Elvis grew up in the ghetto of Tupelo, Mississippi. He was always an advocate for racial equality and turned down many gigs when management wouldn’t allow his backup singers in the building. He had no tolerance for discrimination. Legend!!

Song was written by Mac Davis. Elvis was raised dirt poor. He has been gone since 1977 and us, his fans are still here. ❤❤❤❤❤

Elvis ABSOLUTELY still has a fan base! The '68 come back special was awesome!!!

See those background singers? I'm not sure if it's one of them specifically, but there was a backup singer for Elvis, Myrna Smith who told a story of them playing in Dallas at the Texas Stadium back in 1974. The promoters or his manager, or someone told him to "leave the black girls at home." Not only did he tell them that he doesn't perform without them, but he demanded they be given star treatment and then he drove them onto the field in a open top convertible with them sitting on the back waving to the crowd. That was Elvis.

Elvis was at his peak from his first hit in 1954 until his death. 🔥

I understand that Mac Davis wrote this and offered it to Sammy Davis Jr. He refused because he couldn't relate. He told Davis, "You know who would understand? Elvis."

Elvis started in the 50’s and died still popular in the 70’s. He grew up poor in Mississippi.

Elvis will ALWAYS have a fan base!!!

Can help but like him. He will always be remembered for his amazing music, his beautiful voice. Truly a legend.

Elvis grew up in a torn up shack in Tupelo, Mississippi. He knew all about poverty until his extraordinary talent changed his life. LONG LIVE THE KING.

“If I Can Dream” live from a TV special is moving. It was his tribute to MLK. Must watch.

Elvis's heart was pure, and has been misjudged for many years, & I am so happy, the younger generation is discovering this amazing man! Please react to his, If I can dream, it is so full of emotion & pain, it can bring many people, including myself to tears...... ♥♥♥

Yes, Elvis grew up very poor. He was an amazing human!

Elvis lived in a two room shack with no electricity, toilet or running water until he moved to Memphis at age 13. Then they lived in housing projects until he made it in the entertainment business. I love him so much ❤Thank you for the Elvis reactions! You’re awesome!❤

He has a HUGE Fan Base to this day.

Elvis, I will always be a fan of the man!

"He tells movies" I think that is a great description. He grew up as poor as poor can be and never forgot it.

Elvis was raised in poverty. The majority of his community was also poor ,and black. His mother was Jewish but he generally attended a black protestant congregation which is where he learned to sing with so much soul. The Local Rabbi gave him odd jobs to do around the Synagogue for pay. I never met him, but we share a lot of familial DNA and family surnames. The majority of those in Lee and Ittawamba counties in Mississippi, were poor in those days. My family left Ittawamba county trying to find work. They stopped at a Dr's house who had a farm, and the Dr. asked my grandfather to run his farm for the summer. He gave the family a place to stay in an old log home. My grandfather worked for him for three months and the Dr. gave him a pig for payment. No money was paid but he fed the family while they stayed with him. Very hard times back then. Elvis really did know hard times.

When Elvis was born and during his early years he and his parents lived in a shack in Tupelo MS. Later they moved to to the projects in Memphis TN which was a major step up in housing for them. Did Elvis have roaches in his cereal? Many times they didn't even have cereal. (or anythng else to eat) and he was dependent on neighbors to feed him. Elvis never forgot where he came from and was loving and generous to everyone he met. Recommend you listen to his tribute to the late Dr Martin Luther King Jr, If I Could Dream ('68).

Elvis has a big fan base..Elvis stared in the fiftys and has sold a billion records.

This song was inspired by the songwriter (Mac Davis) witnessing the injustices & impoverishment happening in the black community. Mac and his family were friends with black family that lived in another, poorer nieghborhood/went to different schools etc. Mac said the song was born from his personal experience witnessing what his black friend & their family were going through. Elvis himself came from extreme poverty & family hardships, (although not black), and he empathized with his black friends. Elvis spoke with people around him about the inequalities & injustices happening to impoverished minorities. Mac said in 1974 interview that he wrote songs with Elvis in mind singing them. Most people don't know this. So, basically what a lot of people don't understand is, this song was tailor-made for Elvis. Mac also said Elvis himself added the last line in the song. Mac thought it was a nice touch. Mac & Elvis perfect team to push this message.

