Elvis Presley Gets Honored With Forever Stamp

Elvis Presley is the latest music legend to be honored by the United States Postal Service with a forever stamp.

The Presley stamp will be the sixth in the “Music Icon Series”. The USPS stamps webpage describes the series as, “beloved musicians whose blend of sound and way of life broke boundaries.” Postmaster General Megan Brennan said in a statement on the USPS website that Presley was an obvious choice for the series.

“Elvis is a natural addition to our Music Icon Series. His life and talents are an incredible story. Spanning from his humble beginnings in a Tupelo, Mississippi, two-room house to becoming one of the most legendary performance artists of the 20th Century, Elvis Presley’s works continues to resonate with millions the world over.”

As reported on earlier at The Inquisitr Lydia Mendoza, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin have received the honor previously. Elvis had his own 29 cent stamp issued back in 1993 and it is the best selling commemorative stamp ever with over 500 million sold.

Rolling Stone is reporting that a special ceremony will be held at Presley’s Graceland estate in Memphis on August 12, the day the stamp will be issued.

Presley is often referred to as The King of Rock and Roll and had 18 number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Elvis won three Grammy Awards all for his gospel works. The Grammys began in 1958 and many of Presley’s seminal works came before that time. Elvis grabbed the attention of young people in the 1950s with his swiveling hips and energetic musical style. Legend has it that when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show the cameramen were ordered to shoot Elvis only from the waist up because the show was a family show. In the 60s he was in several movies that weren’t always loved by the critics, but raked in the money. By the 70s he was a Las Vegas legend who is still impersonated by many to this day. Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42.

The exact image the USPS will use has not been unveiled so it may be of a young Elvis or of an older sequined jumpsuit Elvis. And no the stamp will not be marked “Return to Sender”.

Are you excited about the new Elvis Presley stamp? Who do you think should be the next musician honored in the Music Icon Series after Elvis?

[Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images]