He was born on All Saints Day. His Nov. 1, 1961 birthday chronologically bisected two important dates in Southern cultural history, exactly five years before the official birth of the New Orleans Saints and roughly five years after Elvis Presley recorded his first songs for Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn.
One of his earliest ancestors, Alexandre Bonneval, a duelist who fought in the battle of 1812, bore a striking resemblance to Elvis with his high-collared shirts and long, bushy sideburns.
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the two Southern institutions – Elvis and the Saints – would converge in Bonnavel’s life on Aug.