Rock ‘n’ Rolls fans can live like the King at his Graceland mansion in Memphis where Elvis Presley still reigns

THE King greeted me as I walked into my hotel room.

No, not royalty. Even better. It was Elvis — on the 24-hours-a-day TV channel dedicated to his music.
Welcome to Memphis, where he still reigns.

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I was just 11 when Elvis died and left me heartbroken. At the time I vowed I would make a pilgrimage to Graceland one day.

It took 40 years to achieve my dream — as the great man said, only fools rush in — but it was well worth the wait.

I was staying at the new Guest House at Graceland, right next door, built to replace the old Heartbreak Hotel.

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The unpacking could wait. I was glued to the TV. I’d seen the ’68 Special many times before but never had I been so close to the great man as I was here.

As the song says though, a Little Less Conversation and a Little More Action — so off I went to visit the Presley mansion. This was what I had come for and I wasn’t disappointed.

What struck me was how “unshowy” the house is — when you think that this was the home of arguably the world’s most famous man.

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Graceland is the second most visited private house in America, behind the White House, with more than 650,000 people passing through its doors a year.

But the tours are never overcrowded or rushed.

The number of people let in at any given time is limited and you can wander and stand and stare for as long as you like. The house is as it was when Elvis died. The King loved his bling and there are touches of excess in Graceland — animal skin throws, African furniture and even a waterfall wall.

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I stood in front of the piano where at 4.30am on August 16, 1977, he played his final song, Unchained Melody. Less than 12 hours later doctors pronounced him dead — breaking the hearts of millions globally.

Forty years of waiting took their toll when I got to the memorial garden where my hero is buried, flanked by the graves of his mum, dad and gran. The tears flowed.

Drying my eyes, I headed across Elvis Presley Boulevard to Elvis Presley’s Memphis — a £35million entertainment complex officially opened this year by his former wife Priscilla. It showcases Elvis’ life and career and honours the city’s musical legacy from the blues, rockabilly, R&B and soul to rock ’n’ roll.

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It houses a collection of cars Elvis owned, as well as costumes from his films and concerts, guitars, gold and platinum discs and record contracts — even his planes.

At Gladys’ Diner I got my first taste of the King’s favourite peanut butter and banana sandwiches before later enjoying BBQ fayre at Vernon’s Smokehouse.

Music is a religion in Memphis and no trip would be complete without a visit to Sun Studio where Elvis was first discovered.

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The studios are still as they were when Sam Phillips owned them — this is hallowed ground.

Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash played and recorded here too, along with countless others.

Unsurprisingly the King takes pride of place at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. It is not to be missed.

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Neither is the Stax Museum, which tells the history of the former record label. Also worth a visit is Royal Studios, one of the world’s oldest. It is most famous as the home of the legendary Al Green, and everyone who is anyone in music has recorded here — even our own Wet Wet Wet.

And you definitely need to pop into the Smithsonian’s Rock ’n’ Soul Museum too.

Next on my pilgrimage was Tupelo, 100 miles from Memphis, where Elvis was born.

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I sat on the porch of the house his parents Gladys and Vernon owned before popping into the local church he went to as a boy.

Then I was lucky enough to have lunch with one of his childhood pals, Guy Harris, who is a retired police chief.

His eyes lit up as he recalled their exploits and he beamed with pride as he showed us snaps of Elvis and him and recent ones with Priscilla.

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The Tupelo Hardware Co is the store where Elvis got his first guitar and worth popping into, as is the Tupelo Automobile Museum which has an Elvis exhibit. Founder Frank Spain spent 30 years building up his amazing collection which is now looked after by his widow Jane.

But Memphis isn’t just about music. It’s where civil rights hero Martin Luther King was assassinated and we paid homage at the place of his murder, the Lorraine Motel. Standing looking up at the balcony was eerie.

Next year will be 50 years since that dark day in US history and the National Civil Rights Museum has already begun a year-long series of commemorative activities and events.

On our last night in Memphis we ate at Itta Bena’s on Beale Street above BB King’s Blues Club.

The food was fantastic. Then we wandered among the hordes on Beale Street, going from bar to bar soaking up the most amazing atmosphere.

Next morning we had breakfast at the Arcade Diner, one of Elvis’ favourite haunts.

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Then it was on to a different kind of religion - this time gospel, as we were warmly welcomed at the Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church gospel service.

I really couldn’t have thought of a more appropriate way to end this pilgrimage than by giving thanks in prayer. Crying in the chapel indeed!