Elvis Presley Named ‘Music Icon’ With Postal Service ‘Forever’ Stamp
Elvis Presley will be the sixth “Music Icon” honored with a Postal Service “Forever” stamp. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
by Ryan Reed
Elvis Presley will be honored with a “Forever Stamp” as the sixth official inductee into the Postal Service’s “Music Icon Series,” joining legends Lydia Mendoza, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin in the elite group.
Graceland, Presley’s Memphis estate, will host a First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony on August 12th as part of their “Elvis Week” celebration. The stamp image will be available to preview at a later date; meanwhile, fans are encouraged to spread the word on social media using the hashtag “#ElvisForever.”
The U.S. Postal Service launched the “Music Icon” series in 2013 as a tribute to “beloved musicians whose blends of sound and way of life broke musical boundaries.” The first round of inductees featured Tejano trailblazer Lydia Mendoza, country-folk legend Johnny Cash and R&B-soul genius Ray Charles. Last year, the Postal Service honored two Sixties rock icons, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
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This isn’t Presley’s first brush with stamp greatness: In 1993, the rock and roll icon was immortalized on a stamp featuring a watercolor painting by Mark Stutzman. In an unprecedented move, the Postal Service allowed the public to vote between two portraits: Stutzman’s rendering of a young Presley and John Berkey’s image of a latter-day Presley. Pre-addressed ballots were handed out through American post offices and in an April 1992 issue of People – and more than 75 percent of voters chose Stutzman’s version. The stamp earned an official dedication at Graceland after midnight on Presley’s 58th birthday, January 8th, 1993.
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