“Lay off of my blue suede shoes,” sings Elvis Presley in his well-known cover of Carl Perkins’ hit song. The person who just purchased a pair of The King’s own blue suedes for more than $150,000 probably feels the same way.
Presley wore this pair of shoes in the 1950s, according to the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house. Jimmy Velvet, founder of the Elvis Presley Museum and one of Elvis' friends, authenticated the shoes.
One notable time Elvis wore the shoes was during a performance on the Steve Allen show on July 1, 1956, when he mentioned wearing them before singing “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.” When he left for the U.S. Army two years later, he gave these shoes to his close friend Alan Fortas.
“The heel of each shoe is stamped ‘Nunn-Bush’ and inside of each shoe is stamped 10-1/2, stating the shoe size,” said the auction house. “There is a lot of history wrapped up in these well-worn blue suede shoes which are synonymous with the name Elvis Presley.”
Along with the shoes came three documents illustrating their history. These included an Elvis Presley Museum letter of authenticity to Daniel Johnson, hand-signed by Velvet, and a letter from Fortas.
“The night before Elvis' army induction here in Memphis, Elvis had an all-night party at Graceland. Afterwards, we went to the Rainbow roller rink,” Fortas wrote. “When we all got home Elvis called some of us upstairs and was giving away some of his clothes he didn't think he would be wearing or wanted when he came back from the army. That night Elvis gave me these blue suede shoes, size 10 1/2. I’ve owned these all these years.”
Previously, a different pair of Elvis’ blue suede shoes sold for $75,000, according to Julien’s auction house.
While the estimated auction price for the recently purchased shoes was between $100,000 and $120,000, CBS News reported that the shoes sold for more than $150,000. Per the report, they were purchased Friday by an American collector based in California.
“The price for me reflects the importance of such an iconic object,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told the outlet. “When you think of Elvis, you probably think of upturned collars, Las Vegas and blue suede shoes.”
While blue suede shoes are now primarily associated with Presley, the song was initially written and recorded by another rock 'n' roll artist, Carl Perkins. According to an essay provided by the Library of Congress, “the original inspiration for ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ had come from Johnny Cash, who had an African American Air Force buddy who’d referred to his regulation footwear as blue suede shoes.”
Perkins wanted to use that phrase in a song for some time before he heard a man tell his girlfriend not to “step on his suedes” while they were dancing. Perkins was injured in a car accident and Presley visited him in the hospital to ask if he could cover the song. The rest is history.