Elvis's Karate Legacy
Elvis Presley 1935-1977
Elvis Presley was an American singer, actor, and martial artist. His success as an entertainer, principally as a singer and guitarist, is well known, as is his acting career in film. Less well known is his martial arts background in karate.
The Presley biography spans several decades, and is supported by credible oral evidence, as well as documentation. Elvis started training in 1959 while stationed in Germany with the US Army 1958-1960. His martial arts trainer was Juergen Seidel, a shotokan specialist. While on leave in Paris, France, he reportedly trained under Vietnamese teachers. He spent a lot of time training in karate in Germany, and became committed to the philosophy and practice, but then dropped it for a short period. Despite this hiatus, it is known that Presley stuck with karate for the rest of his life.
Presley returned to America in 1960. He met Ed Parker, a kenpo master, at a karate demonstration at the Beverly Wiltshire Hotel. The two became friends, and Parker taught Elvis on and off until Presley's death. Presley earned his first-degree black belt in 1960 under Chito-Ryu stylist Hank Sl0mansky. In 1970, be began training in a Memphis dojo under Master Kang Rhee, who bestowed upon him a seventh-degree black belt, along with the nickname “The Tiger”. Elvis went on to open his own center, the Tennessee Karate Institute.
Al Tracy, one of Ed Parker's pupils, writes that Hank Slomansky really forced Elvis to earn his black belt because of a rash of phony celebrity black belts during the late 1950s. Sensei Hank Slomansky, an active member of the US Airforce, was a tough-as-nails instructor of karate and self defense. Elvis spent six weeks of brutal Shaiai full contact fight training with Slomansky. The interminable fights finally ended with Elvis scoring Ippon. Based on Elvis’ training and fighting prowess, and under his critical and demanding eye, Slomansky awarded Elvis his black belt. Slomansky went on to serve as a member of the US Special Forces, selected by President Kennedy. He died in 1964 when his plane was shot down on mission.
Wayne Carman who trained with Elvis at the Kang Rhee school in Memphis remembers Elvis as a passionate martial artist. "In martial arts, he wasn't Elvis, the Entertainer. He was Elvis, the Black Belt, with 15 years' experience," Carman writes. "That was impressive to all of us, since there weren't many karate practitioners in the country with as many years in the art."
In 1974 Elvis wanted to make a film
called "The New Gladiators," a karate documentary in the vein of “The
Endless Summer” in which five Americans travel to tournaments to compete and test
their abilities. Benny The Jet Urquidez, Ron 
Marchini John Nativadad, and Tom
Kelly were on the team. The head coach was Ed Parker. George Waite, a student of Parker, originated
the idea for the film. Elvis wanted to
use the film to propel karate into the mainstream consciousness. The film was finally finished and released in
2005 by Don Warrener and Isaac Florentine through Rising Sun Productions,
Hollywood California.
Ed Parker, in his book Inside Elvis, notes that Elvis was a good black belt by any standards, that he had plenty of guts, pain did not deter him, he was tough, and full of courage. Bill Wallace noted in an interview that Elvis was pretty good for his age, and the amount of time he had spent in training. Others in his training circle, noted that Elvis was very flexible, with a wide stance, able to do splits and reversals, and used powerful combinations in his technique.
Elvis was a member of the International Kenpo Karate Association, with a 4th degree black belt in Kenpo.
Despite unproven rumours from obligatory naysayers as to his belt rank, the concensus from those who know and were there, is that Elvis was a serious martial artist, one of the few to be highly ranked in the early 60’s. From all accounts Elvis deserves recognition for spreading the word and bringing karate to the public worldwide. In doing so, he walks in the steps of senior students of great Japanese and Okinawan masters, charged with the responsibility to spread and develop karate worldwide.
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