Because of the success he had during his lifetime, Elvis Presley is a name that is well-known in the entertainment industry.
Elvis’ parents, Gladys and Vernon, struggled to make ends meet, thus before the money and the fame, he grew up in extreme poverty.
At a Pentecostal church in Tupelo, Mississippi, the two met in 1933. Gladys, who was 22 and employed as a sewing machine operator in a nearby clothing factory, was five years older than Vernon, who was 17 at the time. Vernon, on the other hand, used every opportunity to earn money.
The following year, they were married and relocated to a two-room shack without running water or electricity.
After some time, Gladys became pregnant with twins, but the family’s financial situation prevented her from receiving the necessary medical attention.
Sadly, she was born on January 8, 1935, with difficulty, and they had to contact a doctor, who was eventually paid by a charity. Sadly, Jesse, Elvis’ twin, was stillborn and eventually laid to rest in an unmarked grave at the neighborhood cemetery.
Gladys, who had also lost a significant amount of blood, and her son Elvis who was still alive were sent to the hospital right away.
Gladys did not go back to the textile factory after leaving the hospital; instead, she went cotton picking, which was a harder work. She did have the opportunity to travel with Elvis, though.
Elvis was only three years old when Vernon was sentenced to three years in prison for manipulating the amount due to him on a check. Sadly, this made matters worse for the family.
Elvis was the sole charge of Gladys after Vernon was imprisoned. They were forced to move out since she was unable to pay the rent on the house.
Mother and son were forced to switch homes frequently until they found a home in East Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1943.
They found refuge in the home that Vernon’s uncle Noah Presley constructed for his son Eack in the late 1920s.
Elvis grew up in the cobalt blue house with the white framed windows, where he and his parents had some stability.
After Vernon was freed from prison, Gladys, and Elvis all shared a home there. The home where Elvis was born is right next door to the one at 1241 Kelly Street in East Tupelo.
Elvis grew up with both of his parents, although he felt a stronger bond with his mother, Gladys, than with Vernon.
He always thought that he would be the one to rescue his parents from poverty when he was a kid, and once, when he overheard his parents fretting over the rent, he said to Gladys:
‘Mama, don’t worry. When I’m an adult, I’m going to pay off all of your grocery store debt, buy you a nice house, and buy two Cadillacs—one for you and Daddy and one for me.’
The three always slept in the same room, but when Vernon had to travel for work to another state, Elvis and his mother would share a bed and communicate in baby talk.
Gladys also took her faith very seriously, and she would read Elvis Bible stories before they went to sleep. She would recount the tales of Jonah in the whale’s belly and Joshua’s conflict at Jericho’s wall.
Growing up, Mom supported Elvis’ belief that he was meant for greater things and that, despite the fact that his twin had passed away, Elvis would inherit some of the additional traits of his twin.
Elvis would make her a promise to buy her a nice house and settle all of her debts at the grocery store whenever he accompanied his mother to work when the sun came out at two o’clock.
Elvis and his mother were so close that anytime they wanted to converse, they would place their faces close together, utilize gestures, or call one other by their pet names.
Gladys was so close to Elvis that some of her neighbors claim she worshipped him from the day he was born.
Gladys had loathed being separated from her son since he was born, and she would even dash to the shop in order to avoid being apart for longer than five minutes.
Gladys experienced excruciating pain whenever Elvis was away from her. Gladys was terrified each time she considered Elvis leaving her, despite the fact that moms sometimes outgrow their maternal love as their children grow.
ELVIS’ MOTHER FOUGHT TO ACCOMPANY HIS NOTORITY
Elvis became famous when he was 19 and signed by the Memphis record company ‘Sun.’ The Grand Ole Opry, a weekly Country and Western concert that is carried live on the radio, would include him.
Elvis mailed his parents all of the proceeds from the performance, and his mother put the money in a box for safekeeping. Elvis had kept his word and was already caring for his parents by the time he turned 20.
In 1956 after scoring his first hit, “Heartbreak Hotel,” he was able to buy a ranch-style home in Audubon Drive, a serene residential area in Memphis.
The singer moved in with his parents, but his mother struggled with living in such a big house, considering where they came from.
Gladys was urged to get used to living in the house because she frequently commented on how it appeared to be a palace, but she never did.
Gladys used to invite the neighborhood over for a cup of lemonade and to use the pool when they first moved home.
Elvis and his parents were unaccustomed to people rushing over to the house and scaling the fence quickly. Gladys, where she washed and dried her clothes, also drew the ire of some of the nearby residents.
At some time, the neighbors began putting together a petition asking the families to leave the area.
Elvis overheard his mother on the phone at this moment saying: ‘I really really wish we were destitute again.’
His mother could have as much privacy as she desired in the Memphis home Graceland after Elvis moved his parents there after the heartbreaking announcement.