![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
You are in: UK: Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
![]() |
Saturday, 18 March, 2000, 17:50 GMT
Marking The King's UK visit
![]() Elvis Presley performing in 1977, the year he died
Prestwick International Airport goes down in entertainment history as being the only place in Britain visited by rock legend Elvis Presley.
It was March 1960 and The King was being flown from Germany - where he had undergone military service - back to the US. Forty years on, that brief, but special, visit has been marked when the airport's managing director Tom Wilson was presented with a commemorative plaque.
The ceremony took place on Saturday when the original Elvis band passed through the airport on their way to Dublin following a show in Scotland.
The Presley enigma lives on - despite the star's death in August 1977 aged 42. On what would have been his 65th birthday in February this year, thousands descended on his former home at Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, to pay their respects. Graceland bar Others marked the occasion at Prestwick Airport. Edinburgh resident Linda Sayers, who is treasurer of the Memphis Mafia Club, was among those who turned up to the unlikely venue.
Ms Sayers's own club has around 200 members, with 1,000 on its mailing list. The airport has been used to play host to Elvis fans and has even opened a bar called Graceland. Elvis began his singing career in 1954 and it was not long before he was an international sensation and the architect of a new era in American music and culture. He drew inspiration from the musical influences of the time - pop and country, gospel and R&B. Elvis was known not only for his songs and live concerts, but also his films - all 33 of them. And globally, he has sold more than one billion records - more than any other artist - and they keep on selling. |
![]() |
See also:
![]() Internet links:
![]() The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites ![]() Links to other Scotland stories are at the foot of the page.
![]() |
![]() |
Links to more Scotland stories
|
![]() |
![]() |
^^ Back to top News Front Page | World | UK | UK Politics | Business | Sci/Tech | Health | Education | Entertainment | Talking Point | In Depth | AudioVideo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |