The One And Only Commercial Elvis Ever Filmed Endorsed These Donuts In 1954

It's hard to believe that Elvis Presley, who had the looks and the charm to launch a thousand products, reportedly only ever headlined one commercial in his career. It's even harder to believe that he didn't even do it (drumroll) for money. That's right, the one time the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" sang for a brand was for Southern Maid Donuts back in 1954 — and he did it in exchange for a box of donuts.  

Southern Maid Donuts was set up by J.B. and Rosalea Hargrove in 1937. In 1941, Bruce Jones, a close friend of Hargroves, opened the first Southern Maid Donuts franchise in Shreveport, Louisiana, and he started advertising it on the "Louisiana Hayride," a popular radio program on the Shreveport-based KWKH radio station. Meanwhile, Presley had moved to Memphis and started taking on odd jobs to support his family. It wasn't until 1954 that he fully committed to his singing career.

It was that same year that Presley made his first appearance on the "Louisiana Hayride," which had made its name as a show that gave several up-and-coming artists a stage to showcase their talents. The promoters of the show — which had debuted musicians such as Hank Williams, George Jones, Kitty Wells, and Webb Pierce — were impressed enough by Presley to sign him up on a one-year contract for 52 Saturday night live appearances. It was during one of these appearances that Elvis Presley, a foodie with an interesting palate, to say the least, ended up singing a little jingle for Southern Maid Donuts.

The best part? According to Bruce Jones' grandson, Mike, the whole thing happened by chance. "Grandaddy bought the sponsorship on the 'Hayride,' and during the show ... one of the performers would plug us in some way or another, and somebody wrote the little thing for Elvis to sing," Mike told the Southern Foodways Alliance, noting that the jingle Elvis Presley sang on November 6, 1954, went like this: "You can get them piping hot after 4 p.m., you can get them piping hot, Southern Maid Donuts hits the spot, you can get them Piping Hot after 4 p.m."

Mike said, "A lot of people think there was a brilliant plan, execution, strategy. It was pure happenstance, like most things are." While no known recording of the jingle exists, Minnie Pearl, Johnny Horton, and Johnny Cash all lent their voices to versions of the jingle that Presley recorded. We also know that Elvis Presley was a fan of Southern Maid Donuts and used to visit its Shreveport store often during his Hayride-related visits.

His love for the doughnuts should come as no surprise. After all, his sweet tooth is quite legendary. His favorite cake was a southern twist on a rich and sweet classic, which basically involved adding generous amounts of heavy cream and vanilla to a traditional pound cake. His favorite sandwich, the Fool's Gold Loaf, was ultra-sweet too, featuring peanut butter, jam, and bacon. And if you've ever wondered what Elvis Presley's actual last meal was, let's just say it was suitably decadent: four scoops of ice cream with six chocolate chip cookies.