Bobby Pietrafeso and Elvis Presley
A Friendship Beyond the Spotlight
To millions of people, Elvis Presley was the King of Rock ’n’ Roll — one of the most famous men who ever lived. But to Bobby Pietrafeso, Elvis became something much more personal.
He became a friend.
Robert “Bobby” Pietrafeso was a Colorado law-enforcement officer, serving as a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy during the years when Elvis frequently visited Denver and Colorado. It was through law enforcement and security work that Bobby entered Elvis’s world. Over time, what began as a professional connection developed into a genuine friendship. (Westword)
Elvis had a special fascination with law enforcement. He collected badges, enjoyed talking with police officers and sometimes even dressed in a specially made police uniform when he wanted to move around Denver without attracting attention. More importantly, the officers around him gave Elvis something fame rarely allowed him to experience: the opportunity to simply be another one of the guys. (Elvis Australia)
Bobby later remembered that side of Elvis very clearly. Away from the screaming crowds, television cameras and stage lights, Elvis could relax with his Colorado friends. There were football Sundays, sausage sandwiches and ordinary conversations. Elvis sometimes called unexpectedly and flew into Denver simply to have lunch with the men he had come to trust. (The Gazette)
That friendship eventually produced one of the most remarkable Elvis stories of all.
The Truck
Elvis Presley was famous for his generosity. He routinely gave automobiles, jewelry and other expensive gifts to friends and even strangers.
Bobby was one of those friends.
According to Bobby’s recollection, Elvis wanted to give him a new automobile. But Bobby wasn’t looking for a Cadillac or a luxury car.
He wanted a truck.
Elvis obliged.
On January 28, 1976, Elvis purchased Bobby a brand-new 1976 Dodge Power Wagon. A surviving account of the purchase places the original price at $8,634.80. (YouTube)
Years later, Bobby could still remember the moment Elvis presented it to him. Elvis came up beside him, put an arm around him and dangled the keys in front of him.
Then Elvis told him:
“It’s yours.” (Westword)
It was an extraordinary gift, but the significance of the truck goes far beyond its price.
It was a gift from Elvis Presley to someone he considered a friend.
Elvis also gave Bobby one of his famous TCB necklaces — the lightning-bolt emblem representing Elvis’s personal motto, “Taking Care of Business.” Bobby kept the necklace as another reminder of the friendship and the remarkable period of his life when one of the most recognizable men in the world could simply be “Elvis” around him. (Westword)
The Man Behind the King
Perhaps Bobby’s most revealing memory of Elvis occurred on April 23, 1976, before Elvis’s final Denver concert at McNichols Sports Arena.
Elvis was preparing to walk onstage before a sold-out crowd of approximately 19,000 people. Bobby encountered him backstage wearing one of his famous white jumpsuits.
This was Elvis Presley — a man who had already spent two decades performing before enormous audiences.
Yet Bobby noticed something unexpected.
Elvis was nervous.
Standing backstage with Bobby, Elvis asked whether Bobby was nervous. Bobby said he wasn’t.
Elvis admitted that he was.
For Bobby, it was an unforgettable glimpse behind the legend. The man who appeared larger than life to the audience outside was still capable of experiencing the same fear and uncertainty as anyone else. (Westword)
Moments later the curtain opened, camera flashes filled the arena, and Elvis Presley once again became The King.
Bobby would later remember how physically exhausted Elvis could be after giving everything he had onstage. While others might remain awake celebrating after a concert, Elvis often wanted to go to bed and recover. (Westword)
Those memories help explain why Bobby’s stories about Elvis rarely center only on the celebrity.
They center on the man.
More Than an Elvis Artifact
Today, Bobby Pietrafeso’s 1976 Dodge W100 Power Wagon represents something difficult to capture in photographs or paperwork alone.
It is not simply a vintage Dodge.
It is not merely a vehicle once purchased by Elvis Presley.
It is a surviving piece of a friendship.
The truck takes us back to a period when Elvis could escape the pressures of being Elvis Presley by spending time with a group of Colorado law-enforcement officers who treated him normally. They ate together, traveled together, joked together and saw sides of Elvis that the public seldom witnessed.
Bobby was one of those people.
Years later, when asked about Elvis, Bobby’s affection for his friend remained obvious. He spoke of how fortunate he felt to have known him and described Elvis as someone unlike anyone else he had ever encountered. (Westword)
That may ultimately be the most important part of Bobby Pietrafeso’s connection to Elvis Presley.
Bobby didn’t simply own something Elvis bought.
He knew Elvis.
He stood beside him away from the spotlight.
He saw him laugh.
He saw him nervous.
He saw him exhausted after performing.
And he saw the generous friend behind one of the biggest names in entertainment history.
Nearly half a century later, the Dodge Power Wagon remains tangible evidence of that remarkable friendship.
A truck from Elvis.
A gift between friends.
And a piece of American history that survived.
