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Elvis Presley
Elvis redirects here. For other persons and things named Elvis, see Elvis (disambiguation).

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock and Roll, or as just simply The King, was an American singer and actor who had an effect on Western popular music rivaled only by The Beatles . Early in his career he was referred to as The Hillbilly Cat and King of the Western Bop and soon nicknamed Elvis the Pelvis because of his suggestive performance style. Later, some simply referred to him as "E".

Birth & Childhood

Presley was born in a one-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Vernon Elvis Presley and Gladys Love Smith Presley. He was raised both in Tupelo and later in Memphis, Tennessee, where his family moved when he was 13. He had a twin brother (Jesse Garon Presley) who died at birth. They would move to Lauderdale Courts public housing development in 1949. It was here where Elvis would be near Memphis music and cultural influences like Beale Street, Ellis Auditorium, Poplar Tunes record store with Sun Studio about a mile away. It is said that Elvis was a fan of the comic book superhero Captain Marvel, Jr. as a boy, and modeled what would later become his trademark hairstyle on that of the comic book character.

The young Elvis took up guitar at 11 and would practice in the basement laundry room at Lauderdale Courts. He would play gigs in the malls and courtyards of the Courts with other musicians that lived there. After high school he worked at Precision Tool Company and then drove a truck for the Crown Electric Company.

Music

Sun Records

File:Elvis Live.jpg
At the Mississippi State Fair

In the summer of 1953 he paid $4 to record the first of two double-sided demo acetates at Sun Studios. The demo consisted of "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," popular ballads of the time. While Presley claimed to have recorded the demo as a birthday present for his mother, this is probably untrue, since Gladys Presley's birthday was in April and he recorded the acetate in July. Sun Records founder Sam Phillips and assistant Marion Keisker heard the discs and, recognizing Presley's nascent talent, called him in June 1954 to fill in for a missing ballad singer. Although the session did not prove fruitful, Sam put Elvis together with local musicians Scotty Moore and Bill Black to see what might develop. During a rehearsal break on July 5, 1954, Elvis started fooling around with a blues song written by Arthur Crudup called "That's All Right". Philips liked the record and released it as a single backed with Elvis' hopped-up version of Bill Monroe's bluegrass song "Blue Moon Of Kentucky." The record was a huge local hit in Memphis after WHBQ aired it two days later, and regular touring started to expand his fame beyond Tennessee.

RCA

Elvis signed with RCA Records on November 21, 1955. On January 27, 1956 the single "Heartbreak Hotel" / "I Was the One" was released. It was the sixth single of his career. Unlike the previous singles, this one did chart, reaching #1 in April 1956.

Over the next twenty-one years, until his death in 1977, Elvis had 146 Hot 100 hits, 112 top 40 hits, 72 top 20 hits and 40 top 10 hits; all of these are the most anyone has yet achieved. "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog" topped the pop, black and country charts in 1956. A string of hit records followed as the public's desire for his product seemed insatiable.

Comeback

File:Elvis 1968.jpg
Elvis' 1968 Comeback

The 1960s saw the quality of Presley's recorded output drop, although he was still capable of creating records equal to his best and did so on the infrequent occasions where he was presented with decent material at his movie recording sessions. In 1960 the album Elvis is Back was recorded. This, like his first two albums, Elvis Presley and Elvis, are considered by many of his fans to be his best work. With this drop-off, and in the face of the social upheaval of the 1960s and the British Invasion spearheaded by The Beatles, Presley's star faded slightly before a triumphant TV comeback special on NBC (aired on December 3, 1968) that saw him return to his rock and roll roots. His 1969 return to live performances, first in Las Vegas and then across the country, was noted for the constant stream of sold-out shows, with many setting attendance records in the venues where he performed.

His most successful concert was the Elvis Aloha Concert in Hawaii, which was broadcast worldwide via satellite in January 1973. It was a milestone for Presley's career and his biggest audience to date.

Gospel music

Presley was deeply religious, raised in the Pentecostal faith. Therefore, he loved the Southern gospel tradition and spent many hours singing hymns with his friends. Throughout his career, gospel played a prominent part of his repertoire. He recorded several gospel albums. His three Grammy awards are all for gospel music. He even angered Ed Sullivan by insisting on performing "Peace in the Valley" on one of his shows despite Sullivan's instructions not to. Gospel sensibilities can also be found in some of his hits, for instance, "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "In the Ghetto". In his later years, his live stage performances almost always included a rendition of "How Great Thou Art."

