Elvis fans have a reason to celebrate–50 years after the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” played at a fair in his birthplace, the long-defunct Tupelo Elvis Presley Fan Club has been revived. According to news reports, about 20 people showed up earlier this week at the chapel on the birthplace grounds to breathe new life into the club. But, don’t let that number fool you. According to club organizers, about 400 fans from around the world have signed up as members.
“It’s just amazing the common denominator that Elvis Presley and his life and his music provides,” club leaders said.
The members that made the trip (some truly devoted fans even dressed in “The King’s” regalia) said they were glad they did. They said their first meeting was not only productive (members elected officers and voted on bylaws), but also exciting as some people brought treasured items from years past to share with the group. One member showed up to the meeting with an enlarged photo of the original 1956 group.
“We were a bunch of teenage girls who were crazy about Elvis,” said Barbara Mallory, who formed the club with cousins and friends. Although the group disbanded after its members matured, “all of us still remain Elvis fans.”
By the way, Mallory was elected president of the club, reprising her role as leader of the 1956 fan club named the Elvis Presley Sweethearts. And, if you know anything about Elvis fans you know what a devoted bunch they are. This was well documented by the fact that some members drove hundreds of miles to partake in the day’s events. Tupelo members say that their love for Elvis’ music coupled with the fact that they are devoted to keeping his memory alive is what inspired them to resurrect the club.
Why Tupelo? You’ll recall that Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in a small, shotgun-style house in the northeast Mississippi city of Tupelo. He died August 16, 1977, about 100 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee.