During his time in the service Colonel Parker continued to release singles
recorded before his departure so his fans
wouldn't forget him. a number of
these were hits including "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck," "Don't Cha Think
It's Time," "Hard Headed Woman," "Don't Ask Me Why," "One Night," "I Got Stung,
" "A Fool Such as I," "I Need You, I Love You," "A Big Hunk O' Love," and
"My Wish Came True". In 1958 alone Presley earned over $2 million. After
his release from the Army in March 1960, he recorded his first stereo record,
"Stuck On You" and later that month he taped a TV program with Frank Sinatra,
The Frank Sinatra Timex
Special.
In July Vernon, Presley's father remarried. Vernon Presley's second wife
was Davada "Dee" Stanley. At this time Presley began gathering more closely
around him his friends, employees, and hangers on that would become known as
the Memphis Mafia and would accompany him almost constantly until his death.
Presley's world would become increasingly insular.G.I. Blues was
released in in 1960 and "It's Now Over Never" reached #1 .
Presley had five number #1 hits in the early 60s, "Stuck On You," "It's Now or Never,
"Are You Lnesome Tonight," (1960), "Surrender (1961); and "Good Luck Charm" (1962).
Priscilla Beaulieu, a teenage daughter of an Army officer that Presley had met while
in Germany, visited Graceland during Christmas 1960. In early 1961 she moved
in, it was said, under the supervision of Vernon and Davada. The press went along
with the spin Colonel Parker put on the story, and few seemed to care the King of
Rock and Roll was sharing his house with a teenaged girlfriend.
After a live performance on March 25, 1961 Presley quit performing
and spent the next eight years making movies. The soundtracks from his
movies were generally poor. By the mid-Sixties Presley was earning $1 million
per movie plus a large percentage of the gross. Each movie had a concurrently
released soundtrack album, five of which went gold. Presley was displease with
these films, but Colonel Parker insisted that Presley stick with this winning
formula. Years later Parker's shortsightedness would result in his turning down
Barbara Streisand's offer to have Presley co-star with her the 1974 remake of A
Star Is Born. Parker felt Streisand didn't deserve equal billing with Presley.With the British invasion, teenagers were hearing more of his disciples than
Presley himself. Presley, unlike most American rockers wasn't swept away, but the
Top Ten was increasingly beyond his reach. Presley turned increasing inward, focusing
on the family. On May 1, 1967 Presley married Priscilla in Las Vegas; on February 1,
1968 their only child Lisa Marie was born. Fearing he had been forgotten, Presley defied
Parker and made a comeback television special. Over the summer he taped the television
special that was released on December 3, 1968 to high ratings. It's soundtrack reached
#8 and produced his first Top Twenty single "If I Can Dream" (#12, 1968) since 1965.
With this success Presley turned to performing in Las Vegas. On July 26, 1969 Presley
began a month long appearance at the International Hotel. This set the course for all
of his future performances. His fee for four months was over a $1 million. Riding the
crest of the comeback Presley released a series of top singles, including
"In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "Don't Cry Daddy," and The Wonder of You".
Presley began touring again, his shows selling out and frequently breaking box
office records. Two on tour documentaries were released Elvis: That's the Way It
Is (1970) and Elvis On Tour (1972), the latter which won the Golden Globe Award for
Best Documentary.