Expert: Beverly Taylor - 7/10/2008

Question
QUESTION: When did Elvis and his family move into a better life from the shack with the swing?

ANSWER: Hello again Griv! Great question since much of the poverty during Elvis' childhood continued to take place after the two room shotgun shack. Vernon actually borrowed $185 dollars for lumber and built this original Presley family home. As you know it had two rooms--a kitchen and a bedroom. At one point even Vernon's mother Minnie Mae lived there too.
   When Vernon had to leave the family to face 18 months of incarceration for check forgery; Gladys had to take care of her baby boy Elvis and try to bring in money picking cotton and working at the sewing mill. I have read that he actually changed a $3.oo check to an $8.00 check; and I have always believed it was probably to buy groceries for his family. She was unable to hold onto the modest original family Presley home, and they lived at several addresses around Tupelo after that, but continued to be very poor. Elvis always wanted a dog, but the family could never afford one for him. He later always had a dog and even bought his mother one. My favorite story is the time he had the local pet store open at midnight when LisaMarie asked for a puppy. He wasnt going to let her want a dog and not have one like he had as a boy. He ended up buying every dog there-over 30-and gave them away as gifts to friends and relatives.
   When Elvis got old enough he tried to work odd jobs to help the family out -once being a movie usher and also driving a truck. He was sent home once for being too young to work. At the age of 13, Elvis and Gladys were  packed up by Vernon with the family belongings on top of their old vehicle (Jed Clampett style) in the middle of the night. Elvis later recalled "man we were broke." They moved into one of two Housing Projects for poor families in Memphis, The Lauderdale Courts. It was a two bedroom apartment and they lived there during the rest of Elvis' teen years. Yes, the King lived in the projects!While Vernon has been criticized for his chronic inability to support his family; Elvis never once said an unkind word about his father.
    When Elvis made enough money, he bought his mother her first home, a nice 3 bedroom rancher with a swimming pool on Audubon Dr in Memphis. Gladys was very happy there. There are still fans who remember her inviting them in and serving them homemade cookies and  calling Elvis out of his bedroom "to come and give these nice girls an autograph,son." When Elvis was a mere 22 years old, he traded the Audobon Drive home in along with $35,000 and a mortgage for Graceland which he purchased for $125,000. This was to be his and Gladys' home until their deaths. His parents had a bedroom downstairs. Vernon later moved out when he remarried to a house behind the property purchased by Elvis. later he would have an apartment at Graceland. The world should know he always honored his parents and took care of numerous extended relatives.
When Elvis came into his first money, he told his parents "you're my babies now and you'll never be poor again".....and they werent.
Beverly Taylor
July 10, 2008

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I dreamed that I saw a billboard of Elvis kissing a lady.
QUESTION:  Was that lady you Beverly, you seem to have such
a knowledge of Elvis and family perhaps you were once close
to Elvis...

Answer
You are so funny Griv! I have kissed Elvis many times in my dreams, so maybe one of my dreams somehow wove into your dream! Haha! No, actually I am only connected to Elvis in a spiritual way. I was not fortunate enough to be one of the thousands of girls Elvis kissed or called "honey" or "baby" or "dear".
Sweet Dreams! Elvisly, BT