Elvis Aron Presley

The seventies

• WINTER 1970

Talk of Elvis’s loss of popularity are silenced by the king himtimeline. self. He decides to return to the International Hotel during the slowest part of the season, where he promptly breaks his own attendance records and records another live concert album. In February, Elvis performs six shows at the Houston Astrodome (as part of the Texas Livestock Show). He attracts over 200,000 people.

• SUMMER 1970

Elvis has recording sessions in Nashville and then, on August 10 through September 7, performs at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. MGM — at this point still in the motion picture business — films the performances as part of a documentary film: “Elvis -That’s the Way It Is.” The film also features backstage
footage, as well as rehearsals and recording sessions. There is an album released by the same title.

• SEPTEMBER 1970

Rumors that Elvis might actually tour again become true, as he conducts a nine city tour of the show he has perfected during the Vegas runs. He returns to Nashville for another recording session.

• NOVEMBER 1970

Ironically, it is the documentary film “That’s the Way It Is” (which opens this month) which receives the best reviews and box office response of any of Elvis’s most recent dramatic films. Inspired by his recent successes, Elvis goes out on a highly successful eight-city concert tour.

• DECEMBER 1970

This month, Richard Nixon receives Elvis at the White House.

• JANUARY 16, 1971

The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce names Elvis “One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation” and presents him with the award tonight.

• FEBRUARY - MARCH 1971

Elvis returns again to the International Hotel in Las Vegas for a four week engagement, quickly followed by another recording session in Nashville. However, Elvis cancels this session because of pain in his eye. He goes to the local hospital and discovers that he suffers from secondary glaucoma which will cause him problems from now on.

• MAY 1971

Promoting the first serious biography of Elvis, Look Magazine features the “king of rock and roll” on their cover. Elvis returns to the studio to record his album “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas”.

• SUMMER 1971

For the first time, the small house where Elvis was born opens to the public for tours, but Elvis is busy in the studio preparing a new gospel album. Meanwhile, the portion of Highway 51 South which runs by Graceland is officially renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. Next, Elvis plays a two-week engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada followed in August with a wildly successful concert series at the International Hotel in Las Vegas – now called the Las Vegas Hilton International Hotel. During this series, Elvis is presented with the Bing Crosby Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences – later to be called the Lifetime Achievement Award.

• OCTOBER 1971

The new book “Elvis : A Biography” by Jerry Hopkins is released.

• NOVEMBER 5-16, 1971

Elvis embarks on a concert tour to 12 cities in the U.S.

• DECEMBER 1971 / JANUARY 1972

To the shock of his fans, Elvis and Priscilla separate. She moves out on her own with Lisa Marie.
And the first of the new Elvis Presley Boulevard signs go up.

• JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 23, 1972

Elvis returns to the Hilton in Las Vegas for another highly successful four-week run.

• SPRING 1972

Inspired by the financial success of “That’s the Way It Is,” MGM plans another documentary entitled “Elvis on Tour.” The company films Elvis in the studio and accompanies him on a concert tour of 15 cities. The gospel album “He Touched Me” is released in April to favorable reviews, and wins Elvis his second Grammy Award.

• JUNE 1972

Elvis continues his tour – with a special four-show stop at Madison Square Garden in New York City. All four shows are sold out. Smelling money, RCA records the first Madison Square Garden performance and, in just over a week, has the album in the record stores.

• JULY 1972

The separation of Elvis and Priscilla becomes formal this month. Elvis is now seen in the company of Linda Thompson.

• AUGUST 4 - SEPTEMBER 4, 1972

Elvis returns to the Hilton in Las Vegas.

• SEPTEMBER 5, 1972

Elvis announces at a Las Vegas press conference that he is planning for a live television concert which will be broadcast worldwide from Hawaii.

• OCTOBER 1972

The record “Burning Love” marks the return of Elvis to the pop singles chart.

• NOVEMBER 1972

MGM’s “Elvis on Tour” opens (of course) in November and wins big with critics and audiences. The producers receive the Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary. While the movie about touring opens, Elvis embarks on a seven-city concert tour of his own.

• JANUARY 14, 1973

“Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite” airs on NBC, and makes television history. But American viewers won’t see it live. They will have to wait until April for a taped version. The record album is quickly released, reaches number one on the Billboard Pop Album Chart, and remains on the chart for a year.

• JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 23, 1973

Not stopping to catch his breath, Elvis returns to his favorite venue: the Las Vegas Hilton.

