It's January seventh, and on this day in 1967... tragedy struck close to home for Elvis Presley. His uncle Johnny Smith and cousin Brenda were involved in a serious car accident in Memphis. Johnny suffered a deep forehead laceration, while Brenda sustained a fractured skull. Family members suspected Johnny had been drinking at the time, and as a result, Elvis let him go from his job as Graceland’s gatekeeper. In his place, Elvis appointed James Caughley, a persistent member of the Memphis entourage-in-waiting who had been trying to get closer to the inner circle for about a year.
