Elvis Presley (1935-1977),
American singer and actor, one of the most popular and influential entertainers
of the 20th century. Presley is renowned as an early pioneer of rock music,
fusing the sounds of country music and rhythm-and-blues influences with what was
then the new rock-and-roll style. His unprecedented, electrically charged
performances also helped make Presley one of the first mass idols of American
popular culture.
Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He
attended Pentecostal churches in his youth, and there he heard gospel music. He
also listened to blues and country-and-western music and won a talent contest at
the age of ten for a rendition of the ballad “Old Shep” (1933), written by
country singer Red Foley. In his teens, Presley taught himself to play the
guitar.
Following high school, Presley worked as a truck driver.
In 1953, while recording some songs as a birthday gift for his mother at a
studio in Memphis, Tennessee, Presley impressed the studio manager with his
unique vocal style, demonstrating both outstanding range and the influences of
African American music. Studio owner Sam Phillips promptly signed Presley to his
fledgling record label, Sun Records. After recording some country-tinged singles
in 1954 for Sun (such as “That’s All Right Mama” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky”),
Presley switched the next year to a major label, the Radio Corporation of
America (RCA).
With heavy promotion by RCA and a veteran band that
included guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley swiftly became a
sensation. He had five songs reach the number-one spot on the popular-music
sales charts in 1956 alone: “Heartbreak Hotel”; “I Want You, I Need You, I Love
You”; “Don’t Be Cruel”; “Hound Dog”; and “Love Me Tender.” Presley’s romantic,
suggestive ballads were matched by his erotic gyrations on stage, a style that
made him popular with teens but controversial with their parents and other
authority figures.
From 1956 to 1958, Presley starred in four motion
pictures, all of which featured his soundtracks: Love Me Tender (1956),
Jailhouse Rock (1957), Loving You (1957), and King
Creole (1958). After serving in the United States Army from 1958 to 1960,
Presley starred in several more musical films, including Flaming Star
(1960), Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Viva
Las Vegas (1964), Roustabout (1964), Frankie and Johnny
(1966), and Live a Little, Love a Little (1968). His public appeal faded
during this period, as his rebellious image gave way to the more wholesome
persona developed in his film roles. His movies were also widely panned by
critics.
The hit songs continued for Presley, however, including
“It’s Now or Never” (1960), “Good Luck Charm” (1962), “Return To Sender” (1962),
“Crying In the Chapel” (1965), “In The Ghetto” (1969), and “Suspicious Minds”
(1969). Overall, Presley is credited with more than 100 singles that made the
pop charts—far more than any other artist.
Presley continued to perform during the late 1960s and
1970s—especially in Las Vegas, Nevada—despite deteriorating health and long-term
drug dependency. His death, a subject of some controversy, has been officially
attributed to heart failure, a likely result of Presley's chronic overuse of
prescription barbiturates. Presley is buried at his mansion, Graceland, which is
a major tourist site in Memphis.
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