Elvis Presley’s first ever record sells at auction for $300,000 on singer’s 80th birthday

Ballad 'My Happiness' was sold to an undisclosed bidder at Graceland yesterday

Elvis Presley‘s first record has been sold at auction for $300,000 (£194,413) on what would be the late singer’s 80th birthday.

The acetate recording of ballad ‘My Happiness’, the first track that Presley ever recorded, was sold to an undisclosed bidder at an auction at Graceland yesterday (January 8). Bidding began at $50,000.

Presley recorded the song in 1953 – when he was just 18 – at Sun Records, the Memphis studio operated by Sam Phillips. It is said that after the recording, which cost Presley $4, the singer then left the studio and went to the home of friend Ed Leek to listen to it as his family didn’t have a record player.

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Presley ended up leaving the record behind, and it remained in Leek’s and later his niece’s possession until she contacted Graceland – Presley’s former home – and it was offered for auction.

Other items on sale at the auction included an autographed copy of ‘That’s All Right’, a custom designed watch, Presley’s first driver’s license and the jacket he wore in the Viva Las Vegas film.

To mark the King of Rock n Roll’s birthday yesterday, hundreds of fans joined the Presley family in Memphis, Tennessee, to slice an eight-tier cake in celebration. Legacy Recordings have also planned a yearlong celebration of Presley’s music, which includes releasing the singer’s ‘The Complete ’60s Albums Collection Vol. 1’ onto iTunes. A new website called ElvisTheMusic.com was launched yesterday, featuring a comprehensive online database of the singer.

Last month, the largest Elvis retrospective ever mounted in Europe, Elvis At The O2: The Exhibition Of His Life, opened in London. The exhibition, which is open for nine months, showcases over 300 artefacts from the Presley family’s treasured Graceland Archives, some of which have never been exhibited outside of Presley’s home.

The exhibition also includes material from his record-breaking concert tours, his military service and Hollywood film career as well as a look at his life at Graceland, including automobiles, personal items, historical documents, iconic stage costumes and guitars on display.

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