Photojournalist and Elvis fan favorite Alfred Wertheimer introduces “Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer,” a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition, with 56 of his striking images to debut at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2010, Elvis’s 75th birthday.

“Elvis at 21” is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog, titled “Elvis 1956,” published by Welcome Books, available through ShopElvis.com via preorder by clicking here. And, when you pre-order the "Elvis 1956", you can save 20% on 2010 Wertheimer Calendars.

Al Wertheimer will also be sharing many of his photos and the stories behind his photos on The Elvis Cruise scheduled for November 12 – 16. Click here for more info.

Developed collaboratively by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Govinda Gallery, “Elvis at 21” will be on view at The Grammy Museum through March 28, 2010.

Al Wertheimer had unparalleled access and documented Elvis on the road, backstage, in concert, in the recording studio and at home in Memphis. Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager, restricted contact just a short time later. The photographs document a remarkable time when Elvis could sit alone at a drugstore lunch counter.

Wertheimer also joined Elvis as he traveled home to Memphis by train. One image shows Elvis as just part of the crowd surrounding a lunch vendor on a train platform during a brief stop on the 27-hour trip. The anonymity he had during this stop was short-lived; the trip followed a busy few months when Elvis appeared on the television shows “Stage Show,” “The Milton Berle Show” and “The Steve Allen Show.” The photographs of a concert in Russwood Park on his return to Memphis show a young man who now had to have a police escort to get through the crowd of fans between his car and the stadium.

You can find samples of the photos in the book along with lots more information about Elvis and Al Wertheimer here.