New Elvis Presley Traveling Exhibition
Los Angeles' GRAMMY Museum®
on The King’s 75th Birthday

Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer Shows Elvis Before He Was
The King of Rock 'n' Roll

Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer, a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition, debuted at The GRAMMY Museum® at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2010, Elvis' 75th birthday and the exhibit will run through March 28, 2010

In 1956 photojournalist Alfred Wertheimer was hired by RCA Victor to shoot promotional images of a recently signed 21-year-old recording artist named Elvis Presley, and his instincts to "tag along" with the artist after the assignment resulted in 56 striking images that provide an intimate look at Elvis before he exploded onto the scene and became one of the most exciting performers of all time.  The exhibit will run through March 28, 2010 at the GRAMMY Museum which recently celebrated its one year anniversary.

Developed collaboratively by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Govinda Gallery, the Elvis at 21exhibition — sponsored nationally by The History Channel — will travel to museums around the country through 2013 following its premiere at the GRAMMY Museum.

Wertheimer had unparalleled access and documented Elvis on the road, backstage, in concert, in the recording studio and at home in Memphis, Tenn. "Colonel" Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, restricted contact just a short time later. The photographs document a remarkable time when Elvis could sit alone at a drugstore lunch counter.

Wertheimer was up close to capture a flirtatious encounter with a young woman backstage in Richmond, Va. He was in the New York City recording studio on the historic day Elvis recorded "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog," the b-side to that record. Both songs hit No. 1 on the charts, the first and only time a single record would achieve this distinction.

For more information see www.grammymuseum.org.

About the GRAMMY Museum
Paying tribute to music's rich cultural history, The GRAMMY Museum explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music —the GRAMMY Award. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Museum features 30,000 square feet of interactive and multimedia exhibits. Visit online at www.grammymuseum.org.