Elvis was such a spiritual (Christian)man throughout his life. He had his own struggles with drugs and so forth, like a lot of famous people do. He used to sing in the Black church choir back home in Mississippi as a kid. He was around Black folk from his childhood and had a wonderful heart for all people. He gave away new homes, Cadillac's, and tons of food, and he kept it as quiet as he could, but people knew this man's generosity well. He was just a good man, fighting his own demons, while trying to help others. Thanks

In The Ghetto was written by country music star Mac Davis

There will never be another Elvis!! Every song is great and comes from his heart!! Much love, Elvis!!

I love how you talk to Elvis like he's still alive. In our hearts and through his music he still is alive. The fact that you call him brother is what he wanted. Your reactions are the best. Just subscribed. Thank you and keep the reactions coming.

Of course he still has a fan base. He always will have a fan base. He's been gone since 1977, and he's stronger than ever. I'm one of his number 1 fan. I have been since I was 7. It's going on over 45+ yrs for me. I will always be for the rest of my life!!!!!!!

Yes, Elvis still has a huge fan base. "If I can Dream", next. Thank you!

The Man!! The Heart! Love Elvis!!😎😍😎🎵❤🎵❤

The time frame? Elvis became famous in the 50's, huge star. Was a bit overshadowed in the 60's as Rock exploded with the advent of the great Rock bands (he was making popular movies during that time) ...until the '68 Comeback Special was on tv. Big time again. The early & mid 70's were spent touring & performing in Vegas (the jumpsuit years). I saw him in concert twice, '72 & '73. I was a teenager, loved Zeppelin & all the great rock groups of the time. Wasn't all that interested in seeing Elvis but I went with my parents & sister to see him because after all, I'd heard his music since I was a baby & knew he was a living legend. I'm SO glad I went. His voice was beautiful & true. His stage presence was phenomenal. His backup singers & musicians were top notch. AND in person, 3 dimensional, he was the most gorgeous human being I've ever seen. Prettiest (yes, prettiest) face in the world. Almost unbelievable. Plus, great sense of humor. He's an icon for good reason.💙☮💙

Elvis lived in the roughest housing project in Memphis, in the ghetto. You need to listen to If I can Dream-even more powerful!

You asked where he came from. Elvis Presley grew up in extreme rural and urban poverty. He was born in a shotgun shack in the "townlette" of East Tupelo, where they sequestered the poor whites from Tupelo proper. You could say they were thought of as "untouchables." Later, Elvis lived in two different black ghettos in Tupelo before they moved to Memphis when he was 13. He was embraced by his neighbors and treated like ever other child in the neighborhood, particularly the one called "The Hill." Elvis was beloved for the respect he showed black adults when he was a little boy. He joined with a group of little running buddies - all black except him, some of whom are still alive and well today. Although he was an only child (his twin died at birth), his parents still always had a hard time feeding and clothing him. They went hungry frequently. When Elvis was almost 3 years old and winter was coming, his young father was engaged in a dispute with his agricultural landlord about the price of a hog. Vernon Presley had raised a piglet into a possible prize hog. (Today, they often go for thousands.) The landlord (and employer) gave him 4 bucks for it. Vernon, his brother-in-law, and another young man altered the check to either 14 or 40 dollars. They didn't know how a bank worked. Vernon spent six months in the Lee County Jail with no one to go his bail before being sentenced to Parchman Farm State Penitentiary in the Mississippi delta region. He did 8 months before receiving a conditional suspension of sentence, the conditions of which lasted at least through his little boy's 4th birthday: Vernon had to PROVE his worth to the community before they'd agree not to put him back in Parchman. During this time his parents lived in constant fear until the state agreed to a permanent release. This was a terrible, and world-forming event for Elvis, a pre-schooler at the time. His father's personality changed forever: he was easily intimdated. This proved "helpful" to Elvis' future manager, the notorious "Colonel Tom Parker." When they moved to Memphis, the family lived in run-down boarding houses before getting a spot in a municipal housing project. Although segregated, the Presleys lived next to the black section once again. He grew up a city kid, with an intense interest in music. By 17, he had a beat up old Lincoln, so he had mobiity around town. He checked out Beale St., attended a black church (as he had in Tupelo in their last years there), and discovered live R&B music and The Flamingo club. He listened to WDIA and WHBQ, enjoying the sounds that were already very familiar sounds to him from childhood. Eventually, he started making personal demos at a recording service. As they say, the rest is history. His military service interrupted his music and film career. He was drafted. But he came back. And after a long string of lightweight movies he didn't want to do, he came back again, this time with a ROAR! (See "1968 Comeback Special.") But, yes, Elvis Presley lived in the ghetto, several different ones, through the time he cut his first commercial record while still a teenager. Although he didn't write the song, he pretty much *lived* the song. And I think you can hear that in his voice. The only question that remains is this. Did he ever really "escape" the wounds of poverty with which he grew up? Does anyone? I leave that to your ongoing listening. I request that you play "If I Can Dream" and if you get a chance, an album cut called "Long Black Limousine." "In The Ghetto" was recorded at American Sound Studio in his hometown of Memphis, TN in very early 1969. Everything at those sessions was classic! Others will provide many suggestions, I think. Thank you for your reaction and your questions.

