Elvis Presley’s Graceland Opens Two New Exhibits

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 19, 2025--

Last week, Graceland welcomed fans from around the world to Memphis for the annual Elvis Week celebration. As part of the festivities, Graceland debuted two new exhibits inside Elvis Presley’s Memphis entertainment complex.

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Colonel Parker’s World of Showbusiness shares the story of Elvis’ legendary manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The exhibit traces his journey from his early years in Holland and work on the carnival circuit, through his time managing country stars like Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow, and ultimately to his defining role as the manager of Elvis Presley.

Serving as Elvis’ manager from 1955 until his death in 1977, Colonel Parker was a larger-than-life figure who played a crucial role in the direction and success of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll's career. While he is hailed for turning Elvis into a global sensation, Colonel Parker remains a controversial figure in the Elvis world, as he faced significant criticism for his management approach and financial practices.

The Colonel’s story comes to life in the new exhibit through artifacts from his collection. See canes, hats, and pipes that defined the Colonel’s look, along with items from his office and the colorful lab coats that he designed and wore on Elvis’ movie sets. Exhibit highlights include his typewriter, awards, rare photographs from his office, and even the 1976 Cadillac Elvis gifted to him.

Graceland in Red 1974 is the second exhibit to open at Graceland during Elvis Week 2025. When Elvis purchased the house in 1957, Elvis’ mother Gladys’ conservative style prevailed with the traditional blue and white décor that one sees when visiting Graceland today.

However, in 1974, Graceland underwent dramatic redecoration with Elvis selecting rich colors, plush textures, and new statement pieces for his home. The living room was transformed into a French Provincial theme, featuring red velvet furniture, red satin draperies, oil lamps, mermaid tables, peacock-stained glass panels, and red shag carpet. The décor was bold and vibrant, reflecting Elvis’ unique style – and a definite break from the conservative style of his mother.

The red décor was in place until 1982, when the living room was reverted to the original blue and white aesthetic before Graceland opened to the public. The red furniture and décor went into warehouse storage. Pieces of the red furniture have been used in small displays at Graceland over the years, but this is the first time guests are able to see a full replica of how the living room looked in 1974.

A highlight of the exhibit is the pair of oil lamps carefully restored by the Graceland team to their original condition. Each lamp features a gold-tone frame with a Greco-Roman-inspired figure at its center. Often called “goddess rain lamps,” they were especially popular in the 1970s. Clear mineral oil flows along fine filaments, creating a shimmering rain effect around the statue. With built-in lighting and greenery at the base, the lamps added both illumination and a sense of luxury to the room’s dramatic style.

In addition to these two new exhibits, Graceland debuted the 90 for 90 Exhibit in January and refreshed the Elvis Dressed to Rock display in March. All exhibits are now open for touring throughout 2025. Tour tickets available at Graceland.com.

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About Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Elvis Presley’s Graceland, in Memphis, is music’s most important and beloved landmark, with hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world visiting the historic home each year. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) manages the operations of Graceland and its related properties, including Elvis Presley's Memphis, Graceland's entertainment and exhibition complex over 200,000 square feet in size; the new 80,000 square feet Graceland Exhibition Center featuring rotating exhibits; the AAA Four Diamond Guest House at Graceland 450-room resort hotel; and the Graceland Archives, featuring thousands of artifacts from Elvis’ home and career. EPE also produces and licenses Elvis-themed live events, tours, and attractions worldwide. Graceland Holdings LLC, led by managing partner Joel Weinshanker, is the majority owner of EPE. Graceland is the only attraction worldwide to ever receive 12 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards including “Best Holiday Historic Home Tour,” “Best Tennessee Attraction and Iconic Landmark,” “Best Musical Attraction,” “Best Historic Southern Attraction,” and the #1 “Iconic American Attraction.” The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards named Graceland the most popular attraction in Tennessee and one of the top 25 landmarks in the world and Rolling Stone named it one of 10 Great American Music Landmarks. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.graceland.com

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New Colonel Parker's World of Showbusiness Exhibit opens at Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis.

