Elvis Pictures Go on Display for First Time

The collection includes pictures of Elvis taken in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1956 when local newspapers were on strike and teenage photographer Lew Allen showed up with a camera. The then 17-year-old was the only photographer at the concerts.

"I was the only guy in my high school who knew how to handle a camera so I went along. It was a wonderful experience to take pictures of Elvis at the start of his career," Allen told Reuters.

Other rock legends captured by Allen's lens include the Everly Brothers, Dion -- of 1950s band Dion and the Belmonts -- and Buddy Holly.

One picture of Holly -- Allen's favorite in the exhibition -- shows the singer sitting dejectedly on a bus in 1958 after a four-hour ride through a whirling snowstorm.

"I just stood next to the driver and took a picture of Buddy looking so dejected," Allen said. "He was killed only a year later."

A small number of the pictures have been displayed at Graceland in Memphis, but most haven't been seen in more than 40 years, boxed away in Allen's basement.

They are now being displayed at the "Fingerprints of Elvis" exhibition at Liverpool's Albert Dock and will move to London next year.

"The striking thing about these pictures is the innocence they capture," Allen said. "They were big stars but they didn't act like big stars when I was taking pictures of them."

The display also includes an array of Elvis artifacts, including some of his stage suits and instruments and a unique set of his actual fingerprints.