Elvis' Pink Cadillac
Encyclopedia
Elvis' Pink Cadillac is probably one of the most iconic, style setting, sung about in popular culture and then copied real cars in North America, and the wider world where Elvis Presley
's music was popular.
The 1955 manufactured Series 60 car is now preserved in the Graceland
museum, in Memphis
, Tennessee
.
, on June 5, 1955.
On July 5, 1955, Elvis purchased a new Cadillac Fleetwood
Series 60 in blue with a black roof. Having mentioned a Pink Cadillac in the song Baby, Let's Play House, the first song recorded by Elvis to appear on a national chart which made #5 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in July 1955; Elvis had the car repainted by Art, a neighbour on Lamar Street. Art designed a customised pink colour for Elvis which he named "Elvis Rose," but the car kept its black roof. Once the car was finished Elvis gave it to his mother Gladys as a gift. Mrs. Gladys Presley never had a driver's license
, and Elvis drove the car with the members of his band for most of 1955–1956.
On September 2, 1955, Scotty Moore
drove the car into a vehicle which was passing a pick-up truck in Texarkana, Texas
, causing $1000 of damage. Having signed his contract with RCA in November 1955, in March 1956 Elvis had the upholstery replaced, the body retouched and roof painted white.
On his return from military service in Germany
in 1960, Presley lent the car to his US Army buddy Joe Esposito
, having bought himself a white with pink roofed 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
The original pink Cadillac remains on permanent display at Graceland, formerly under a carport for many years, and now resident in the auto museum. The car was once again brought to the front drive entrance of Graceland in June 2006, during the visit of President George W. Bush
and Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi
.
Although the original car was a four door sedan, the more replicated version in popular culture is a pink 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible, which have been sold as miniature replicas by many companies including Franklin Mint
, and featured in songs and videos about the pink Cadillac.
Pink Cadillacs have also been the automobiles of recognition for their top sales people by Mary Kay Cosmetics.
Elvis' Pink Cadillac was the inspiration for Robert Dunn's musical novel Pink Cadillac (2002). In the novel Elvis makes a cameo appearance, giving the heroine, Daisy Holliday, one of his pink Cadillacs as a gift after she helps him get it running.
Elvis' Pink Cadillac was featured in the CBS
miniseries Elvis, where it shows him first buying the car for his mother.
of River Vale, New Jersey
could re-create Elvis' famous pink Cadillac in exacting detail. Pantone
color swatches were used to match the pink and white exterior and interior paint. It was stipulated in the agreement with Graceland that this, the only "twin sister" and exact re-creation of the original car, would be offered at no charge to "pink ribbon
" breast cancer fund-raising organizations to help raise money for breast cancer research and education. It has been estimated that close to 200,000 photos have been taken with this re-creation at breast cancer fund raising events. On occasion Diamond Joe Esposito
, Elvis' road manager has appeared with the Krentzman car. The Krentzman car made its first appearance at Susan G. Komen's mother and daughter Color Me Pink Event in New York City in April 2007. It has since appeared at many Susan G. Komen, Avon and Revlon Walks in addition to being used by many grassroots breast cancer organizations across the United States.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's music was popular.
The 1955 manufactured Series 60 car is now preserved in the Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
museum, in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
History
In early 1955, Elvis bought his first Cadillac, a 1954 model, which had been re-sprayed pink. The car provided transport for Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys, but after the failure of a brake lining, was destroyed in a roadside fire between Hope and Texarkana, ArkansasTexarkana, Arkansas
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,448 people, 10,384 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5 people per square mile . There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1 per square mile...
, on June 5, 1955.
On July 5, 1955, Elvis purchased a new Cadillac Fleetwood
Cadillac Fleetwood
Lawrence P. Fisher was the Fisher brother most closely involved with Cadillac in its early years. In 1916 he joined the Fisher Body Company which had been formed by two of his brothers in 1908. Larry was one of four of the seven Fisher brothers who brought Fisher Body Corporation under the General...
Series 60 in blue with a black roof. Having mentioned a Pink Cadillac in the song Baby, Let's Play House, the first song recorded by Elvis to appear on a national chart which made #5 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in July 1955; Elvis had the car repainted by Art, a neighbour on Lamar Street. Art designed a customised pink colour for Elvis which he named "Elvis Rose," but the car kept its black roof. Once the car was finished Elvis gave it to his mother Gladys as a gift. Mrs. Gladys Presley never had a driver's license
Driver's license
A driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...