Film & Television

On January 28, 1956 Presley made his national television debut by appearing on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show, beginning his transition to teen idol. Now recording for RCA, and under the management of (honorary) Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time on February 22 with "Heartbreak Hotel" and on April 21 that year the same song hit number one. His June 5, 1956 introduction of his next single, "Hound Dog", on The Milton Berle Show, scandalized the audience with his suggestive hip movements. Elvis was obliged to explain himself on a local New York City TV show, "Hy Gardner Calling," and appeared shortly thereafter on The Steve Allen Show, billed as "the new Elvis Presley," in a tuxedo, singing "Hound Dog" to a basset hound, an experience Elvis found humiliating. After a string of other TV appearances, he made his first appearance on the top-rated Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, earning the show a record 52–60 million viewers (82.6% of viewership that night). Presley had dyed his sandy blond hair jet black by the time of his second Sullivan performance on October 28 of the same year. On his third and final Sullivan appearance (January 6, 1957) Sullivan bowed to pressure from "moralists" and ordered Presley to be filmed only from the waist up due to his customary suggestive hip movements.

Motion pictures

In late 1955, Presley made his earliest known film appearance in a documentary entitled The Pied Piper of Cleveland, a look at the career of disk jockey Bill Randle. The film, which reportedly included performance footage of Elvis as well as Bill Haley and His Comets and other acts, was shown in its entirety only once (in Cleveland) and was never released commercially. The film is currently considered "misplaced" and some Presley researchers maintain it never existed, although there is ample evidence to suggest it did.

Beginning with Love Me Tender (opened on November 15, 1956), Presley starred in 31 motion pictures, having signed to multiple long-term contracts on the advice of his manager. These were usually musicals based around Presley performances, and marked the beginning of his transition from rebellious rock and roller to all-round family entertainer. Elvis was praised by all his directors, including the highly respected Michael Curtiz, as unfailingly polite and extremely hardworking.

The movies Jailhouse Rock (1957), King Creole (1958), and Flaming Star (1960) are widely regarded as his best among film critics. Among fans, Blue Hawaii (1961) and Viva Las Vegas (1964) are highly praised.

Between 1956 and 1969, Presley starred in 31 films. For details, see the List of Elvis Presley films.

Military

On December 20, 1957 Presley received a draft notice for a 2-year duty with the United States Army. He received no special treatment. He sailed to Europe on the USS General George M. Randall, and served in Germany as an ordinary soldier. He was honorably discharged on March 5, 1960. Many have since wondered why an only child – by then the sole support of his parents and grandmother – was drafted during peacetime, since his services were clearly not critical for the defense of his country. It has long been suspected that Elvis' draft notice was either politically instigated to shunt his "dangerous", "race-mixing" influence, or encouraged by his manager in order to keep the increasingly world-wise Southern lad under his thumb. While in the army, he received a black belt in karate and attained the rank of Sergeant.

Relationships

Richard Nixon and Elvis

From the beginning of his career, Elvis was a sex symbol who sent legions of women swooning. He had a string of girlfriends before and after he became famous, including celebrities such as Mamie Van Doren, Natalie Wood, Tuesday Weld, Cybill Shepherd and Ann-Margret. He lived with Memphis girfriend Anita Wood until he met Priscilla Beaulieu while stationed in the U.S. Army base in Germany. His platonic girlfriend Judy Spreckels was his companion, confidante and keeper of secrets in the early days of his career.

On May 1, 1967 he married Priscilla Anne Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Priscilla had been the step-daughter of Presley's commanding officer in Germany during his Army stint. Incredibly, Elvis managed to talk Priscilla's reluctant mother and step-father into allowing the underaged girl to live with his father Vernon in Memphis, after which she gradually moved into Graceland. In her autobiography, Priscilla recounted how Elvis would stay up all night and sleep most of the day. If he wanted to go out, he'd rent out the venue so no fans would bother him. Their wedding night was the first time they were intimate (although she later wrote they had often done "other things" and had a markedly sexual relationship from the start). Their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born exactly nine months later on February 1, 1968.

After their divorce in 1973, Lisa lived with Priscilla but spent a great deal of time with Elvis. Elvis then began a relationship with Linda Thompson, a memphis beauty queen, who moved into Graceland almost immediately and stayed there for four years, being Elvis' constant companion and the most favoured girlfriend among Elvis' group of friends. Finally in 1976 Linda, after saving Elvis' life on at least two occasions after his breathing become very slow and deep, decided to leave the Rock and Roll lifestyle, though she and Elvis remained close friends. Elvis then picked up with Ginger Alden in late 76' and was seeing her at the time of his death. Some people claim the two were engaged, but members of Elvis' inner circle refute that claim.

