PEOPLE AND PLACES: Memories: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

June 27, 1968, Burbank, Elvis Presley

Before he was the King: Intimate pictures of Elvis aged just 21 and on the verge of changing rock 'n' roll forever .

New book of photographs show behind-the-scenes moments of a young Elvis Presley at the start of his career in 1956 . Collection includes iconic photograph of Elvis and a young female fan's tender backstage moment, known as 'The Kiss'. Rarely-seen pictures of a 21-year-old Elvis Presley in the beginning of his career show all stars start somewhere, even the King of rock 'n' roll. Taken by photographer Alfred Wertheimer during Elvis' time on the road in 1956, the snaps show that despite his tender years, he already had his legendary movements and Brylcreem hairdo figured out. Mr Wertheimer, now 83, caught the would-be King's more intimate moments as he records his music, perform on tour and sneak a kiss with a young fan backstage.

A star is born: A 21-year-old Elvis 'kiss' young fan Barbara Gray just before going on stage at the the Mosque Theatre Richmond, Virginia in June 1956

Taken shortly after the legend had been signed by record company RCA Victor, some of the black and white snaps for the new book include a 21-year-old Elvis and a young fan sharing a tender moment just before he goes on stage. The famous photograph - known as 'The Kiss' - was taken without Elvis' or the young woman's knowledge and had become one of the most iconic of the King in his early years.The fresh-faced singer actually touches the blonde girl's tongue with his in the spontaneous moment. 'I never bothered to ask her name,' German-born Wertheimer said in a Vanity Fair interview about 'The Kiss' in 2011. 'And she never bothered to tell me.' In fact the buxom blonde is Barbara Gray, or Bobbi Owens as she was known back them , a young woman to whom Elvis had spoken to over the phone and had arranged to meet in Richmond.

Young Elvis: The King performing for StageShow in March 1956 photographed by Alfred Wertheimer who was commissioned to take publicity shots of the, then unknown, new star

Making history: Elvis already had his signature moved down to a T when he performed at the age of 21 on stage at the the Mosque Theatre Richmond, Virginia in June 1956

Early days of stardom: Elvis Presley in an undated photograph, probably May 1956, slouched on a stairwell in Memphis, Tennnessee (not featured in the book)

This is Elvis Presley's debut album released in 1956 to unanimous acclaim one of the pionering albums in music, not only did it launch the career of The King of Rock, it rightfuly gave him that name by launching Rock and Roll to mainstream audiences and changing the course of music forever. Love me tender: Rare colour shot of Elvis recording 'Dont Be Cruel' at RCA 's Victor studio's on July 2nd 1956, from the new book revealing images from the very earliest days of the King of Rockn'Roll as his legend was born

When they met in person, they spent the day together, and Mr Wertheimer captured it all, photographing them flirting and being playful in the back seat of the taxi. Later that day, Mr Wertheimer grew concerned when he found he had lost Elvis subject just before the show was about to start. As he walked around the theatre looking for him, he saw two figures at the end of a dark, narrow hallway - the future rock star, and his date for the day. He thought about letting the two have their private moment, but then thought better of it, saying 'the worst that can happen is that he’ll ask me to leave.' Speaking in 2011, Mr Wertheimer said he was never asked about all the pictures he took that day until 19 years later, when Elvis was found dead in his Graceland mansion. He told the Today Show: 'The day he died, Time magazine called me and asked me to bring all my photos over immediately.'
Among those photos was 'The Kiss.' Despite the closeness evident in the photos, Mrs Gray, 75, said she didn't have as much attraction to the singer as he did for her, and she never saw him again. 'Maybe he had sparks, but I never even knew who he was.' Another image taken a few minutes later shows Elvis on stage, kneeling down on his left knee while singing into the microphone as he wows the audience who had never seen or heard anything like it before. Another photo taken on March 17, 1956 - about two months after he was signed - is of Elvis performing for American TV's Stage Show. In it, he is depicted holding an acoustic guitar while singing into the microphone and displaying his famous lip-curl. Over 400 photos, many of which have never been seen before, are being published in the new book entitled 'Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll' which has been produced by London-based Taschen. A spokesman for the publishers, said: ‘Alfred worked with Elvis on his very first tour before his fame took off and tighter controls were put on images of him. ‘Alfred had unprecedented and unlimited access to Elvis and was able to get so many candid shots. ‘Some of the photos are well known but others haven't been seen before. ‘We have wanted to work with Alfred for some time now. We have used his original negatives and made them as high resolution as possible for the book.’ Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, from a heart attack after battling prescription drug abuse. His abrupt death at the age of 42 shocked legions of fans still mesmerised today by his singing, sex appeal and on-stage charisma.

Suspicious mind: It was only early days for Elvis when he was photographed on a chair backstage in August 3 (not featured in the book)

A legend was born: Elvis sings onstage during his first tour, summer 1956, with his signature leather overlay on his acoustic guitar (not featured in the book)

All shook up: Pictured a month before recording his second album, Elvis Presley performed several shows in Miami in August, 1956, in front of ecstatic screaming female fans.