As a young person, Elvis Presley would absorb the music of Beale Street and admire the fashions within the Lansky Brothers store. Of course shopping for effective garments was out of attain for the poor boy.
Born Jan. 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis and his mother and father moved to Memphis when he was 13. Money was scarce however Elvis may dream.
One day, Bernard Lansky noticed the teenager exterior the window of Lansky’s on Beale. He invited Elvis in to go searching. “He said, ‘I don’t have any money but when I get rich, I’m going to buy you out,’” Bernard recalled.
At the time, Lansky didn’t even know the younger man’s identify. His reply – “Don’t buy me out. Just buy from me.”
That was the start of an extended relationship. True to his phrase, Elvis did purchase a lot of his trend-setting clothes from the person who grew to become referred to as the “Clothier to the King.”
While staying on the Peabody Hotel on my American Queen pre-cruise expertise, I loved trying via the store and seeing the mementoes. Years again, I had been lucky to satisfy Bernard Lansky and listen to about his friendship with Elvis. Bernard died in 2012 at age 85.
8 Night – Memphis to St. Louis – American Queen
Elvis’ first Lansky buy
When Elvis cashed his paycheck as an usher at Loew’s Theater, he made his first buy at Lansky’s – a $3.95 shirt. Later, for the junior-senior promenade at Humes High School, Elvis had the tailor create an outfit of black pants, pink coat and pink-and-black cummerbund.
Then got here the thrilling day when Elvis burst into the store and stated he could be showing on the Ed Sullivan Show. After Lansky had outfitted him, Elvis sheepishly admitted that he didn’t have the cash to pay for his fancy threads. “We were the first store to give Elvis a charge account,” Bernard stated.
Among the standout outfits that Lansky’s provided Elvis with was his well-known gold lame jacket. Since transferring into the Peabody Hotel in 1981, Lansky’s has been a well-liked store with distinctive Elvis-themed clothes.
When Elvis died on Aug. 16, 1977, Bernard was in Dallas and hurried house as quickly as he heard the stunning information. He made the ultimate white swimsuit wherein Elvis was laid to relaxation.
“I put him in his first suit,” Bernard all the time stated. “And I put him in his last suit.”
Photos by Logan Peters
* A e book about Bernard Lansky and Elvis is offered in Lansky’s store within the Peabody Hotel.
* Blue suede photographs are featured in Lansky Bros.
* Elvis-themed clothes is offered at Lansky Bros.
* An Elvis photograph showcases a leather-based jacket at Lansky Bros.
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