Elvis: The Hollywood Years, a 2002 biography by widely criticized author David Bret, claims Colonel Tom Parker "held secret information about a homosexual affair between Elvis and actor Nick Adams over his head like a sword. ... That is why Parker had so much control over him," (however, there is no documented evidence supporting this or any assertion Nick Adams was gay). According to Bret, many journalists' attempts to "out" Elvis in the past were thwarted by his manager. Most authors describe Elvis as heterosexual.

Elvis reportedly spent much time with friends from the so-called Memphis Mafia. Among them were Sonny West, Red West, Billy Smith, Marty Lacker and Lamar Fike. There was supposedly a code of silence within the group but after his death some of them wrote books on his life.

1969 onward

File:Elvis Singing.jpg
Elvis Presley

After seven years off the top of the charts, Presley's song "Suspicious Minds" hit No. 1 on the Billboard music charts on November 1, 1969. This was the last time any song by Presley hit #1 on the US pop charts while he was still alive, although "Burning Love" got as high as #2 in September 1972. He still reached #1 on charts around the world. For example, "The Wonder Of You" reached #1 in the UK in 1970. Way Down was racing up the American Country Music charts shortly before Presley's death in 1977, it hit #1 on that very chart the week he died. It also topped the UK pop charts at the same time. The mid-1970s saw Elvis becoming increasingly isolated, battling an addiction to prescription drugs and the resulting toll on his appearance, health and performances. Elvis made his last live concert appearance in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Market Square Arena on June 26, 1977. Between 1969 and 1977 he gave over 1,000 sold out performances in Las Vegas and On Tour. He was the first artist to have 4 sold out shows in a row at New York's Madison Square Garden. It is estimated that he is one of, if not the, most photographed person of all time, however his voice has been heard by more people in more countires than any other individual in history.

Death and burial

Elvis died at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on August 16 , 1977. He was found on the floor of his bedroom's bathroom ensuite by girlfriend Ginger Alden who had been asleep in his bed. He was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead at 3.30pm. He was 42 years old.

At a press conference following his death, the medical examiners declared that he had died of a heart attack. Heart disease was very prevalent in his family, especially on his father's side. Elvis' father Vernon also died of heart failure in 1979.In an interview for the BBC television programme Hard Talk on July 312000, Sam Phillips offered a slightly different explanation, based on his thirty year friendship with the Presley family. He believed that the cause of Elvis' death was due to kidney failure, saying that members of the Presley family had a genetic weakness in their kidneys. He cited similarities between the deaths of Elvis and his mother Gladys. Phillips remarked that some six to eight weeks before each of their deaths, they suddenly and inexplicably became bloated, which he attributed to a kidney problem. Gladys Presley, who was 47 years old at the time, was diagnosed to have died of a heart attack brought on by hepatitis. Elvis' autopsy results will not be in the public domain until 50 years after the singer's death.

Presley was originally buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis next to his mother. After an attempted theft of his body, his and his mother's remains were moved to Graceland.

According to popular legend, Elvis did not die in 1977, and may be alive today (see Elvis sightings).

His international influence

Together with Bill Haley, Elvis Presley spawned rock and roll interest in Europe; his name was even known by people behind the then-Iron Curtain. Presley paved the way for other American rockers whose records sold in Europe and who began to tour there. Teenagers around the world began copying his "Ducktail" hair style, and the demand for transistor radios exploded so much so that Sony went from a small Japanese telecommunications company making radios to a giant global conglomerate. And, through his new look with black slacks and loose open-necked shirts, he created a huge demand for new lines of clothing. Presley's influence created a generation of teenagers who, for the first time, became an economic powerhouse through their spending capacity. Also, there are a number of Elvis impersonators worldwide.

In 1977 President Carter was quoted to say "Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense and he was a symbol to people the world over, of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country. Or as James Brown once put it, 'He taught White America to get down.'"

Enduring legacy

Now, more than 25 years after his death, Presley remains the foremost pop icon of the 20th century. His image, especially his trademark forelock, is instantly recognizable. He is still the gold standard against which modern notions of fame are measured. At least one modern recording artist, Elvis Costello, borrowed Presley's first name to help his fledgling career.

But all too often Elvis Presley's kitsch appeal and the industry which has grown up around it, chronicling his dietary and chemical predilections and the trappings of his celebrity, have tended to obscure the vibrant and vital music he made as a young man, the vocally-influential recordings of his later career, and the lasting influence both he and his music had on popular culture. Connected with this is a continuing urban myth that Elvis is still alive. "Elvis sightings", in which Presley is reported to have been located (frequently in mundane and out-of-the-way places, such as a supermarket in South Dakota), are common events, and one of the staples of supermarket tabloids.

