The continuing phenomenon of Elvis Presley fandom has long been a fascination of mine. I can recall the first 45 my mother played from her childhood collection was Presley's "Won't you wear my ring around your neck." I am intrigued by the legitimate groundbreaker that was Elvis, but am also equally drawn to the over-the-top kitsch that he also represents. 

My first visit to Graceland was in 1985, it was everything I had hoped for. I made a promise to myself to return to photograph it on the anniversary of Elvis' death. That occurred on August 16, 1987, the tenth anniversary of his passing. What I had not figured on was how this date coincided with another event that had been getting a lot of attention at the time, the Harmonic Convergence. In short, there was to be a rare alignment of the sun and planets and Adherents in a Mayan prediction felt this signified a time when "signs indicated a "major energy shift" was about to occur, a turning point in Earth's collective karma and dharma, and that this energy was powerful enough to change the global perspective of man from one of conflict to one of co-operation." To paraphrase, folks believed that people of all nations and beliefs would gather in peace, worship the same god, and speak the same language. I had heard all this and mostly ignored it. Imagine my surprise when I am roaming the grounds at Graceland and I see visitors from Japan, Germany, Holland, California, Rhode Island...all waiting in line to honor "The King" and singing Elvis songs together while holding candles. I kinda freaked out. I was overwhelmed with the notion that I had accidentally stumbled right into the middle of this "convergence." I could see the transition from the "Evils of the modern world" to the Elvis of the modern world.  I made very few images that mattered. I choked. 

Years passed, but I resolved to try again. So ten years later, on the 20th anniversary, I set out again. Laden with far too much equipment, my main mission was to make Polaroid Pos/Neg portraits of the variety of folks that gathered on Elvis Presley Blvd. I gave the polaroid positives to my subjects and kept the soft, wet negatives with me in a fixing solution for the whole day. I took some other images of Elvis impersonators. I ended the trip the next day with a visit to Gracelandtoo, a father and son museum in Holly Springs, Mississippi, dedicated entirely to Elvis. These are the images that resulted.

Jami Wollof has been to Graceland 5 times. He came down with Annathena, a first time visitor and ten other friends from Rhode Island. Annathena says it's "more than I expected"'the gravesite left her "completely choked up." She left feeling "more spiritual then ever."