Elvis holds the title of the true and original tiger king. But don’t just take my word for it. Keep reading!
You might be living under a rock if you have not heard of the Netflix docuseries sensation, Tiger King. The series takes some crazy turns, if you have not watched it do yourself a favor and start it, but the “tiger king” represented in this series did little to actually deserve the title.
“I Am The King Of The Jungle, They Call Me Tiger Man.”
There is no question that the original tiger king is in fact Elvis Presley himself. One of his go-to opening numbers was none other than Tiger Man. In 1968 RCA released the album Tiger Man which consisted of recordings from the NBC Elvis TV Special – famously known today as The 68 Comeback Special.
This was a new era for Elvis that signified a return to the stage, a break from making movies, and a brand new sound. Tiger Man was Elvis’s re-entry into music and proved to fans (and Elvis himself) that there was much more to Presley than cheesy films and predictable songs – as much as I love them! Elvis transformed himself once again – this time into the true tiger king.
The King Of… Karate?
Tiger Man was the perfect reintroduction into music, but Elvis took the term tiger very seriously. Elvis had a love for karate and went by the karate name Tiger! Elvis would perform karate demonstrations during concerts and would even incorporate various karate moves into performances.
During concerts in the 1970s, Elvis would sport jumpsuits inspired by karate uniforms – one of my favorites is named “Mad Tiger!” Presley was introduced to karated in 1958 during his time in the Army while stationed in Germany. He continued to train and received his 8th-degree blackbelt in a private ceremony in September of 1974.
Though Elvis has many awards into many halls of fame, one of the lesser-known awards is his place in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame! Tiger Man proved Elvis’s title as King of Rock and Roll, while his karate name Tiger lives on in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame – all of this proving Elvis is the original and true tiger king.
Until we meet again,
TCB & TCE
*Tigers in captivity should be in facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to receive the best care possible as these facilities are dedicated to the conservation of tigers in the wild. Do not support facilities not accredited by the AZA and do your research before visiting.*
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