Yesterday would have been the King of Rock and Roll’s 80th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, Graceland held an auction with 68 Elvis Presley artifacts up for bid. His first recording, an acetate disc with the songs “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” from 1953, sold for $300,000 to an unnamed buyer.
Presley was 18 years old when he recorded the tracks at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service on July 18th, 1953. He had paid $4 for the session. Presley reportedly had listened to the record at friend Ed Leek’s house since his family did not own a record player and left it there. Leek kept the record in a safe for 60 years, and his niece Lorisa Hilburn inherited it after he and his wife passed away. Hillburn offered the item up for auction at Graceland.
Hilburn was surprised by how much the record sold for, but added that she was “very happy.”
“There was adrenaline beforehand … but when it was over, I was numb,” she said. “It was surreal.”
She plans to put some of the money towards her sons’ college education.
Other items that were auctioned off included Presley’s first driver’s license, a jacket he wore in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas, prescription sunglasses made for Presley, and an autographed 78 r.p.m. copy of “That’s All Right.”
Before the auction began, Presley’s former wife Priscilla and their daughter, Lisa Marie, hosted a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate his birthday.
