🎸 Welcome to The Elvis Insider Circle

Step inside Elvis’s early world — one hidden story at a time.

Hey ,

Thanks again for picking up Before Graceland! I promised you some hidden stories from Elvis’s early Memphis days—here’s one of my favorites.

Map of North Memphis — showing where Elvis lived with the Fruchter family at 462 Alabama Street, just across from Lauderdale Courts

📍 The House on Alabama Street

Just across the street from Lauderdale Courts, at 462 Alabama Street, Elvis lived with another family in 1953–54. They were the Fruchters—Alfred and Jeanette—a Jewish family whose upstairs apartment shared walls (and life) with the Presleys.

Alfred was a rabbi at Beth El Emeth Synagogue, and young Elvis quickly became part of their household. He called the rabbi “Sir Rabbi,” carried their newborn upstairs, and helped on Friday nights by switching on the lights and stove—tasks forbidden during Shabbat.

462 Alabama Street — where Elvis lived before Graceland

The families grew so close that when Elvis graduated, the Fruchters gave him a small black onyx pendant. Years later, Elvis returned that kindness with large donations to Memphis’s Hebrew Academy and, in his mother Gladys’s name, the Jewish Community Center on Poplar.

🎶 So while the movies show Elvis being discovered at Sun Records from Lauderdale Courts, the truth is—he was actually living right here at Alabama Street, surrounded by friendship, faith, and generosity.

🎥 Coming soon: I’m finishing a video version of this story for my Retro Road Trip channel—you’ll be the first to see it when it premieres.

💥 Bonus for you: As an early supporter, you get 10 % off any private tour with Rock ’n’ Roll Tours Memphis.

Use code INSIDER10 when you book at RocknRollToursMemphis.com.

Thanks for keeping the Memphis stories alive.

I’m grateful you’re part of the Elvis Insider Circle.

Until next time,

— Brandon Cunning

Founder, Rock ’n’ Roll Tours Memphis

www.RocknRollToursMemphis.com

Rock ’n’ Roll Tours Memphis

Private, story-driven tours led by a local musician.

⭐ Use code INSIDER10 for 10 % off your next private tour.

📺 Watch new stories on YouTube: Retro Road Trip

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