On July 1, 1953, less than one month after graduating from Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee on June 3, 1953, eighteen year old Elvis Presley visited the Tennessee Employment Security Office in Memphis in search of work.
Like many young Americans of the era, Elvis was focused on helping support his family while trying to determine what direction his future would take.
At the time, neither Elvis nor anyone else could have imagined that within a year he would record at Sun Studio and begin one of the most extraordinary careers in music history.
This photos show Elvis’ Tennessee State Employment Security Office application card, which Elvis originally completed in March 1953.
The document offers a remarkable look into the life of Elvis the young man who was still simply known as “Elvis Aaron Presley, 462 Alabama Avenue.”
On the application, Elvis listed his work experience, education, and various skills while searching for employment opportunities. The card reveals a hardworking teenager preparing to enter the workforce, long before fame, fortune, and worldwide recognition would come his way.
This document reminds us that before becoming one of the most recognizable entertainers in history, Elvis was a young man from Memphis trying to find a job, help his parents, and build a future.
Just days later, on July 18, he would walk into Memphis Recording Service at Sun Studio to record “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” for his mother Gladys. The rest, as they say, is history.
If Elvis had never walked into Sun Studio, what job do you think he would have eventually pursued?
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