Elvis was born in Tupelo Mississippi in a shot gun shack (A home that you could shoot a shotgun at the back door and go out the front door) No electricity, no indoor water. His family was dirt poor and he had bHis mother taught him to be color blind. He never forgot what poor was like nor where he came from.

Elvis lived in the projects in Memphis. Tennessee.

I'm 42, born 2 years after he passed. Grew up on the music of Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley, MO-Town, and everything else from the 1950's & 60's. He very much still has a fan base. I've been to Graceland 4 times. And next time I find myself in Memphis or within 50 miles of Memphis, I'll probably make a 5th trip to Graceland.

Elvis is still relevant today and I've been a fan since 1971. He was an amazingly talented and generous individual. He was born into extreme poverty during the Depression in the 1930s and never forgot what it was like to have very little. Ignore all the sensationalist claptrap out there, poor Elvis has been bad mouthed from the beginning by all sorts of folks but his legacy will never die ❤

I am 53 and forever am Elvis fan.

greatest voice to ever sing.. Elvis only artist in every Hall of Fame

Elvis wasn’t always rich and famous. His soul is from the ghetto.

Born in Tupelo, moved to Memphis at 13. Elvis was a pioneer of rockabilly, an up-tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. He grew his sideburns and styled his hair with rose oil and Vaseline. Suspicious Minds would be the next logical one. I like it. Love Elvis.

My mom loved Elvis so I grew up listening to him. Will always be a fan. 🙂

Check out Elvis's live video Trying to get to you. He was the king and you'll see why. Oh He's from Mississippi. He also was a great actor. Check out some of those comedies Speedway and Girl happy ♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️

Elvis Presley was the king really he was a great singer you will love his songs 🔥so many I love the wonder of you! and my Nana loved him so much soul 😍

Elvis got his Soul from churches in southern Mississippi. He has some amazing gospel tracks and you can really feel his soul. My mama loved Elvis and would play his music while she cleaned the house. I recommend “Jail House Rock”, “Bridge over Troubled Water” “Suspicious Minds” and “can’t help falling in love”

Still has a huge fan base

Yes, Elvis grew up dirt poor in the ghetto

Elvis is one of the best singers that has ever lived. He was also a fabulous entertainer. There is a reason he is called "The King". He had a great voice & could sing anything whether it was ballads, gospel or rock.

Talent! That’s why he’s so beloved to this day. He grew up poor and white in the ghettos of MS and TN. That’s were he got his love of gospel.❤️

Many lists have him rated one of the greatest singers of all time. He was famous world wide. I’m sure people will give you suggestions to watch and listen to, to discover the extent of his talents.

I will always be a fan of Elvis❤ you should check Elvis and the black community part 1 and 2. He was a good man with a big heart

Elvis still to this day has a huge fan base watch him do if I can dream in 68 comeback special in the white suit and he has over 700 songs he can sing gospel the blues country pop rock and roll you name it he could sing it

Elvis will always have a fan base.

Elvis' era was from mid-1950s thru mid-1970s. Elvis had 18 number 1 hits & 38 top 10 hits. So, there is a catalog to choose from should you explore him further. He starred in 31 feature films. For many years, he was Hollywood's top box office draw. His songs cover early Rock & Roll, Blues, Gospel, & Christmas. It wasn't unusual for him to sing "How Great Thou Art" in the middle of a concert. He is the original artist to do "Blue Christmas", if you want to do a Christmas tune...tomorrow, I suppose.

