This week, the “King of Rock and Roll” would have been 90 years old.
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on Jan. 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi. He died at the age of 42 on Aug. 16, 1977 at his mansion in Graceland, near Memphis, TN.
Elvis Lyon, who has lived in Lethbridge since 1998, is one of the King’s biggest fans.
Lyon started Elvis’ Handyman Service in 2014 with the slogan, “King of Home Repairs.”
The life-long fan has quite a collection of Elvis memorabilia, including a bedspread, replica rings, a plethora of knick-knacks, photos, a pair of blue suede shoes, a jumpsuit and a large Elvis back tattoo.
A friend is also making Lyon a leather Elvis belt. “I can wear that on a daily basis, when I’m not working.”
According to Lyon, his mom was and still is a huge fan. “My mom just turned 77 and she grew up listening to Elvis Presley and she still listens to him every day.”
From his mom listening to the Elvis channel on Sirius XM to playing records, Lyon grew up with so much Elvis. “Just his voice and how powerful it is and just the type of person he was. He was so giving and caring.”
“He was quite the philanthropist. He was just a great person all around. That’s how I try to run my business. That’s how I try to look at things in life,” adds Lyon.
One of Lyon’s most-cherished possessions is his dream bike – a 2014 Harley Davidson Ultra Limited motorcycle, which is adorned with Elvis murals and other Elvis-inspired keepsakes. “It’s made it to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a couple of times. Wherever I go, people surround it and want to take pictures.”
“I’ve never won anything in a show and shine because it’s not everyone’s taste, but it does get a lot of looks and brings a lot of memories back for a lot of the older people too,” says Lyon.
Today, Lyon has two household cats named Simon and Garfunkel, but other pets have included Memphis, Suede and Tennessee. Tennessee even rode with Lyon on his motorcycle, while sporting a custom-made leather jacket.
With Elvis fans celebrating his birth this week, Lyon says there’s never been anyone like Elvis. “And there never will be.”
“He changed music forever,” adds Lyon.
Even though Lyon and his mom never had a chance to see Elvis perform live, they’ve both seen many tribute artists over the years, including a friend, Stuart MacLeod. And Lyon hasn’t been to Graceland, yet. “My girlfriend and I are hoping to, maybe in 2026. We’ll see how it plays out.”
