Elvis Presley had the same Kenpo Karate Sticker on two of his guitars guitars. The symbol or "'The Parker Patch' as it is traditionally called, has become the hallmark of American Kenpo."
From November 5, 1971 through September 3rd, 1973 Elvis performed in concert on tour and in Las Vegas with this customized Gibson Dove with an Ebony finish Elvis' name inlaid in script on the rosewood fret board. This was one of the most photographed and well known guitars in his performing career due mostly to the use of it on the January 1973 worldwide broadcast via satellite "Aloha from Hawaii".
When Elvis began his first tour of 1974 on March 1st in Tulsa, OK he performed onstage for the first time with this Ebony 1968 Gibson J200 and added the same sticker to this guitar sometime in Septemeber.
"The patch was designed in 1960 by Dick Tercell for the Kenpo Karate Association of America (KKAA), which was the beginning of American Kenpo. The KKAA had been founded in 1956 by Ed Parker, the emblem used on the original certificates was a depiction of the "overhead club" technique. The first KKAA black belt certificate that used the Tercell emblem were awarded in January 1961. Ed Parker remained the head of the KKAA until 1964, when the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA) was formed, and the KKAA was turned over to Ed Parker's senior black belts. While Ed loved the design of the KKAA patch, it was not his original design and he could not copyright it."
Elvis ended up tossing the Gibson J200 into the crowd after a string broke on July 15, 1975 at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, MA. A member of the audience, Lawrence Long, who was in attendance that night with his wife Heather at the invitation of friends and sitting in one of the worst possible ($5.00) seats behind the stage (Sec 19, Row B, seats 1-4) took the only opportunity he thought he would get to take a photograph of Elvis. Fortunately he captured the image of the guitar in flight. He lowered his camera in time to reach out and catch the guitar as it hit the side railing. He handed it to his wife who held it up and Elvis said something to the effect "I hope it didn't hit the little lady. She can keep it."
The guitar was auctioned by Guernsey's in New York on October 13, 2002 as part of a 2 day auction that included several other reputed Elvis guitars. The J200 sold for $55,000.00. Till the day they sold it they said they could still smell the cologne Elvis wore that permeated the strap. They still have the broken string.

















