Ed
Bonja is a wonderful,
special gentleman who has
honored The Kin of Rock and
Roll by allowing us to help
sell his famous concert
prints of Elvis.
Thank you, Ed! God Bless you.
ELVIS
FOR AMERICA LITHO PORTRAIT
Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1945. Ed graduated
from California State University, Los Angeles in 1970, majoring
in Industrial Arts and French. A year of post-graduate studies
culminated in a California Standard Teaching Credential.
Ed first met Thomas Parker (not
yet ‘Colonel’) in Chicago in the late 1940’s
through his uncle, Tom Diskin. The entire Bonja family grew up
knowing Tom Parker and his wife, Marie, as Uncle Tom (later Uncle
Colonel) and Aunt Marie. While working for the Colonel during
the filming of the movie GIRL HAPPY in June of 1964, Ed first
met Elvis at a surprise birthday party Elvis gave for the Colonel
at MGM Studios in Culver City, California. When Elvis and the
Colonel made the decision in 1970 to start doing live concert
tours again, the Colonel asked Ed, his brother, Ron, and a couple
cousins to come along on the tours and “help out”
in any way needed to assure the tours ran smoothly – from
loading and unloading equipment from trucks and planes, to selling
Elvis Souvenirs at the concerts. The Colonel knew that Ed had
just begun studying photography, and he suggested that Ed bring
his camera on that first tour in September of 1970 and feel free
to take all the pictures he wanted; and that was the start of
his taking several thousand photographs of Elvis Presley over
the next five years.After completing his college post-graduate
work in 1971, Ed went to work on a full-time basis as an assistant
to the Colonel and as the Elvis Presley Show Tour Manager and
Photographer until April of 1977. During the 1970’s, Ed’s
photographs were used for all the souvenir books, posters, buttons
and publicity shots that were seen and sold at Elvis Concerts
and Las Vegas/Lake Tahoe Engagements. Ed’s first record
album cover was ELVIS As Recorded Live At Madison Square Garden,
released in June of 1972. His photos appear on the covers of dozens
of Elvis’ LP Albums, Single Sleeves and CD’s. In the
1970’s Box Set (THE ESSENTIAL 70’S MASTERS) RCA/BMG
used twenty-six of Ed’s photographs; and four of the five
cover shots used for the individual CD’s for that set were
also Ed’s photos. The remake of Elvis’ MOODY BLUE
CD by RCA/BMG features seven of Ed’s photographs. Ed’s
photos are famous the world over.
GO TO ED BONJA PORTRAITS>> These
beautiful photos and portraits are the work of
Ed Bonja, Elvis' official photographer.
For a complete price list, and to place an order, you may
directly contact: Ed
Bonja