• MARCH 1973

In a surprising move, Elvis and Colonel Parker sell to RCA the singer’s royalty rights on Elvis’s entire recording catalog up to that point.

• APRIL 4, 1973

The “Aloha” special is seen on American television for the first time. It is estimated that a total of one billion people see the special.

• SPRING / SUMMER 1973

Once again, Elvis hits the road on an eight-city concert tour, ending with an engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe. (In May, the “Aloha from Hawaii” concert album hits number one on the Billboard pop album chart.) By the end of June, Elvis is on tour again, returning for a recording session in Memphis. He ends the summer with a four-week engagement at the Vegas Hilton.

• OCTOBER 9, 1973

Today Elvis and Priscilla have their day in court and they are granted a divorce.

• OCTOBER 15 - NOVEMBER 1, 1973

In Memphis, Elvis is hospitalized for a wide range of health problems. He has pneumonia, pleurisy, an enlarged colon, and hepatitis.

• DECEMBER 1973

Remaining in Memphis, Elvis goes into the studio for a week of recording sessions and then rests up for another concert engagement.

• JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 9, 1974

Elvis return to the Vegas Hilton.

• MARCH 1974

Despite his health problems, and a growing dependency on prescription drugs, Elvis embarks on another ambitious tour schedule. Included in the schedule is a concert in Memphis, his first in over 12 years. He is forced to do four shows just to meet the demand for tickets. The Memphis concerts result in another
live album.

• APRIL 1974

Elvis decides to rest up from his schedule and essentially takes the entire month off.

• MAY 16 - 26, 1974

Elvis plays the Sahara in Lake Tahoe.

• SUMMER 1974

Although he stops for a two week breather in July, most of the summer is spent touring and performing at the Las Vegas Hilton. It is while he is at the Hilton, that Elvis is approached by Barbra Streisand with idea of playing opposite her in the remake of “A Star is Born”.

• FALL 1974

Elvis is out on tour for most of September, and performs at the Sahara in Lake Tahoe for four days.

• JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 14, 1975

Once again, Elvis is hospitalized for the same series of health problems.

• MARCH - JULY 1975

Elvis’s live recording of “How Great Thou Art” receives the Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance. After four weeks of shows at the Hilton, Elvis embarks on an extensive four month series of concert tours interrupted by brief stops for rest at Graceland.

• AUGUST 18 - SEPTEMBER 5, 1975

Elvis opens in Vegas with plans for an extended run, but leaves on August 20 for Memphis where he is hospitalized until September 5.

• NOVEMBER 1975

Elvis returns to Graceland after his hospital stay and, in November, takes ownership of a completely refurbished Convair 880 jet he christens the”Lisa Marie.”

• DECEMBER 1975

In a gesture to make up for the shows canceled because of illness, Elvis returns to the Hilton in Vegas. Later, on New Year’s Eve, he performs in Pontiac, Michigan.

• FEBRUARY 1976

Elvis has a week of recording sessions in his den at Graceland, with RCA bringing in mobile recording equipment.

• MARCH - OCTOBER, 1976

This entire time is taken up by tour engagements. Although the pace is hectic, it is carefully planned out with periodic stops in Graceland to rest up.

• OCTOBER 29-30, 1976

Elvis holds recording sessions in his den at Graceland.

• NOVEMBER, 1976

Elvis and Linda Thompson split up — Elvis meets Ginger Alden who will be his companion until his death.

• DECEMBER, 1976

Elvis goes out on tours once again, including a ten-day stint at the Las Vegas Hilton. It will be the last time he performs at the famous casino-hotel. He ends the month with a special New Year’s Eve concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

• FEBRUARY - MARCH, 1977

He continues touring throughout these two months. He is scheduled to perform, with only brief rest stops, until late June.

• APRIL 1-5, 1977

Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis and then returns to Graceland for rest.

• APRIL 21 - AUGUST 15, 1977

Elvis is back on the road once again. RCA and CBS television decide to create a simultaneous television special / concert album for his tour shows scheduled June 19 - 21 to be called “Elvis in Concert.” The camera, however, is not kind to Elvis and his fans are able to see on television what they could not easily
see during a concert: just how poor his health really was. Elvis performs in at Indianapolis’ Market Square Arena on June 26 and then returns to Graceland to plan the next series of concerts.

• AUGUST 16, 1977

Elvis is up early and spends most of the morning attending to tour details: he plans to fly out of Memphis that night for Portland, Maine so that he can rest up for a performance the night of the 17th. At 7:00 am, Elvis decides to lay down in the master bedroom. He is found dead a short time later.