In Search Of Elvis’s Hawaii

Above, Elvis Presley often stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel at Waikiki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since today is Elvis Presley's 88th birthday, the following is appropriate to mark the occasion.

TravelAwaits has posted an article on sites in Hawaii associated with the King of Rock 'n Roll.

They begin it with:

Elvis Presley was born in Mississippi and lived in Tennessee, but for many fans, this musical legend is known as “the last Hawaiian king.” 

As Jerry Hopkins, author of Elvis In Hawai’i, states: “Elvis Presley, son of a sharecropper from Mississippi, whose Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, is the second-most visited home in the United States (behind the White House), may be the single personality most closely identified with Hawaii, excepting those who were born and raised here.”

Presley visited several times for personal vacations, but he’s best remembered for his professional appearances. He filmed three movies in Hawaii: Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966). He also made history with several concerts. They included a benefit for the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor and the 1973 Aloha From Hawaii show, the first concert by a solo artist broadcast around the world.

Elvis’s legacy and spirit are alive and well on the island of Oahu, and music lovers can easily put together their own Elvis-themed tour. I experienced it for myself this Christmas when my husband and I put together an Elvis-focused trip for my mother, a huge Elvis fan. Based on our experiences, here’s what you shouldn’t miss.

Speaking of the Aloha From Hawaii concert, this month marks 50 years since the concert took place.

To read more, go here.