Elvis Would've Made An Absolute Fortune Had He Been Allowed To Tour Overseas
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In this day and age, it often seems like people throw the word legend around far too easily. After all, it seems like the only thing that someone needs to do to be labeled a legend these days is enjoy some success and stay in the public eye for awhile.
While it is very questionable when some celebrities are called legends, there is absolutely no doubt that Elvis Presley is a legendary figure. Easily one of the most beloved musicians of all time, Elvis is such a big deal that his estate continued to grow years after the singer passed away.
As a result of how much money Elvis' legacy continues to make to this day, there is a lot of interest in what will happen to his estate and Graceland now that Lisa Marie Presley passed away. As it turns out, however, Elvis' estate could have been worth a lot more money.
During Elvis' incredible career, the beloved singer's devoted fans who lived overseas never got to see him perform where they live because he never toured outside North America. With that in mind, it is amazing to think about how much more money Elvis could have made.
Did Elvis Presley Ever Tour Overseas?
From the moment that Elvis Presley first rose to fame, the incredibly talented performer has never been forgotten. However, there is no denying that the amount that people talk about Elvis has ebbed and flowed over the years.
In 2002, Elvis received a surge in relevance after the release of the greatest hits album "ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits" which went to the top of the charts. More recently, there was a lot of renewed interest in Elvis' life after the release of the 2022 biopic Elvis which starred Austin Butler.
After Elvis was released to critical acclaim, there was a lot of interest in things like Butler's relationship with Lisa Marie Presley. On top of that, Elvis' relationship with his longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker was in the spotlight once again.
As anyone familiar with Hollywood should already know, every biopic leaves a lot out and most of them play pretty loose with the facts. After Elvis was released, there were several fact-checkers who pointed out the many historical inaccuracies contained in the film.
One thing that the biopic definitely got right, however, is that Elvis' relationship with Colonel Tom Parker was extremely complicated. According to reports, including one from Smithsonian Magazine, Elvis' relationship with Parker is the reason why the singer never toured overseas.
When Parker first became famous due to his association with Elvis, it was believed that the manager was from West Virginia where he supposedly was born in the early-1900s. Over time, however, it came to light that Parker's supposed background actually was fictional.
In the years that followed, it was reported that Parker actually was born in The Netherlands, and then he immigrated to America illegally. More than that, Smithsonian Magazine revealed that several biographers have claimed that Parker was the suspect in the taking of someone's life in The Netherlands.
Once Parker made it to America, he adopted the identity that he is still known for to this day. According to reports, it was Parker's background and assumed identity that led to Elvis staying stateside.
As Elvis' manager, Parker insisted on always being there for Elvis throughout his career. As such, Parker wouldn't let Elvis tour the world if he couldn't be by his side.
Since Parker feared that he wouldn't be allowed to go back to America if he left the country because he reportedly didn't have a passport, he made sure Elvis' performances took place in the United States.
How Much Money Could Elvis Presley Have Made If He Toured Overseas?
Putting aside the reasons why almost all of Elvis Presley's performances took place in America, the fascinating question is how much money was left on the table.
Of course, it is impossible to know just how much money Elvis could have made if he took his incredible performances overseas. After all, there are so many variables. That said, it is possible to look at how much potential there was for Elvis to make a fortune overseas.
Since Elvis was an American artist, most of the things that are said about his success come from a North American point of view. A perfect example of that is when people talk about Elvis' charting success, they cite how well the singer's albums sold in North America.
While that makes a lot of sense, that is only a fraction of the overall story. The reason for that is Elvis' music sold extremely well in a myriad of other countries all over the world.
Based on reports about how Elvis' music performed in The UK alone, it is clear the legendary singer was a sensation in that area of the world too.
According to officialcharts.com, 13 of Elvis' albums reached the number one spot on The UK's charts and they spent a cumulative 66 weeks at the top. When it comes to Elvis' singles, 21 of his songs reached the number-one spot in The UK and those songs spent 80 weeks at the top of the list and 386 weeks in the top 10.
Based on those numbers alone, it is abundantly clear that there would have been huge audiences in The UK that would have shown up to see Elvis play if he ever toured there.
Needless to say, there are a lot more areas of the world overseas that aren't part of The UK and Elvis didn't tour any of those places either. If Elvis toured in many other overseas countries, he would have made even more money.
Even though it would be silly to throw out numbers when trying to estimate how much money Elvis missed out on, it seems abundantly clear that the figure is in the millions, at the very least.
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