Had the King of rock’n’roll not met with an untimely death in 1977, today would have been Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday! And we can’t help but wonder what The King would be like today as an older man. Would he still be crooning, still selling out arenas, still making girls go weak at the knees, still rocking his very own brand of Elvis hip movements?

We’ll never know the answer to all of these of course, but we think that the life of The King is certainly worthy of celebration. One of the most successful artists of the twentieth century, both in his lifetime and posthumously, Elvis Presley defined the music tastes of a generation, as well as changing the face of American culture as he popularised the pink Cadillac and sparkly white jumpsuits.

There are loads of ways you could celebrate Elvis’s 80th birthday – how about popping on a record and jiving away? Or make yourself a toasted peanut butter and banana sandwich? Put Jailhouse Rock (or any other of Elvis’ iconic films) into the DVD player to watch while you’re eating your delicious toastie? Or what about trying to style your hair (if you have any) into a copy of The King’s legendary quiff?

And whilst you’re doing all that, here are some fascinating Elvis facts…..

• Elvis Aaron Presley was born on the 8th January 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His parents were Vernon and Gladys.
• Elvis had an identical twin brother. Jesse Garon Presley was still-born, 35 minutes before Elvis.
• In 1938, Elvis’s father was sentenced to jail for forging a $4 cheque. He served less than a year, but this shows how poor the Presley’s were.
• Elvis bought Graceland when he was 22 years old, for just over $100,000.
• Elvis never performed outside North America. He played a handful of gigs in Canada, but never played a show overseas.
• In 2012, Elvis Presley was listed second in the Forbes list of top-earning dead musicians….just behind Michael Jackson.
• When Elvis received his Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1971 he was the youngest musician ever to do so. He was 36 years old.
• Elvis had a pet chimp called “Scatter”
• Elvis was born blonde.
• He was a big Monty Python fan! Who’d have thought?

So, pass me my Blue Suede Shoes, don’t break my Wooden Heart and ignore that Suspicious Mind, as we celebrate Elvis’s 80th birthday. Long live rock’n’roll!