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Oʻahu tour guide shares her love for the King of Rock and Roll during Elvis Week

Tour guide Kathleen King stands with the Elvis Presley statue outside of the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.
Courtesy Kathleen King
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Facebook
Tour guide Kathleen King stands with the Elvis Presley statue outside of the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

Elvis Presley fans across the world are celebrating National Elvis Week right now. The week pays respect to the King of Rock and Roll, and his movies and music. Presley was born in Mississippi and his iconic home, Graceland, is in Tennessee — but Hawaiʻi is just as ingrained in his identity.

His love affair with our islands started in November 1957 when he held his first concerts on Oʻahu. In subsequent years, he traveled to our islands frequently to film movies, record music, and vacation with his family.

Those are some of the facts that Kathleen King shares during the Elvis tours she gives around Oʻahu. The Conversation sat down with King to talk about Presley’s connection to Hawaiʻi.

Click here to learn more about Kathleen King's Oʻahu Elvis Tours on Facebook.

Elvis fans will gather at his statue outside the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu throughout Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary of Presley's passing in 1977.

This interview aired on The Conversationon Aug. 15, 2022. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.

Russell Subiono is the executive producer of The Conversation and host of HPR's This Is Our Hawaiʻi podcast. Born in Honolulu and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, he’s spent the last decade working in local film, television and radio. Contact him at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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