Elvis Presley visited Scotland briefly in 1960

Allan Morrison, from Greenock, said he had discovered that the musical icon's ancestors lived in Lonmay in the 1700s.

"I am an Elvis fan myself so it has been a joy to trace back their past and establish that the Presleys were of Scottish origin," he said.

Scotland was also the location for The King's only visit to the UK, a brief landing at Prestwick Airport in 1960.

Mr Morrison said the first Presley in America was a man called Andrew Presley who arrived in North Carolina in 1745.

I was able to trace his family tree - and when it got back to Lonmay it was like striking gold Allan Morrison

The 61-year-old said records showed that his father, also Andrew, married Elspeth Leg in Lonmay in 1713.

The Presley roots in America could be traced right up to 1933, when Elvis's parents married. The singer was born two years later.

Mr Morrison said he started looking into the Presley ancestry in 1998 after hearing rumours that he had Scottish links.

"I was able to trace his family tree - and when it got back to Lonmay it was like striking gold," he said.

He discovered that most of the Presleys living in Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries could be found in Aberdeenshire.

'Enduring icon'

They were based in Lonmay and the nearby villages of New Deer, Old Deer and Tarves.

His as yet unpublished book, The Presley Prophecy, covers the adventures of Andrew Presley during the Jacobite rebellion.

Local fans say they are delighted

Paul Downie, a spokesman for Scotland's 40-year-old Elvis Touch Fan Club, said the news would delight Elvis fans.

"For years fan have thought there was a connection with Presley and Scotland and I have always thought his roots came from the Aberdeenshire area," he said.

"I would think fans will want to visit Scotland and Lonmay - I imagine there will be an upsurge."

Ian Dunlop, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board's chief executive, said it would be great news if the claims were true.

"He is an enduring icon more than a quarter century after his death and we would be delighted to welcome Elvis fans here to Aberdeen and Grampian to search out his roots," he said.