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Ask the Memphian: Where did Elvis live before Graceland?

By , Daily Memphian Updated: April 20, 2026 7:09 AM CT | Published: April 20, 2026 4:00 AM CT

When you think of Elvis Presley’s home, chances are you think of Graceland — a tourism hotbed that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

Graceland, however, was far from the only place he lived in Memphis.


Historic building where Elvis trained in martial arts hits the market


Elvis and his parents moved to the city in 1948, when he was 13 years old, and the family bounced around rental apartments and houses for years.

In March 1956, fresh off a major hit, he bought a house at 1034 Audubon Drive for him and his parents. They would stay there for the next 13 months, during one of the most consequential periods of his career.

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Memphis Music Elvis graceland Rhodes College Education history Subscriber Only

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John Klyce

John Klyce

John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.


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