, and Elvis drove the car with the members of his band for most of 1955–1956.
On September 2, 1955, Scotty Moore
Scotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
drove the car into a vehicle which was passing a pick-up truck in Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. It effectively functions as one half of a city which crosses a state line — the other half, the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, lies on the other side of State Line Avenue...
, causing $1000 of damage. Having signed his contract with RCA in November 1955, in March 1956 Elvis had the upholstery replaced, the body retouched and roof painted white.
On his return from military service in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1960, Presley lent the car to his US Army buddy Joe Esposito
Diamond Joe Esposito
Joe Esposito is a veteran author and publisher, who along with his long time business partner Daniel Lombardy, have several best selling books to their credit....
, having bought himself a white with pink roofed 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
The original pink Cadillac remains on permanent display at Graceland, formerly under a carport for many years, and now resident in the auto museum. The car was once again brought to the front drive entrance of Graceland in June 2006, during the visit of President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
.
Pink Cadillacs in popular culture
While no manufacturer of the time offered pink as a standard color, after the public attention to Elvis' car many individual car owners in the 1950s began to paint their cars various shades of pink.Although the original car was a four door sedan, the more replicated version in popular culture is a pink 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible, which have been sold as miniature replicas by many companies including Franklin Mint
Franklin Mint
The Franklin Mint is a private corporation founded by Joseph Segel in 1964. The private mint operated from Wawa, Pennsylvania but that operation has now closed...
, and featured in songs and videos about the pink Cadillac.
Pink Cadillacs have also been the automobiles of recognition for their top sales people by Mary Kay Cosmetics.
Elvis' Pink Cadillac was the inspiration for Robert Dunn's musical novel Pink Cadillac (2002). In the novel Elvis makes a cameo appearance, giving the heroine, Daisy Holliday, one of his pink Cadillacs as a gift after she helps him get it running.
Elvis' Pink Cadillac was featured in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
miniseries Elvis, where it shows him first buying the car for his mother.
Krentzman copy
In December 2006 the historians of Graceland documented and provided 125 detailed color photographs of the entire car so that Bonnie and Stewart KrentzmanStewart Krentzman
Stewart Krentzman is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Oki Data Americas, Inc., headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Its parent company, $6.2B Oki Electric is based in Tokyo, Japan....
of River Vale, New Jersey
River Vale, New Jersey
River Vale is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 9,659. The community was ranked #29 on the 100 Best Places to Live 2007 survey published by CNN/Money magazine....
could re-create Elvis' famous pink Cadillac in exacting detail. Pantone
Pantone
Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space...
color swatches were used to match the pink and white exterior and interior paint. It was stipulated in the agreement with Graceland that this, the only "twin sister" and exact re-creation of the original car, would be offered at no charge to "pink ribbon
Pink ribbon
The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. Pink ribbons, and the color pink in general, identify the wearer or promoter with the breast cancer brand and express moral support for women with breast cancer....
" breast cancer fund-raising organizations to help raise money for breast cancer research and education. It has been estimated that close to 200,000 photos have been taken with this re-creation at breast cancer fund raising events. On occasion Diamond Joe Esposito
Diamond Joe Esposito
Joe Esposito is a veteran author and publisher, who along with his long time business partner Daniel Lombardy, have several best selling books to their credit....
, Elvis' road manager has appeared with the Krentzman car. The Krentzman car made its first appearance at Susan G. Komen's mother and daughter Color Me Pink Event in New York City in April 2007. It has since appeared at many Susan G. Komen, Avon and Revlon Walks in addition to being used by many grassroots breast cancer organizations across the United States.
Songs and films about pink Cadillacs
- Pink Cadillac (album), a 1979 album by John Prine
- "Pink Cadillac" (song), a 1983 song by Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
- "Pink Cadillac" (remake), released in 1988 by Natalie ColeNatalie ColeNatalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
- Pink Cadillac (film), a 1989 film starring Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
- Freeway of LoveFreeway of Love"Freeway of Love" is a Grammy Award-winning song released as the first single from Aretha Franklin's 1985 album Who's Zoomin' Who?. It was very successful in the United States, peaking at the #3 position of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and topping the Hot R&B Singles chart for five weeks . It went...
a Grammy-winning song by Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...