Elvis Presley had millions of fans across the UK during the height of his powers. However, the musical legend peculiarly never graced the country’s biggest and best arenas to entertain audiences here.
Amazingly, Elvis only ever played three gigs outside of his native USA, with all of them taking place in neighbouring Canada. Lovers of his trailblazing hip-shaking dance moves and trademark spectacular voice missed out on what would have truly been an unforgettable experience.
Why did Elvis never perform live in the UK?
The reason behind Elvis’ UK omission has little to do with the man himself, but rather his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It is reported that Colonel Parker was in fact an illegal Dutch immigrant who did not hold an American passport.
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It is believed the Dutch-born manager refused to let Elvis tour overseas out of fear he would not be permitted to return to the US due to his illegal alien status. Parker was often criticised for his management style, restricting Elvis’ touring career.
That being said, in 2015, the Mirror reported on documents that came to light, indicating that plans were being made for overseas gigs. This would have taken place in Britain and Japan prior to his 1977 death.
Did Elvis ever come to the UK?
Although he never toured on our shores, Elvis was known to have set foot in the UK on at least one occasion. In 1960, Elvis was sighted at Prestwick airport in South Ayrshire on his journey back from military service in Germany, with the airport even displaying a sign proudly proclaiming it to be the only place in the UK ever visited by Elvis.
However, by 2008, another peculiar story came to light, suggesting the Heartbreak Hotel singer joined English entertainer Tommy Steele in 1958 for a day driving around London, admiring some of the capital’s famous landmarks. Theatre producer Bill Kenwright worked with Steele, who was then part of a production of Dr Dolittle in Woking, Surrey, and revealed this secret on Ken Bruce's Radio 2 show.
He said: "It all came from that. It's quite something isn't it - the thought of them wandering around London together? But the impression I got was that they never got out of the car."
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