It’s June thirtieth, and on this day in 1954… tragedy struck the gospel world when R.W. Blackwood and Bill Lyles of The Blackwood Brothers were killed in a plane crash in Clanton, Alabama—just two weeks after winning first place on the *Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts Show*. Cecil Blackwood stepped in to lead the group, leaving an opening in their affiliated younger act, The Songfellows. The group offered the spot to Elvis Presley, but he had just begun recording with Sun Records and turned it down. The Blackwood Brothers were Gladys Presley’s favorite gospel group, and in 1958, Elvis flew them to Memphis to perform at her funeral.

It’s June twenty-ninth, and on this day in 1956… Elvis Presley arrived in New York City to begin rehearsals for his upcoming appearance on *The Steve Allen Show*. At the rehearsal hall in midtown Manhattan, Elvis was greeted by Colonel Tom Parker and representatives from the William Morris Agency, along with Steve Allen and co-stars Andy Griffith and Imogene Coca. Elvis and Griffith, already acquainted from earlier shows in Florida, caught up before the run-through. This appearance would become one of the most talked-about moments of Elvis’s early career—featuring him in a tuxedo, singing “Hound Dog” to a basset hound in a top hat, and joining the cast in a comedy skit titled “Range Round Up.”

It’s June twenty-eighth, and on this day in 1962… while home in Memphis for the summer, Elvis Presley acquired his most notorious pet—Scatter the chimpanzee. Originally a TV performer in Memphis, Scatter quickly became a fixture in Elvis’s Hollywood home, known for his wild antics and party tricks, including his fondness for peeking under women’s dresses. Alan Fortas often chauffeured Scatter around town, letting the chimp wear a driver’s cap and pose behind the wheel at stop signs. But Scatter’s charm faded as he developed a taste for alcohol and became increasingly unruly, eventually landing him in a pen at Graceland.

It’s June twenty-seventh, and on this day in 1954… Elvis Presley got his first real shot at Sun Records. Marion Keisker, assistant to Sam Phillips, urged her boss to give the young man with the sideburns a chance to try out a new song from Nashville publisher Red Wortham. Elvis hurried to the studio and spent the afternoon working on “Without You,” but couldn’t deliver a usable take. Still, Sam Phillips saw something in him. A few days later, during another session, Elvis would spontaneously break into “That’s All Right”—and music history would begin.

It’s June twenty-sixth, and on this day in 1909… Andreas Cornelius van Kuijk was born in Breda, Holland. The man who would later become known as Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s lifelong manager, immigrated illegally to the United States in 1929, reinventing himself as a native of Huntington, West Virginia. After serving in the U.S. Army, Parker launched a colorful career in carnivals and fairs, eventually managing artists like Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow. In 1956, he took on Elvis Presley as a client—his only client—and remained by Elvis’s side as manager, promoter, and gatekeeper for the rest of the King’s life.

It’s June twenty-fifth, and on this day in 1977… Elvis Presley arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the early morning hours to perform what would become the second-to-last concert of his life. Earlier in the day, he quietly visited a University of Cincinnati class taught by Bill Randle—the DJ who helped launch Elvis’s career in the North back in 1955. Frustrated with a broken air conditioner at his hotel, Elvis relocated to the familiar Netherland Hotel just hours before showtime. That evening, he performed at the Riverfront Coliseum before 17,740 fans. Though visibly disoriented and relying on a sheet of notebook paper to sing “My Way,” Elvis told the crowd he’d just been to the dentist and was under pain medication.

It’s June twenty-fourth, and on this day in 1972… Elvis Presley returned to Memphis for a summer break at Graceland following a multi-city tour. Rumors were swirling about an impending divorce between Elvis and Priscilla, fueled by reports of her relationship with karate instructor Mike Stone. Meanwhile, Elvis was seen at the Memphian Theater for a midnight movie, accompanied by actress and Memphis native Cybill Shephard. The pair were rumored to have first dated years earlier, when Elvis was thirty-one and Shephard, then Miss Teenage Memphis, was just seventeen.

It’s June twenty-third, and on this day in 1963… Elvis Presley took the first steps toward creating a place of peace and reflection at Graceland by commissioning the Meditation Garden. At Elvis’s request, Marty Lacker arranged for Bernard Grenadier to design the space. What began as a personal retreat quickly became one of Elvis’s most cherished places on the property. In time, the Meditation Garden would become the final resting place for Elvis, his mother Gladys, his father Vernon, and his grandmother Minnie Mae, with a memorial plaque also honoring his stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley.