With flickering candles in hand, tens of thousands of Elvis fans filed solemnly through the gates of Graceland to pay their respects on the 30th anniversary of the King's death.

They came bearing roses and teddy bears, with many in tears, as a seemingly endless line of mourners snaked its way up the rolling driveway of the rock star's former Memphis home towards his poolside grave.

Soulful Elvis Presley songs echoed through the grounds as fans made their way past the white-columned mansion with its windows lit up so it looked as though the family was at home.

Handmade memorials from around the world lined the road and the memorial garden where the Presley family is buried.

There was a yellow horse from Belgium. A windmill from France. A Brazilian flag made of crushed paper.

"I come here every year, because I love Elvis," said Yosuke Funabashi as he paused in the garden after visiting the grave. "I love his style, he's an original."

Funabashi moved to Memphis from Japan a few years ago to run an Elvis souvenir shop called Love Me Tender on Beale Street.

First through the gates

Bill Rowe had been lining up since midnight on Tuesday and spent a day sweating in front of Graceland's graffiti-marked fence so he could be the first person through the gates.

He has been to every vigil since Elvis died on 16 August 1977, aged 42 of heart disease worsened by drug addiction, and had forced himself to stay awake all night because it would be "rude and disrespectful" to sleep on Elvis Presley Boulevard.

"Elvis took me into his world. He taught me some valuable life lessons along the way. Never speak ill of somebody, especially in public. Remember your roots and, if you can, help your friends," the 57-year-old from Ohio told AFP.

A poor Southern white boy who brought black music into the mainstream, Elvis Presley made rock 'n' roll the international language of pop.

His electric combination of virulent sexuality, boy-next-door good manners, incredible stage presence and an ambitious manager propelled Elvis into television specials, films, blockbuster concerts and a world of lucrative merchandising.

He changed the way people thought about music and left an indelible mark on American culture.

"Before there was Elvis, there was nothing," John Lennon once said.

Elvis remains the world's best-selling solo artist with over a billion albums sold and still generates about 50 million dollars a year through licensing fees and the Graceland exhibits.

Opened to the public in 1982 and declared a national monument in 2006, Graceland draws nearly 600 000 visitors a year.

Elvis week

During Elvis Week, the party spills out across the city with fan club festivals, an expo and convention hosting book signings and a hundred merchants, impersonator contests, scholarly talks and memorial services.

A huge marketing blitz accompanied events this year which drew an estimated 75 000 people.

"It's official — this is the biggest Elvis week and the biggest candlelight vigil ever," Tom Morgan, executive director of Elvis Presley Enterprises said as he opened the ceremonies at dusk on Wednesday.

Outside the gates, a huge party lasted well into the early hours of the morning as fans camped out on Elvis Presley Boulevard, watching old films on a blow-up screen, comparing costumes, memorials and memorabilia and catching up with old friends.

There were still people lined up to get through the gates when officials closed the grounds at 7am (1300 GMT) to prepare for the day's visitors. An estimated 50 000 people had filed past the grave in 11 hours.

There were plenty of grey-haired old ladies who had fallen for Elvis when he smashed through the social conservatism and segregation of the 1950s and got white kids to shake their hips.

But there were also a surprising number of people who were children when he died. Debbie Quinn-Booth (38) was among thousands of British fans who flew in for the anniversary.

"I love Elvis. He's my hero. He's the love of my life. I can't explain it, it's just something about him," she said. "I'm here to pay my respects."

Frenchman George Lassus (62) said Elvis' ever-lasting appeal was simple: "We were part of the (cultural) revolution of the 1960s... without Elvis we wouldn't be here."

AFP