Photograph from Detroit Press Archives

Taken September 11, 1970 in front of the Olympia Theatre in Detroit, many people believe that this photograph shows a 12-year-old Madonna Louise Ciccone in her native city, crazy to get close to The King.

Elvis Presley arrived in Detroit the day before his Olympia Theatre concert performance with all the enigmatic excitement of a Royal visit. His presence was electric.

That afternoon. Presley left his limousine and headed for the service entrance of the Detroit Hilton, where he had rented 75 rooms for his band, crew and entourage. His dark hair and dark outfit, along with and his cool, sly, sullen look behind those silver-rimmed blue sunglasses had the crowd of about 50 fans, mostly young and female, pushing and screaming as they surged around him.

Presley’s security team tried to clear a path, but he stopped and signed autographs. He didn’t talk to the girls. He didn’t have to. By the mid-1980s Madonna would be in the same situation, complete with practiced sneer-smile.