Elvis 30 #1 Hits
Elvis 30 #1 Hits

However, interest in his music returned during the buildup to the 2002 World Cup, when Nike used a Junkie XL remixed version of his "A Little Less Conversation" (credited as Elvis Vs JXL) as the background music to a series of TV commercials featuring international soccer stars. The remix hit Number 1 in over 20 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (it was also his first top 10 hit in the UK for nearly 22 years, and his first #1 there for nearly 25 years). At about the same time, a compilation of Presley's US Number 1 hits, ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits, was being prepared for release. "A Little Less Conversation" (remix version) was quickly added as the album's 31st track just before its release in October 2002. Nearly 50 years after Presley made his first hit record and 25 years after his death, ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits reached number 1 on the charts in the US, the UK, Australia and many other countries. A re-release from the album, "Burning Love" (not a remix) also made the Australian top 40 later in the year.

His renewed fame continued with another remix in 2003 (this time by Paul Oakenfold) of "Rubberneckin'", which made the top 3 in Australia and top 5 in the UK. This was followed by another album called 2nd to None, a collection of his hits that just missed out on the number 1 spot, including the "Rubberneckin'" remix.

In mid-2004, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Presley's first professional recording, "That's All Right", the recording in question was re-released, and made the charts around the world, including top 3 in the UK and top 40 in Australia.

In early 2005 in the United Kingdom, RCA began to re-issue his 18 UK #1 singles as CD-singles in the order they were originally released, one of them a week. The first of these re-issues, "All Shook Up", was ineligible due to its being sold together with a collector's box which holds all 18 singles in it (it actually sold enough to be #2). The second of these re-releases, "Jailhouse Rock", was the number one in the first chart of 2005, and "One Night"/"I Got Stung", the third re-release in the series, replaced it on the January 16 chart (and thus becoming the 1000th UK number one). All of these have reached top 5 in the official charts, with three number 1s, eight number 2s, four number 3s, one number 4, and one number 5. These re-releases have made Elvis the only artist so far to spend at least 1000 weeks in the British top 40. (It should however be noted that these re-releases did benefit from the current miserable state of the UK singles chart, where sales have dropped to an all-time low during the first half of 2005, which made it possible for relatively low-selling records to hit the top 10 and even number one. If released five years ago, these re-releases would have missed the Top 30).

Among his many accomplishments, Elvis Presley is only one of two singers (Roy Orbison being the other) to ever have two Top 5 albums on the charts simultaneously. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1998), and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2001). In 1993, Presley's image appeared on a United States postage stamp.

CBS recently aired a TV miniseries, "Elvis," starring Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the legendary singer.

A life-sized bronze statue of "Elvis at 13" was very popular as a photo opportunity during the recent Elvis Festival in Tupelo Mississippi. http://www.irelandtoo.blogspot.com

Named one of the top 100 Americans, following a vote organized by Discovery Channel. In the vote, Presley ranked 8th, behind Presidents Clinton, Bush, Lincoln, Washington and Reagan, as well as Martin Luther King and Benjamin Franklin.

Musical milestones

During his lifetime, Elvis Presley:

  • recorded 104 singles that hit the Top 40 of the Billboard pop chart.
  • had 18 number 1 Billboard hits, including four singles in 1956 that occupied the top of the charts for a cumulative total of 25 weeks. The total (18) is surpassed only by The Beatles, who had 20 number 1 hits.
  • had 38 Top 10 Billboard hits. This total is currently unchallenged; the closest competitor, Madonna, has 35. (The Beatles had 34 Top 10 hits during their career.)

Until the record was broken by Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" in November 1992, Elvis Presley's double-side "Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog" was the undisputed champion of singles in terms of weeks spent at number one. The record spent 11 weeks at the top starting on August 18, 1956.

