THE PURCHASE OF CIRCLE G RANCH
On February 8, 1967, Elvis purchased a 163-acre ranch in Mississippi, Tennessee for $437,000, which he named Circle G. Elvis, his entourage, and his wives became interested in horseback riding after Elvis began to increase his time in this hobby and purchased a horse for Priscilla as a gift. As the ranch needed repairs and improvements, Elvis gave free rein to his passion, spending large amounts of money buying trailers, tractors, and pre-fabricated houses. Elvis and his friends, along with their respective partners, adopted a cowboy lifestyle.
Graceland also underwent modifications on the grounds adjacent to the mansion to adapt it to the new hobby. Over the next few months, Elvis and his friends will spend a lot of time at the Circle G. For Elvis, it becomes a diversion that makes him happy and helps him better deal with his frustration and discontent about the state of his career, both musically and in film.
In February 1967, RCA released Elvis’ second gospel album, “How Great Thou Art,” which was recorded in mid-1966 at Studio B in Nashville. The album received very good reviews. It reached number 18 on the Billboard charts, and sales clearly exceeded those of his later soundtracks. It was thanks to this release that Elvis finally won his first Grammy for Best Gospel Album from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Grammy Awards to date had perhaps always been very unfair to him, since none of his previous recordings (despite having been nominated) had been awarded this prize. This will be the first of his three Grammy Awards, all of them related to the gospel genre. Within the situation that his musical career is experiencing, this award represents a breath of fresh air for Elvis.
A FRUSTRATED ELVIS DOES NOT SHOW UP FOR THE FILMING OF THE MOVIE CLAMBAKE
“Easy Come, Easy Go” was released nationwide on March 22, 1967. Critical reviews were again mixed. By the end of the year it was ranked #50 on the list of top-grossing films.
Elvis begins recording the soundtrack and filming for “Clambake” in March 1967. It is the third of three Elvis films with co-star Shelley Fabares. Elvis initially does not show up for the first sessions due mainly to his frustration with the state of his career and also because of how comfortable he is at his new Circle G ranch.
Finally, after a tough conversation with Col. Tom Parker, Elvis is able to convince Elvis to come to terms with the film’s director and producer. “Double Trouble” is released nationwide on April 5, 1967. Although it does better than some of his previous big screen efforts, it is still in a bad box office situation. Double Trouble will reach #58 by the end of the year.
On April 12, 1967, iron is added to the windows and doors of Graceland.
Information provided by Club Elvis Spain http://www.clubelvis.org
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