January 7th in Elvis History

It's January seventh, and on this day in 1967... tragedy struck close to home for Elvis Presley. His uncle Johnny Smith and cousin Brenda were involved in a serious car accident in Memphis. Johnny suffered a deep forehead laceration, while Brenda sustained a fractured skull. Family members suspected Johnny had been drinking at the time, and as a result, Elvis let him go from his job as Graceland’s gatekeeper. In his place, Elvis appointed James Caughley, a persistent member of the Memphis entourage-in-waiting who had been trying to get closer to the inner circle for about a year.