Elvis Presley once said don’t step on his blue suede shoes — but for the right price, you might be able to step in them.
A pair of blue suede shoes formerly belonging to the late King of Rock and Roll is up for sale by British auction house Henry Aldridge and Son. They’re expected to bring in between $126,000 to $152,000.
The size 10 1/2 shoes are stamped with the Nunn-Bush brand on each heel and have been authenticated by Presley’s longtime friend and founder of the Elvis Presley Museum, Jimmy Velvet, according to the auction house’s listing.
The description says he wore the shoes both on and off the stage in the 1950s. Presley mentioned wearing the shoes during his performance on the Steve Allen show in 1956 before he sang “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” and mentioned wearing them again during a comedy skit with Andy Griffith on the show, the auction house said.
The shoes were given to the auction house by Alan Fortas, described as a close friend and entourage member of Presley’s.
The shoes are accompanied by a letter from Fortas detailing how he came to own them.
It says, in part, “The night before Elvis’ army induction here in Memphis Elvis had an all-night party at Graceland. Afterwards we went to the Rainbow roller rink. When we all got home Elvis called some of us upstairs and was giving away some of his clothes he didn’t think he would be wearing or wanted when he came back from the army. That night Elvis gave me these blue suede shoes size 10 1/2. I’ve owned these all these years.”
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The auction, which includes additional lots of Elvis memorabilia, concludes on Saturday.
While the song “Blue Suede Shoes” is synonymous with Presley, it was written and originally sung by rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins in 1956.
After Perkins was badly injured in a car accident, Presley covered the song on his debut album and released it as a single so the songwriting royalties could benefit Perkins while he recovered, according to Financial Times and other sources.
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