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'''The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King.
Presley began his career in 1954 as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial[See Fensch, Thomas. The FBI Files on Elvis Presley, pp. 15-17.][An example of press criticism can be found at Gould, Jack (June 6, 1956). "TV: New Phenomenon" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.]—as did his uninhibited performances. Presley had a versatile voice[WikiQuote: Elvis Presley] and he had unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including rock and roll, gospel, blues, country, ballads and pop. To date, he has been inducted into four music halls of fame.
In 1968, after making movies in Hollywood and having been away from the stage for seven years, he returned to live performances in a television special,[Hopkins 2007, p. 215.] which led to a string of successful tours across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas, for the remainder of his career. In 1973, Presley staged the first global live concert via satellite (Aloha from Hawaii), reaching at least one billion viewers live and an additional 500 million on delay.[See "Aloha From Hawaii"] It remains the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.
Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales
. He is one of the best-selling solo artists in the history of popular music, with sales between 600 million and one billion worldwide, and he is regarded as one of the most important figures of twentieth century popular culture. Among his many awards and accolades are 14 Grammy nominations (3 wins) from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at age 36, and being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees.
Health problems, prescription drug dependence, and other factors led to his death at the age of 42.
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1935–1953: Early lifeLife in TupeloPresley's ancestry was a diverse European mix, primarily British and German; Presley's lineage also included some Cherokee descent. His father, Vernon Elvis Presley[Guralnick 1994, p. 13.] (April 10, 1916 – June 26, 1979), and his mother, Gladys Love Smith (April 25, 1912 – August 14, 1958) met in Tupelo, Mississippi, and eloped to Pontotoc County where they married on June 17, 1933. Elvis is a distant cousin of President Jimmy Carter. He is also a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln's great-great grandfather, Isaiah Harrison.Elvis Presley's birthplace.
Presley was born in a two-room shotgun house, built by his father, in East Tupelo. He was an identical twin; his brother was stillborn and given the name Jesse Garon. Growing up as an only child he became close to both parents, although he would grow "unusually close" to his mother[Guralnick 1994, p. 13.] during Vernon's imprisonment a few years later. The family lived just above the poverty line and attended an Assembly of God church where Presley would find his initial musical influences.
Vernon has been described as work-shy, although there is much documented evidence of work he took throughout the depression. Gladys was, by most accounts, the dominant one who had a fondness for drink.[Guralnick 1994, p. 12.][Stanley and Coffey, p. 19.][Elvis Presley Home. Elvis-Presley-Biography.com. Retrieved July 15, 2007.]
In September 1942, Presley entered the first grade of elementary education at Lawhorn School in Tupelo.
Early public performancesOn October 3, 1945, he made his first public performance in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show at the suggestion of his teacher, Mrs. J.C. Grimes.
In 1994, the 40th anniversary of Presley's "That's All Right" was recognized with its re-release, which made the charts worldwide, making top three in the UK.
During the 2002 World Cup a Junkie XL remix of his "A Little Less Conversation" (credited as "Elvis Vs JXL") topped the charts in over twenty countries and was included in a compilation of Presley's U.S. and UK number one hits, Elv1s: 30.
In the UK charts (January 2005), three re-issued singles again went to number one ("Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung" and "It's Now or Never"). Throughout the year, twenty singles were re-issued—all making top five.
In the same year, Forbes magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the preceding year. In mid-2006, top place was taken by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain after the sale of his song catalogue, but Presley reclaimed the top spot in 2007.
Paul F. Campos has written: "The Elvis cult touches on so many crucial nerves of American popular culture: the ascent of a workingclass boy from the most obscure backwater to international fame and fortune; the white man with the soul of black music in his voice; the performer whose music tied together the
In 2002, it was observed: The New York Times
DiscographyElvis Presley discography
List of Elvis Presley songs
Elvis Presley hit singles
Elvis Presley hit albums
Studio albums
Copyright Citations
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