Elvis still leaves fans 'All Shook Up' 90 years on

People across England are celebrating the 90th anniversary of the birth of singer Elvis Presley.

Born in a wooden shack in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935, he would record some of the defining songs of the 1950s rock 'n' roll era from the age of 21, including All Shook Up, Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes and many more.

Jan Owen, from Newquay, Cornwall, who discovered Presley in 1956, recounts seeing him 20 years later in concert in the US, where a "night to remember" had an "electric atmosphere".

For Ian Bailye, from Leicester, 1956 was again the year of discovery before he met his idol in 1972, also appearing alongside him in a photo by the Official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain.

Ms Owen said when she discovered Elvis it was "the start of a new era".

She said: "We knew nothing about him. So many people thought he was greasy and didn't like him, but he wasn't like that at all. He loved his mum, he was lovely."

Twenty years later while touring the US, she saw posters in California advertising "Elvis Live".

She said: "My husband rang around trying to get tickets but it was a sell out.

"Then we had a miracle. One chap we met said 'you're from England, you can have my tickets'.

"We were eight rows from the front, amazing. A night to remember.

"The atmosphere was electric. He was heavier but the voice was still the same.

"It was just a dream come true. His voice was absolutely gorgeous and he did a few of his old movements."

BBC Radio 2 commemorates Elvis on what would have been his 90th birthday

For Mr Bailye it was a trip to a local funfair that provided the opportunity to hear Elvis for the first time.

He said: "I was 12 years old. If you wanted to listen to that type of music, you'd go to this fun fair."

In 1972, he went to the US to see his idol in concert at the Las Vegas Hilton.

He said: "The acoustics were just right. I remember the first night, sitting there. The band started up and all of a sudden the man in the white suit appeared. He looked fantastic."

He also met Elvis, appearing in a photo alongside him which featured Radio Luxembourg DJ Tony Prince and Todd Slaughter from the Official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain.

He said: "It was something fantastic. I was the fan club's DJ at the time. That's why I got to meet Elvis.

"We were all lined up and we were introduced. He stood there and shook our hands and asked us how we were. We got about 12 minutes with him.

"He was just beginning to loosen up a little bit when in walks [manager] Col Tom Parker and Elvis apologised and said he had to go."

Presley died aged 42 at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, on 16 August 1977.

Mr Bailye said: "Like him or dislike him, we will never ever see the likes of a superstar again like Elvis."

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