<P> Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys Love Presley (née Smith) in the two - room shotgun house built by his father, Vernon Elvis Presley, in preparation for the birth . Jesse Garon Presley, his identical twin brother, was delivered 35 minutes before him, stillborn . Presley became close to both parents and formed an especially close bond with his mother . The family attended an Assembly of God church, where he found his initial musical inspiration . </P> <P> Presley's ancestry was primarily a Western European mix: On his mother's side he was Scots - Irish, with some French Norman . Gladys and the rest of the family apparently believed that her great - great - grandmother, Morning Dove White, was Cherokee; the biography by Elaine Dundy supports the idea, but at least one genealogy researcher has contested it on multiple grounds . Vernon's forebears were of German or Scottish origin . Gladys was regarded by relatives and friends as the dominant member of the small family . Vernon moved from one odd job to the next, evincing little ambition . The family often relied on help from neighbors and government food assistance . In 1938, they lost their home after Vernon was found guilty of altering a check written by his landowner and sometime employer . He was jailed for eight months, and Gladys and Elvis moved in with relatives . </P> <P> In September 1941, Presley entered first grade at East Tupelo Consolidated, where his instructors regarded him as "average". He was encouraged to enter a singing contest after impressing his schoolteacher with a rendition of Red Foley's country song "Old Shep" during morning prayers . The contest, held at the Mississippi--Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on October 3, 1945, was his first public performance . Ten - year - old Presley was dressed as a cowboy; he stood on a chair to reach the microphone and sang "Old Shep". He recalled placing fifth . A few months later, Presley received his first guitar for his birthday; he had hoped for something else--by different accounts, either a bicycle or a rifle . Over the following year, he received basic guitar lessons from two of his uncles and the new pastor at the family's church . Presley recalled, "I took the guitar, and I watched people, and I learned to play a little bit . But I would never sing in public . I was very shy about it ." </P> <P> In September 1946, Presley entered a new school, Milam, for sixth grade; he was regarded as a loner . The following year, he began bringing his guitar to school on a daily basis . He played and sang during lunchtime, and was often teased as a "trashy" kid who played hillbilly music . By then, the family was living in a largely African American neighborhood . Presley was a devotee of Mississippi Slim's show on the Tupelo radio station WELO . He was described as "crazy about music" by Slim's younger brother, who was one of Presley's classmates and often took him into the station . Slim supplemented Presley's guitar tuition by demonstrating chord techniques . When his protégé was 12 years old, Slim scheduled him for two on - air performances . Presley was overcome by stage fright the first time, but succeeded in performing the following week . </P>

When did elvis presley get his first guitar
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