These are other records set by Presley's recordings:

  • From March 1956 to November 1959, every week there was at least one Elvis song on the singles chart.
  • From 1956 to 1962, Elvis set the record with 24 consecutive top 5 hit singles (singles listed with B-side songs and original U.S.A. release dates):
    • "Heartbreak Hotel" / "I Was the One" - released 1/27/56
    • "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" / "My Baby Left Me" - 5/4/56
    • "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog" - 7/13/56
    • "Love Me Tender" / "Any Way You Want Me" - 9/28/56
    • "Too Much" / "Playing For Keeps" - 1/4/57
    • "All Shook Up" / "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" - 3/22/57
    • "Teddy Bear" / "Loving You" - 6/11/57
    • "Jailhouse Rock" / "Treat Me Nice" - 9/24/57
    • "Don't" / "I Beg Of You" - 1/7/58
    • "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" / "Doncha' Think It's Time" - 4/1/58 (the first single to debut on the chart in the top 10)
    • "Hard Headed Woman" / "Don't Ask Me Why" - 6/10/58
    • "One Night" / "I Got Stung" - 10/21/58
    • "A Fool Such As I" / "I Need Your Love Tonight" - 3/10/59
    • "A Big Hunk O' Love" / "My Wish Came True" - 6/23/59
    • "Stuck On You" / "Fame And Fortune" - 3/23/60
    • "It's Now Or Never" / "A Mess Of Blues" - 7/5/60
    • "Are You Lonesome Tonight" / "I Gotta Know" - 11/1/60
    • "Surrender" / "Lonely Man" - 2/7/61
    • "I Feel So Bad" / "Wild In The Country" - 5/2/61
    • "His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" - 8/8/61
    • "Can't Help Falling In Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby" - 11/22/61
    • "Good Luck Charm" / "Anything That's Part Of You" - 2/27/62
    • "She's Not You" / "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" - 7/14/62
    • "Return To Sender" / "Where Do You Come From" - 10/2/62

All the above 24 singles also sold over 1 million copies each as well.

Since 1962, the closest anyone has come to matching this was Madonna in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with 19 consecutive top 5 hits.

Also, on the official United Kingdom Top 40 chart, "It's Now Or Never" reached number one in the week of Sunday, January 30, 2005, 27 years after Presley's death.

Elvis Presley has 116.5 million albums and approximately 50 million singles certified by RIAA in US, making his total US record sales aproximately 167 million. His current record company BMG estimates his world wide record sales of about 500 million. Elvis Presley Enterprises's (subsidiary of CKX, Inc.(NASDAQ: Nasdaq: CKXE)) web site estimates that over one billion Elvis records have been sold worldwide, more than anyone else in the history of the record business.

Criticisms

Helen Kolaoke (2002) criticizes Elvis' music saying that, "for black people, Elvis, more than any other performer, epitomises the theft of their music and dance." Others argue that Elvis' music is not an appropriation but a proliferation of black music. (Frith 2004, p.21).

Elvis' dance moves and much of his personal style -- his gelled hair, for example -- were clearly borrowed from African-American performers. However, "The Book Of Rock Lists" argues that his music owes just as much, if not more to white Country music as it does to Black blues music.

Discography

Trivia

  • Elvis Presley made only one television commercial, an ad for Southern Maid Doughnuts that ran in 1954.
  • Elvis Presley made famous a version of the peanut butter sandwich with banana (either mashed or whole) that was grilled or fried, and may have contained bacon.
  • Elvis is the richest deceased celebrity. (Source:www.Forbes.com)
  • Elvis Presley may be partially Jewish. Elvis had a Jewish maternal great-great-grandmother.

Salary

  • Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (1973) (TV) $450,000
  • Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) $500,000 + 60% of profits
  • Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) $225,000 + 50% of profits
  • Tickle Me (1965) $750,000
  • Girl Happy (1965) $500,000 + 50% of profits
  • Viva Las Vegas (1964) $500,000 + 50% of profits
  • Fun in Acapulco (1963) $500,000 + 50% of profits
  • It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) $500,000 + 50% of profits
  • Follow That Dream (1962) $500,000 + 50% of profits
  • Blue Hawaii (1961) $175,000
  • G.I. Blues (1960) $175,000 + % of gross
  • Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley (1960) (TV) $125,000
  • Jailhouse Rock (1957) $250,000
  • Loving You (1957) $150,000
  • Love Me Tender (1956) $100,000

Quotations

Elvis was the only man from Northeast Mississippi who could shake his hips and still be loved by rednecks, cops, and hippies.
Jimmy Buffett
When I first heard Elvis' voice, I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody, and nobody was going to be my boss. He is the deity supreme of rock and roll religion as it exists in today's form. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.---I thank God for Elvis Presley."
Bob Dylan
Don't blame it on Elvis, for shakin' his pelvis
Shakin' the pelvis been in style way back since the River Nile
The Fabulous McClevertys, calypso singers, 1957
Before Elvis, there was nothing
John Lennon
Before Elvis, everything was in black and white. Then came Elvis. Zoom, glorious Technicolor.
Keith Richards

See also

Source

Wikiquote has quotations related to Elvis Presley.
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