Elvis's Childhood Church To Be Added to the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Park
Source: Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Jan 25, 2008 - 12:08:46 PM
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TUPELO, MISS. -- The Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation today announced the
newest venue at the Birthplace and Park will be the church where Elvis learned the
basic chords he needed to begin the trek that ultimately made him the “King of
Rock and Roll.”
Foundation Executive Director Dick Guyton said the original structural
of the First Assembly of God in East Tupelo, until recently used as a private
residence, will be relocated today to the Birthplace grounds and completely
restored as it was when Elvis and his family worshiped there.
“The
church will be within 100 feet of the existing memorial chapel built by fans’
donations at the Birthplace,” said Henry Dodge, Chairman of the Elvis Presley
Memorial Foundation. “This will present the full life cycle of the gospel music
of Elvis, from the roots learned as a boy in the historical original church to
the Birthplace memorial chapel where the contemporary gospel music of Elvis is
constantly played. This will be the only place in the world where fans can have
that experience,” Dodge added.
The structure, which had been located at
1358 Berry Street, will move to a site just south of the chapel. Access to the
south parking lot behind the chapel will be relocated, and the church placed
approximately 100 feet from the chapel entrance, Guyton said.
“The First
Assembly of God Church in East Tupelo was at the center of the Presley family’s
life and provided the social structure as well as entertainment on which the
family thrived. Young Elvis regularly sang in church, as did many of the
members, but according to his minister, Brother Frank Smith, Elvis was
fascinated with music and the prospect of learning to play the guitar. Brother
Frank taught Elvis how to make a D chord, an A chord and an E chord…all he
needed to play “Ole Shep,” Guyton said.
Church, and especially the music
of the church, was the motivation for Elvis to become a performer. After the
Presleys moved to Memphis in 1948, Elvis regularly went to the all night gospel
sings at Ellis Auditorium, near his home in Lauderdale Courts. His burning
ambition was to become a member of a gospel quartet. He never realized his dream
of becoming a member of the Statesmen or the Blackwood Brothers. He had other
worlds to conquer. Throughout the rest of his life, Elvis recorded many of the
beloved songs of his youth, the emotional and uplifting music of the church.
The actual building where the Presley family attended services is itself
an artifact. Through original photographs of this church and other churches of
this area, we will restore the inside and outside of the building to the look of
1940.
The Assembly of God Pentecostal church services of this time
period will be described and featured in a multi-media presentation. The plain,
humble structure will greatly contrast with the lively and intense nature of the
sermons and the music.
Small groups of visitors will be admitted to the
church, the optimum number will be 10 to 15 people at a time. A docent will
invite them inside. Once visitors take a seat in the center of the church, the
docent will turn a key switch that activates the first projector. The entire
presentation is about 10 minutes in length. During heavy traffic times the
maximum time between tours will be 15 minutes.
The presentation will
introduce visitors to aspects of a “neighborhood church” in Elvis’ day and
explain the Assembly of God religion. “We plan to film an actual church service
in the renovated church using several cameras at different locations,” Guyton
said.
A four-minute introductory segment will be shown on the center
wall located behind the pulpit. Included will be an overview of the Pentecostal
religion, the Assembly of God denomination, and southern Christian churches of
the 1940’s.
“We have been working on this quite some time,” Guyton said.
“We appreciate the cooperation of the Stanford family and the valuable
assistance of real estate professional Tina O’Quinn in helping us acquire the
structure. Additionally, Elvis’ boyhood friend Guy Harris was instrumental in
helping us locate the structure.
“We have made many significant changes
at the Birthplace and park over the past several years as we continue to find
exciting new ways to continue to tell the story of the innocence of Elvis,”
Guyton said.
The project is being funded by the Elvis Presley Memorial
Foundation from ticket sales and gift shop purchases of fans, and by a $40,000
donation from the Carpenter Foundation.
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