

Another Memphis landmark, historic concert venue The Levitt Shell, was defaced with similar graffiti, including “Eat the Rich” and “Defund MPD (Memphis Police Department).” The open-air amphitheater in Overton Park was where Elvis gave his first paid concert on July 30, 1954, opening for Slim Whitman.

The rock and roll legend lived at Graceland for 20 years, until his death on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42. The estate, located on a stretch of Highway 51 South named “Elvis Presley Boulevard,” was opened to the public in 1982 and attracts over half a million visitors annually.


 

The post Elvis Presley’s Graceland Defaced; Vandals Spray-Painted ‘BLM’ On Wall Of King’s Mansion appeared first on The Village Reporter.


Source: The Village Reporter

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