Elvis Presley | Elvis Presley's mother | Elvis Presley and his mother | Source: Getty Images
Elvis Presley considered his mother to be the most important person in his life from childhood until he passed away at 42. His father was imprisoned for not paying his debts and Elvis and his mother moved from shack to shack together, but Elvis vowed to give his mother a beautiful home one day. He delivered on his promise. However, she was not happy with it.
Elvis Presley, who would have turned 88 today, January 8, 2023, is a name widely recognized in the entertainment industry for what he achieved during his life. However, before the money and the fame, Elvis grew up very poor as his parents, Gladys and Vernon, struggled to make ends meet.
The pair met in 1933 at a Pentecostal church in Tupelo, Mississippi. Gladys, 22, was five years older than Vernon, 17, and she was working as a sewing machine operator in a local clothing factory. Vernon, on the other hand, did anything he could find to make money.
Two year old Elvis Presley poses for a family portrait with his parents Vernon Presley and Gladys Presley in 1937 in Tupelo, Mississippi. | Source: Getty Images
They got married that same year and moved into a two-room shack bereft of electricity or running water. After a while, Gladys got pregnant with twins, but she could not get proper health care because the family could not afford it.
Sadly there were complications with her delivery on January 8, 1935, and they had to call a doctor, who a charity eventually paid. Tragically, Elvis's twin Jesse was stillborn and was later buried in an unmarked grave in the local cemetery.
Meanwhile, Gladys had also lost a lot of blood and was rushed to the hospital with her surviving son Elvis. After leaving the hospital, Gladys did not return to the clothing factory; instead, she went cotton picking, which was a more demanding job. However, it gave her the chance to bring Elvis along.
The Tupelo, Mississippi home of Elvis Presley. | Source: Getty Images
Sadly, things got worse for the family when Vernon received a three years prison sentence for altering the amount due to him on a cheque; at the time, Elvis was just three years old.
Elvis and His Mom Struggled with Homelessness
After Vernon was sent to prison, Elvis became Gladys' sole responsibility. She could not afford the house rent, and they were subsequently evicted.
Mother and son had to move from one house to another until 1943, when they finally settled in a house in East Tupelo, Mississippi.
The house built in the late 1920s by Vernon's uncle Noah Presley for his son Eack became their safe haven. The house with cobalt blue planks and white framed windows served as Elvis's childhood home, where he and his parents enjoyed some stability.
Vernon, Gladys, and Elvis lived together in this house after the former got released from prison. The house located at 1241 Kelly Street in East Tupelo is just around the corner from the house where Elvis was born.
Elvis' Strong Bond with His Mother
Although Elvis grew up with both parents, he was more connected to his mother, Gladys, than with Vernon. As a child, he always believed he would be the one to take his parents out of poverty, and once, when he heard his parents worrying about rent, he said to Gladys:
"Don't worry, Mama. When I grow up, I'm going to buy you a fine house and pay everything you owe at the grocery store, and buy two Cadillacs, one for you and Daddy and one for me."
Elvis Presley with his parents Gladys and Vernon | Source: Getty Images
Wherever they lived, the trio always slept in the same room, but whenever Vernon traveled to other states for work, Elvis and his mother shared a bed and conversed in their own baby language.
Gladys also took religion very seriously, and whenever she and Elvis lay in bed, she would read him stories from the children's Bible. She would narrate the stories of Jonah in the belly of a whale and Joshua's battle at the wall of Jericho.
As a child, she encouraged him to believe he was destined for greater things, and she believed although his twin died, Elvis would grow up with the additional qualities of his twin.
Singer Elvis Presley kisses his mother, Gladys, on the eve of his induction into the Army and at left is his father, Vernon. | Source: Getty Images
Whenever Elvis followed his mom to work and the sun came out at two o'clock, he would promise to buy her a fine house and pay all her debts at the grocery store.
Elvis and his mother were so close they would call each other pet names or use gestures whenever they wanted to talk and put their faces close together. According to some neighbors, Gladys worshiped Elvis from the very day he was born, which indicates how close the two were.
A tourguide is seen in the birthplace of Elvis Presley on the 30th anniversary of his death, 16 August 2007, in Tupelo, Mississippi. | Source: Getty Images
Since his birth, Gladys dreaded being separated from her son, and she would even race to the grocery store to ensure they were not apart for more than five minutes.
Whenever Elvis was not with her, Gladys felt intense pain. Although maternal love is common for mothers and most often outgrow it as their kids grow, Gladys remained scared every time at the thought of Elvis ever leaving her.
How and When Did Elvis Vow to Fulfill His Mom?
Elvis rose to fame at 19 when he was signed by a record label in Memphis called "Sun." He would appear in the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly Country-and-Western concert broadcast live on the radio.
Rock and roll singer Elvis Presley poses for a portrait with his parents Vernon and Gladys Presley in circa 1956. | Source: Getty Images
All the money Elvis got from the show he sent home to his parents, and his mother saved the money in a box. By the time he was 20 years old, Elvis had fulfilled his promise and was already taking care of his parents.
In 1956 after scoring his first hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," he was able to buy a ranch-style home in Audubon Drive, a serene residential area in Memphis.
The singer moved in with his parents, but his mother struggled with living in such a big house, considering where they came from.
Exterior view of Elvis Presley's house Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 2018. | Source: Getty Images
She would often remark how the house looked like a palace, and although encouraged she would get used to living in the house, Gladys never did. When they first moved in, Gladys would invite some neighbors over for a cup of lemonade and use their pool.
Before long, fans started coming over to the house and climbing over the fence, and Elvis and his parents were not used to this. Also, some neighbors started complaining about Gladys, where she washed and dried her clothes.
Elvis Presley, on his first leave from the Army, escorts his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Presley, from their mansion here to town for a sneak preview of the entertainer's latest movie. | Source: Getty Images
At a point, the neighbors started working on a petition for the families to move out of the neighborhood. During this time, Elvis overheard his mother on the phone saying:
"I wish we was poor again, I really do."
The statement broke his heart, and Elvis subsequently moved his parents to Graceland, a mansion in Memphis where his mother could have all the privacy she wanted.
Elvis Loved His Mom Until His Passing at 42
Throughout Elvis' life, he and his mother shared a bond like no other. They loved one another fiercely and Elvis often expressed his love for his mother until his death at 42.
Elvis Presley with his parents Vernon and Gladys | Source: Getty Images
Elvis' mother passed away from hepatitis shortly after he was drafted into the US military. He went home on official leave to see her and she passed away then.
Elvis and his father were heartbroken at the loss of their mother and wife and kept a piece of a broken window pane which his mother had fallen into as a symbol of their grief.
Elvis Presley circa 1960 | Source: Getty Images
Talking about how Elvis reacted after his mother died, friends and family confirmed that Elvis was inconsolable at the loss of his dear mother. Elvis' friend, Judy Spreckles, said:
"He cried continuously. We were in the front hall at Graceland, and he stood there hugging me for a half-hour."
Elvis passed away on August 16, 1977, after suffering cardiac arrest. He was buried at Graceland and rests eternally at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
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