Elvis super fan from March says the king still 'feeds my soul'
2025-01-08
Category: entertainment

An Elvis Presley super fan says his fascination for the king of rock 'n' roll has never waned, since discovering his music almost 50 years ago.Giles Moriarty, 57, has a room in his home in March, Cambridgeshire, dedicated to the Hound Dog singer, who would have turned 90 on 8 January.He said he became enthralled by Elvis after hearing a vinyl record in his parents' collection in 1977, around the time of the star's death."Had he been alive today I think he would have hung up his Blue Suede Shoes, but would have enjoyed reflecting on his success," said Mr Moriarty.
Mr Moriarty's dedicated "Elvis room" is filled with hundreds of books, records and assorted memorabilia, which he has collected over the course of half a century."I was not cool at school in 1977, the other kids were discovering punk rock, but not me," he added. 
Who was Elvis Presley?Elvis was born in Tulepo, Mississippi, on 8 January 1935 and grew up in Memphis, TennesseeHe began his singing career in 1954, ushering in "a whole new era of American music and popular culture"The star joined the US Army in 1958 and served for two yearsHe has sold more than one billion records globally, starred in 33 films - and won three GrammysElvis died at his Graceland home on 16 August 1977, at the age of 42Source: Graceland 
Mr Moriarty says he vividly remembers finding a vinyl double album of Elvis' 40 greatest hits in his parents record collection in the summer of 1977."When Elvis died the TV was full of tributes showing old movies, it was then I got completely hooked," he said."People forget what a ground-breaking artist he was."I have a rare 1955 Sun Records single of a song called Baby Let's Play House, a [sexual] euphemism that many white Americans did not know at the time."Then when he appeared on TV, wow, that was a moment in music history."
"Throughout my life, Elvis has always been there for me, providing the music that feeds my soul," said Mr Moriarty.There have been many accounts of the negative aspects of Presley's lifestyle, including drug abuse and the nature of his demise, but, Mr Moriarty says, "none of that matters - it's the music that I love"."He had a Shakespearian arc to his life, the rags to riches story and then of course an undesirable end, which is a pre-requisite to a Shakespearian classic," he added.
Mr Moriarty admitted that his family think he is "mad" and "totally Loony Tunes" for his dedication to Elvis Presley, but he says he doesn't mind at all.Elvis is always a "constant" in his life, he says.
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