What did Elvis do on my birthday?

Yesterday, June 10, was my birthday, and as I always do on that great occasion (!), I thought what a great gift it would've been to see Elvis perform at Madison Square Garden, New York, back in 1972 on that particular date. But living in Sweden, and being only five years old at the time, that wasn't to be.

Three years later, on June 10 1975, Elvis played Memphis and the Mid-South Coliseum. I wasn't in the audience then either, but just imagine if I'd been. Then I would've been old enough to remember the show and know what it was like to see Elvis in person.

Just for the fun of it, I checked out what Elvis had been doing on my birthday, during his career. This is what I found out:

1955: Elvis plays the American Legion Hall, Breckenridge, Texas
1956: Another concert, this time Rodeo Grounds, Tucson, Arizona
1958: One-night session at RCA's studio B in Nashville
1964: Begins soundtrack recordings for Girl Happy
1966: Holes up at his hotel while Red West lays down reference vocals for "Indescribably Blue," "I'll Remember You" and "If Every Day Was Like Christmas"
1967: On the day I was born Elvis sets out for California with the Memphis Mafia, for the first and only time with wives included
1968: Rehearsals for the TV-Special
1969: Takes a look at the construction of the International Hotel showroom
1971: Records "My Way" and a remake of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day"
1972: Busy working the crowd in New York
1975: On stage in Memphis

Of course, being an Elvis fan, a lot of the gifts I've received over the years are Elvis related. This time was no exception. My brothers and sister gave me the two FTD releases Loving You and Tickle Me. "It's amazing that there are still Elvis records he doesn't have," one of my brothers told my family with a smile. It was a good birthday.

By the way, even if I never saw any of the concerts in Madison Square Garden, I can always listen to them, on either Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden or An Afternoon In The Garden. Elvis gave two of his most famous performances on my birthday, and they're recorded for posterity. In my book, that's pretty cool.