A pair of shoes, but not just any pair of shoes. Blue suede shoes worn by Elvis Presley at the start of his career were sold at auction for 120,000 pounds sterling, or the equivalent of 141,600 euros at auction on Friday June 28, reports The Guardian.
The King wore this pair of blue suede shoes early in his career, in the 1950s, both on and off stage. The British media specifies that he wore them during an appearance on Steve Allen’s television show in the United States, in 1956, when he performed his song “Hound Dog”.
Acquired as a symbol after performing the title “Blue Suede Shoes”, by Carl Perkins, in his first album in 1956, this size 40 pair was given to a friend by the King of Rock’n’roll after being called to join the United States Army as part of his military service.
“They almost go beyond popular culture”
“When Elvis enlisted in the United States Army, he arranged a meeting at Graceland (Editor’s note, in the artist’s residence in Memphis). Elvis called some people upstairs and gave away some of the clothes he no longer thought he needed or wanted when he returned from the army,” auction house Henry Aldrige & Son Ltd said.
“These shoes are very iconic. The Blue Suede Shoes and Hound Dog are things we immediately think of when we talk about Elvis Presley. They go beyond popular culture. They are simply exceptional pieces of show business, music and popular culture,” added the auction house.
Already exhibited in several museums, the pair was authenticated by Jimmy Velvet, a close friend of Elvis for more than twenty years, who opened a museum with a large collection of objects that belonged to the “King” continued upon the death of the latter.