I LOVE ALL your reactions,,,, you Have GOT. To listen to 😇ELVIS’s GOSPEL👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😢 FULL OF SOUL🥰 he will make you cry

Elvis absolutely still has fans. I've visited his birth home in Tupelo, Mississippi and I've been to his mansion in Memphis, Tennesse twice now. Once just after his death when no one was allowed to tour and the second time was to tour his home. The man was amazing. He had his hands in all kinds of music, including gospel. You should start at his roots and listen to "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" - "Blue Suede Shoes" - "Don't Be Cruel" - "Jail House Rock" - "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Gospel tunes try "How Great Thou Art" - "Peace In The Valley" - "Amazing Grace". Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

"We loved Elvis. and Elvis loved us." (Shake Rag receives Mississippi Blues Trail Mark in Tupelo Mississippi. at 4:30) John Lee Hooker dedicated his song Tupelo to him. Sammy Davis Jnr did a version of this, it's good but different. This with "Walk a mile in my shoes" he was telling a message to his audience.

My parents raised me on “The King.” He had passed away when I was still a kiddo, but his gospel music and the way he looked when he was young made him my first celebrity crush. Initially my favorite was Can’t Help Falling In love from his movie Blue Hawaii, but as I got older there was just something about Are You Lonesome Tonight that resonated. My favorite gospel will always be In The Garden. And my favorite holiday will always be Blue Christmas.

The King...

Powerful song...

My great-niece, who is 11, loves Elvis. I have a 17yr old make cousin who worships him. Most people who listen to just a couple of songs become fans...Yes, he definitely still has a fan base and it's a big one.

Great introduction to a phenomenal artist. Let the journey begin

Just listening to this while I shop. Now I'm crying in the grocery store! This song made me cry as a child. Now I'm old. Still affects me the same.

Jailhouse Rock is one of his earliest video version.. Polk Salad Annie and Suspicious Minds are good too ..Again.. most importantly **If I Can Dream (white suit) ** is my fav !!! I lv Elvis .. I use to collect his cheesey movies lol .. I was born May 6 1975 in middle TN and Elvis had his last concert (didn’t know it would be his last in the area )in the middle TN area that night .. My Cousin was my mom’s OB nurse and telling her to “hurry up and get that baby out !! I gotta go see Elvis !! “My mom said she wanted to “slap “her in the face cause I was over 10lbs and no epidurals back then .. anyways Cousin made it to see him and he died 2 years later in 1977 , so glad she got to see him ..

His fan base will always be here. It may shrink but it is pervasive.

Elvis is still the best! 600,00 people go through his home a year. Only the White House beats him. He’s been gone 45 years this August and his following. I’ve been since the 50’s. People come over the entire world yearly on his birthday and anniversary of his death.

AB, Elvis will always have a fan base.

Here we are 50÷ years later and nothing has changed!🙏😢😩❤✌

Elvis was a super talent on many levels, and I am sure the most unknown, underrated artist by anyone under 40 years old. Elvis grew up in poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi, then a Memphis, Tenn. housing project before he became famous. He gave almost all he had away to everyone who crossed his path (friend or stranger) and helped hundreds of people and charities.

Please play evis to your kids make sure it never dies

Great reaction AB! Many people don't realize that Elvis was a twin. His twin brother didn't survive after birth. Understandably, his mother was fiercely protective of Elvis. He was in a lot of movies too. When our country called on him, through the Draft, he put everything on hold and joined the US Army. He still has a fan base. Please react to Elvis singing Blue Christmas. It's for all the lonely hearts.

Elvis was raised in the ghetto and also projects in MS and Memphis. Mac Davis wrote this song but it was Elvis with the guts to perform it live.

I'm 60 now and got my very first Elvis record when I was 7 or 8 years old. I've always loved his voice and watched all his movies. Great reaction.

If you want to see Elvis having fun, watch "Trying To Get To You" from the '68 Comeback Special. And you'd get a better understanding of him by reacting to "Elvis & the Black Community". A lot of reactors have done it & were glad they did. Hope you do it!💙

AB , watch “ Elvis and the Black Community”- many reactors are blown away by it. Enjoy!!!😘🌹

I believe this song was written the year I was born, 1969. It makes me so mad that things have not changed much since it was written. The song was written by another country artist named Mac Davis. Elvis grew up in the ghettos of Tupelo Mississippi.

I am an Elvis fanatic thanks to my mom! We have even visited Graceland (his home), awesome experience. I have heard that this song was offered to several artists of that time and they turned it down. It was considered a "controversial" song. Elvis agreed to do and had to fight for it to be recorded. His manager and record label was hesitant. Elvis is a fascinating person.

