In competing versions of the story, what Elvis Presley really wanted
for his birthday was a rifle or a bicycle—both fairly typical choices
for a boy his age growing up on the outskirts of Tupelo, Mississippi.

Instead, Elvis’s highly protective mother, Gladys,”She never let me
out of her sight”, Elvis would say—took him to the Tupelo Hardware
Store and bought a gift that would change  the course of history: a
$6.95 guitar. It was January 8, 1946, and Elvis Aaron Presley was 11
years old.

The historical significance of putting a guitar into the hands of a
young man who would later help define rock and roll is obvious
and for Elvis himself, however, getting that guitar was just one
more step in a thorough yet totally unplanned program of
childhood musical development that prepared him perfectly to
ignite a revolution 10 years later.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)
(Note: Elvis was 11 years old when this photo was taken)

Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black accompany Elvis (center)
in a little-seen photo from late 1954 or ’55.