What Elvis Means To Me

What Elvis Means to Me
By: Lance Ingram

 My mind was drifting between thoughts, not wanting to think too heavily on one thing or another. A piano trickled out notes as the subtle melody of a saxophone overlapped and the two became one force of beautiful music. The steady hum of the progressing road, mixed with the jazz music, quickly set my burdens at ease. Fading between the mix of red and yellow leaves, the sun was also calling it a day as it was setting deep within the constantly approaching horizon. Between the colors and the sounds I had chosen to accompany my drive home, it was impossible to worry about anything for too long. It was moments like these that I treasured.

During drives like these, it becomes increasingly easy to allow yourself to become nostalgic. Time spent reminiscing about old friends and the memories, both good and bad, that we’d made has become more enjoyable the older I’ve gotten. It was fun retracing one memory and what had led to that situation, but I realized that music was an integral piece to every memory I retraced. So, I asked myself, where did my love for music come from? After a few minutes of pondering, all my ideas traced back to Elvis Presley. I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled into being an Elvis fan, and it’s especially peculiar because he passed away a full decade before I was even born. However, I do remember that for about 6 years of my life, Elvis has an exclusive deal with anything I was listening to. 

One of my most candid memories growing up was the time my parents surprised me by taking me to Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, Miss. My mother and I were accompanying my dad on a business trip and a few hours into the car ride my parents told me they had a surprise for me, we were going to visit Elvis’ birthplace. To say I was ecstatic was an understatement. I was a relatively new fan at the time and had never seen his house before, so I had grand ideas of a palace fit for a king. When we arrived at the birthplace I was shocked by the size and homeliness of the house. I even questioned my parents if this was some kind of a sick joke made to deter my perception of my newfound idol.

While touring the tiny home, even as a young boy, it occurred to me what humble beginnings Elvis had and the magnitude of what he accomplished, especially considering his upbringing. I remember when I got back in the car that I started listening to Elvis again and the music was completely different this time. I’d heard the songs many times before, but they spoke differently to me now. The blues songs had a new heart of sadness, the gospel songs showed so much more reason to rejoice and the rock ‘n’ roll songs seemed like a brand new celebration. But most of all, his story and music encouraged me to pursue the things that I loved in life, regardless of circumstances.

Elvis was just the beginning of my musical journey. I wasn’t born until 12 years after the singer’s death and it would be another eighth years before I was a fan of his music. I was going against the grain when my classmates were listening to Britney Spears and ‘N Sync and I was jamming “Aloha From Hawaii.” But I wanted something more from my music. There was a raw talent, a voice with a story, that I found in Elvis that I wasn’t able to find in the pop hits of the time. Elvis opened the door to other types of music like, blues and classic rock which eventually led me to jazz.

To me, Elvis was more than a voice or performer, he was a story. He was someone that I could identify with, someone that demonstrated the importance of utilizing your God-given talents and making the most of the one opportunity we’re given at life. Elvis opened the doors to many of my favorite musicians today and showed me the value of true musicianship regardless of the genre. I consider becoming an Elvis fan to be one of the more pivotal moments in my life because of how much he inspired the person I am today, and that’s what Elvis means to me.

"What Elvis Means to Me" was written by Lance Ingram. He is our Online Content Manager and the newest employee at the Tupleo Convention and Visitors Bureau.