I've been crying every time I heard that song since I was little kid back in the early seventies

Elvis was born of a share cropper in tupelo, Mississippi. He grew up worse than dirt poor. He tried to help so many people

I'm a 51-year-old woman and I grew up loving Elvis and all of his songs but my favorite is "Suspicious Minds", check that one out!

Elvis was sooo brought up in poverty. He’s from ghetto in Tupelo Mississippi. You need to learn about him, if you think he had it easy . He did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. He had a dirt floor. He often didn’t have food to eat. He grew up in poorest ghetto in Tupelo with Black families.

You should add, If I can dream, a live version to your reaction list. You will love it! Elvis is the second highest earning deceased musician, right behind Michael Jackson. His fan base is huge and I don’t really know of a time when he wasn’t popular.

If I can dream from Elvis

My man Elvis beautiful inside and out

Elvis will ALWAYS have a fan base! And yes he can SANG!! Try listening to some of his Gospel music. It will bring tears to your eyes.

Elvis was born in Tupelo Mississippi and raised in Memphis Tennessee from 14 until his death. I’m right at 61 years old and have been a fan since I was 7 in 1968. I seen him in concert in 1976 when I was 15 at the Capital Center in Washington DC. I’ve been to Graceland 7 times.

Still recognized as the King of Rock and Roll today

Just found this one that you did and just a little bit of a background on Elvis. He was born in Tupelo and lived in a very poor neighbourhood. Back then if you lived in a neighbourhood with black people, you were considered very poor as a family. His house was more like a one bedroom shack which is now at Graceland because Elvis had it moved once he became famous. The best thing about him that I really respected with that he was going to do a show at a casino and they told him, that his backup singers would not be allowed to attend because they were three black ladies to which Elvis told the casino that if that was the case he would not perform. The casino then said that they were allowed to perform with him but they had to go through the kitchen entrance, and once again Elvis declined and told them that if they didn’t come through the front door with the rest of the band he would not perform. The casino finally said yes to his demands and loud the ladies to come through the front door with the rest of the band. You have to admire somebody like that. Once again another great video. take care and blessings to you from England.

He was also a veteran when already famous. He was offered special treatment and denied it. American singer Elvis Presley served in the United States Army from March 1958 to March 1960. At the time of his enlistment, he was widely regarded as the most well-known name in the world of entertainment. Before entering the U.S. Army, Presley had caused national outrage with his rock and roll music.

My great Grandfather lived next door to Elvis' parents in Tupelo. He was a deputy sheriff at the time. he would arrest Elvis' dad for drunk and disorderly, and then go and check to make sure that Mrs. Presley and the kids had some food. Later when Elvis was doing good, he would send a car down to get my great grandfather and bring him to Graceland to visit with him. There was a picture of Elvis and him in the August 1956 LOOK magazine article. His name was Dan Shackelford. We heard a lot of stories of Elvis while growing up. One of the first things he did when he started making money was to have built a playground in Tupelo, because he said there was no place for kids to play there. His birthplace is still there but all the other shacks down that street were torn down, including my great grandparent's house. If you do a search for Elvis and his Messerschmitt, you will find pictures of him in his car with my great grandfather standing there looking at it. Some of the pictures have Elvis' parents there, too

IF I CAN DREAM live 68 come back special! AMAZING!

I still remember where I was when his death was announced on the radio. I was still a young girl and I cried like a baby.

I saw Elvis in Las Vegas around 1970. He was 100percent better in person than on the radio or tv. I didn't even like him until I heard him live.

Elvis in The "Black Leather years" is BEST! ( MOM loved him, also raised on Johnny Cash )

This song always makes me cry.

Elvis forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great reaction as always. Be sure to check out- -If I Can Dream (a tribute to MLK) 68 special/white suit version -Walk a Mile In My Shoes Finally- a MUST see is ‘Elvis and The Black Community: That Echo Will Never Die’. You will learn much about Elvis- who he was as both a person and a performer! Merry Christmas!!!♥️💚♥️ Stay safe & love much💖

He was very spiritual, he jad a big heart❤

Yeah he grew up in the ghetto, poor side of town. Love his Music.....my Mom loved him. I grew up listening to him and watching his movies too. 😊👍

Yep Elvis is king. For a reason. Okay before hip hop he spoke truth.

Gone but not forgoten

Please do the video for " Jailhouse Rock". It's young Elvis.