New Graceland in Red Exhibit opens at Elvis' home in Memphis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators from opposite parties are joining forces in a renewed push to ban members of Congress from trading stocks, an effort that has broad public support but has repeatedly stalled on Capitol Hill.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida on Thursday plan to introduce legislation, first shared with The Associated Press, that would bar lawmakers and their immediate family members from trading or owning individual stocks.

It's the latest in a flurry of proposals in the House and the Senate to limit stock trading in Congress, lending bipartisan momentum to the issue. But the sheer number of proposals has clouded the path forward. Republican leaders in the House are pushing their own bill on stock ownership, an alternative that critics have dismissed as watered down.

“There’s an American consensus around this, not a partisan consensus, that members of Congress and, frankly, senior members of administrations and the White House, shouldn’t be making money off the backs of the American people,” Gillibrand said in an interview with the AP on Wednesday.

Trading of stock by members of Congress has been the subject of ethics scrutiny and criminal investigations in recent years, with lawmakers accused of using the information they gain as part of their jobs — often not known to the public — to buy and sell stocks at significant profit. Both parties have pledged to stop stock trading in Washington in campaign ads, creating unusual alliances in Congress.

The bill being introduced by Gillibrand and Moody is a version of a House bill introduced last year by Reps. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, and Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from Rhode Island. That proposal, which has 125 cosponsors, would ban members of Congress from buying or selling individual stocks altogether.

Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida tried to bypass party leadership and force a vote on the bill. Her push with a discharge petition has 79 of the 218 signatures required, the majority of them Democrats.

House Republican leaders are supporting an alternative bill that would prohibit members of Congress and their spouses from buying individual stocks but would not require lawmakers to divest from stocks they already own. It would mandate public notice seven days before a lawmaker sells a stock. The bill advanced in committee Wednesday — which Luna called “a win” — but its prospects are unclear.

Magaziner and other House Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, wrote in a joint statement Wednesday that they “are disappointed that the bill introduced by Republican leadership today fails to deliver the reform that is needed.”

The Senate bill from Gillibrand and Moody would give lawmakers 180 days to divest their individual stock holdings after the bill takes effect, while newly elected members would have 90 days from being sworn in to divest. Lawmakers would be prohibited from trading and owning certain other financial assets, including securities, commodities and futures.

“The American people must be able to trust that their elected officials are focused on results for the American people and not focused on profiting from their positions,” Moody wrote in response to a list of questions from the AP.

The legislation would exempt the president and vice president, a carveout likely to draw criticism from some Democrats. Similar objections were raised last year over a bill that barred members of Congress from issuing certain cryptocurrencies but did not apply to the president.

Gillibrand said the president “should be held to the same standard” but described the legislation as “a good place to start.”

“I don’t think we have to allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good,” Gillibrand said. “There’s a lot more I would love to put in this bill, but this is a consensus from a bipartisan basis and a consensus between two bodies of Congress.”

Moody, responding to written questions, wrote that Congress has the “constitutional power of the purse” so it's important that its members don't have “any other interests in mind, financial or otherwise.”

“Addressing Members of Congress is the number one priority our constituents are concerned with,” she wrote.

It remains to be seen if the bill will reach a vote in the Senate. A similar bill introduced by Gillibrand and GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri in 2023 never advanced out of committee.

Still, the issue has salience on the campaign trail. Moody is seeking election to her first full term in Florida this year after being appointed to her seat when Marco Rubio became secretary of state. Gillibrand chairs the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm.

“The time has come," Gillibrand said. “We have consensus, and there’s a drumbeat of people who want to get this done.”

FILE -Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., speaks during the confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee for Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's choice to be director of the FBI, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

FILE - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., leaves the Senate chamber after voting on a government funding bill at the Capitol in Washington, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)