A Bit of Background

Elvis Presley was an American cultural icon. Known as the “King of Rock and Roll” he was one of the most popular musicians from the mid-1950s until his death in 1977. He was also a movie star, having starred in 30 films.

In 1958 Elvis was drafted into the Army and while stationed in Germany he was introduced to karate and became a student of the martial art. When he left the Army and returned to the U.S. he continued his training and in 1960 he earned a black belt.

In some of his movies, Elvis showed off his karate skills, and during his live concerts, his moves and kicks reflected his karate expertise. With that as background, let’s hit the story.

The Story

Have you ever been to Madison, Wisconsin? I have many times — I think it’s a fantastic city. If you go to TripAdvisor and check out things to do in Madison and keep scrolling through the many attractions you’ll come across the 57th best thing to do in Madison (out of 81).

The 57th best thing to do in Madison is to visit the spot where Elvis rescued a teen getting beat up. The event is memorialized by a monument and a plaque that reads:

On this site, the corner of Hwy 51 and East Washington Avenue, around 1 am, on June 24, 1977, Elvis Presley was riding in the 2nd of two limousines which had stopped for a red light. He was coming from a concert in Des Moines and had just arrived in Madison. Elvis noticed a young teen on the ground being beaten by two other youths here at the former Skyland Service Station. Elvis jumped out of his limo and moved quickly to the fight scene. They admitted later that they knew it was the legendary Elvis Presley who was standing in front of them in his classic karate stance saying, “I’ll take you on”. After a few classic karate moves by Elvis, the youths recognized him, stood and shook hands and promised to stop fighting. Elvis asked “Is everything settled now?” Elvis was on his way to the Sheraton and his last Madison appearance. He died 52 days later on August 16th, 1977.

Awesome. Way to go Elvis.