In January 1971, Elvis received an award in his home town of Memphis that probably meant more to him than any other accolade he had previously received.
For a man who lived the American dream, it was one of the proudest days of his life.
The night before..
On January 15, 1971, Elvis and priscilla flew into Memphis fromLos Angeles, each of the nominees was required to make an acceptance speech at the ceremony, in his office at Graceland, Elvis agonised over the content of his.
Elvis stayed up all night fine-tuning his speech, putting his heart and soul into the words he was to speak the following day, reading it to priscilla and asking her for her advice.
Elvis was visibly nervous. he began:
"When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero in the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream that I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times."
Elvis closed the speech with the lyrics from a song that meant a lot to him.
"Without a song a man ain't got a friend/without a song the day would never end..."
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