Don't forget he was buried in his backyard like a common hamster

Elvis died 30 years ago today, and it was the second best career move of his life after making that demo for his mom at Sun Studios.

Those early Sun sessions were the best music he ever made, and then he and his talent were ground to shreds on the star-making machinery.

His stock has risen incredibly in the past three decades, making millions for his heirs, and adding volumes to the cultural myths surrounding his life, death and afterlife.

By the way, I stole the line in the title of this blog from an introduction Fred Koller has made for his song, "The King and I" when he performs it live.