Rockin' Through The Psalms With The 'King'Chikamu

Elvis’ Uncle Vester and Aunt Clettes gave him this 1,600-page Bible for Christmas in 1957. The Bible is well-worn, having been used by Elvis throughout his life until his untimely death on August 16, 1977.  Elvis underlined numerous verses and made a number of annotations throughout the Bible, offering a fascinating glimpse of one of the greatest musical and cultural figures of the 20th century.

The man many affectionately knew as “the king” once described himself as “a searcher,” and the notes he wrote in his Bible confirm this. For example, near the front of his Bible, he wrote: “There is a season for everything. Patience will reward you and reveal all answers to your questions.”

And the very back page of the Bible contains another one of Elvis’s handwritten notes provides a remarkable insight: “To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave.”

Elvis’s career indeed represented a sea change in the ocean of the music world. To date, the star has sold an estimated one billion albums.

And the inspiration behind it all is perhaps revealed in the note Elvis wrote in all capital letters at the end of the book of Psalms: “SING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.”

At the bottom of the page, below Psalm 11, Elvis paraphrased verse 1—"In the Lord I place my trust and He will guide me."