I shot Elvis Presley!

The photography of Al Wertheimer as told to Ken Sharp

Al Wertheimer might not be a household name, but his seminal photographs of Elvis Presley are routinely championed as the most iconic images of the man they called The King. His extraordinary new book, Elvis At 21: New York To Memphis is crammed with historic photographs that provide an evocative and unforgettable snapshot of an innocent time in Presley’s life, when it seemed that everything was falling into place.

In this RC exclusive, Wertheimer recounts his landmark journey with Elvis and describes how he captured the joy and wide-eyed innocence of the young hillbilly cat, in the days when he could walk down a packed railway carriage with a giant panda doll and not raise an eyebrow.

T his has been like a 50 year assignment. It started out on 17 March 1956, and it hasn’t ended yet. But there was a little bit of a hiatus. I photographed Elvis leaving the country on 22 September 1958, and that’s the last time I ever saw him in person. From that point on, until the day he died on 16 August 1977, I didn’t get a single phone call for an Elvis Presley photograph. That’s a period of 19 years. But, since he died, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I get calls at least once or twice a week about something to do with Elvis.

I took the photos in my first professional year …

by Ken Sharp
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