If you have spent any time around Elvis Presley merchandise you have seen it: three block letters with a lightning bolt slicing down through them. It is on necklaces, mugs, jackets, the tail of his private jet and his grave marker. It is the closest thing Elvis had to a personal crest, and the meaning is simpler than people assume.
The short answer
TCB stands for "Taking Care of Business." The lightning bolt stands for "in a flash." Put together, the motto is "Taking Care of Business in a Flash."
It was a phrase Elvis used constantly, and he meant it literally: whatever needed doing should be done immediately, not tomorrow. It was a standard he set for the people who worked for him and, to be fair, for himself.
Where the design came from
Priscilla Presley is generally credited with sketching the emblem. By her account the idea came together on a flight, when lightning outside the aircraft gave her the image for the "in a flash" part. Elvis had the phrase; the bolt made it a logo.
In October 1970 he placed an order for the first batch of TCB necklaces with a Beverly Hills jeweller, Sol Schwartz of Schwartz and Ableser. Twelve pieces, in gold. Later versions were made by his personal jeweller Lowell Hayes, and the design was reworked many times over the following seven years, with diamonds added for particular recipients.
Who got one
The necklaces were not merchandise. They were given, by hand, to the people inside Elvis's circle: the Memphis Mafia, his band, his doctors, pilots, and occasionally people he had met once and taken a liking to. Receiving one meant you were on the team, and it carried the obligation that came with the motto.
The first one Elvis ever gave away later sold at auction for a figure in the tens of thousands of dollars, which tells you how much weight fans still put on them.
What about TLC?
The women in Elvis's life were given a different pendant: TLC, for "Tender Loving Care," also with a lightning bolt. Priscilla, his aunts, his secretaries and the wives and girlfriends of the Memphis Mafia received those. Same workshop, same bolt, different message.
The TCB Band
The logo also named his band. When Elvis went back to live performance in Las Vegas in 1969, the group he assembled became known as the TCB Band, and it stayed remarkably stable for the rest of his career:
- James Burton on lead guitar
- Ronnie Tutt on drums
- Jerry Scheff on bass
- John Wilkinson on rhythm guitar
- Glen D. Hardin on piano, from 1970
Hear them at full power on Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis or As Recorded at Madison Square Garden.
Where else the logo appears
- On the tail fin of the Lisa Marie, his Convair 880, parked at Graceland and visible on the museum tour.
- On his grave marker in the Meditation Garden.
- On the gates and gift shops around the estate. See our Graceland visitor guide.
Wearing TCB today
Of all the Elvis designs, TCB is the one that works for people who do not want to wear a face on their chest. It reads as a graphic rather than a portrait.
- The Official TCB T-Shirt is the straightforward version.
- The TCB Back Print T-Shirt puts the bolt across the shoulders instead.
- The TCB Pullover Hoodie and TCB Sweatshirt cover colder months.
- For the desk, the TCB Sculpted Ceramic Mug carries the logo in relief.
TCB FAQs
What does TCB mean?
Taking Care of Business. With the lightning bolt it becomes "Taking Care of Business in a Flash."
Who designed the TCB logo?
Priscilla Presley is credited with the sketch, working from a phrase Elvis already used. The first necklaces were made in 1970 by the Beverly Hills jeweller Sol Schwartz.
What does TLC mean on an Elvis necklace?
Tender Loving Care. It was the version Elvis gave to women rather than to the men in his circle.
Is TCB still used officially?
Yes. It remains one of the licensed Elvis Presley marks and appears across official merchandise, including everything in our apparel range.
Looking for a gift with a bit of meaning behind it? Our Elvis gift guide has more ideas.