After Elvis became a household name, Gladys Presley watched the world celebrate her son with a mixture of pride and quiet sorrow. The boy who once sat at her feet strumming a battered guitar was suddenly being pulled across the country by crowds, contracts, and cameras. Every headline, every screaming audience reminded her that Elvis no longer belonged only to her. When he left home for tours or film sets, she would stand on the porch long after his car disappeared down the road, holding her apron in her hands as if trying to gather the pieces of the simple life they once shared.
After Elvis became a household name, Gladys Presley watched the world celebrate her son with a mixture of pride and quiet sorrow. The boy who once sat at her feet…