Elvis Presley

"Elvis" redirects here. For other uses, see Elvis (disambiguation).

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. He is widely considered as one of the most influential and most famous musicians of the 20th century, widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest cultural icons. Presley is one of the biggest selling musical artists of all time. He was one of the first and the most famous recording artist in rock and roll music. He also starred in over 30 movies. His global fame has continued till today almost 47 years after his death. He’s considered by many to be one of the most popular men in history. He is so popular that some people know him as only "Elvis". He is also referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", or simply "The King".

Elvis Presley
Background information
Also known as	The Hillbilly Cat (1953–55)
Born	(1935-01-08)January 8, 1935 Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	August 16, 1977(1977-08-16) (aged 42) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S
Genres	Rock and roll, pop, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, country, gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1954–1977
Labels	Sun, RCA Victor
Website	Elvis.com

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954. He first started to work with Sam Phillips who was the owner of Sun Records. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released in January 1956. It was a number-one hit in the US. Presley became the leading figure of rock and roll after many TV appearances and chart-topping records. His energetic attitude towards his music and his performance style, made him very popular—and controversial.

In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. In 1958, he was drafted into military service. When he resumed his recording career two years later, he made some of his most successful work. In the 1960s, Presley gave most of his time to making Hollywood movies. After a long seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in 1968. In 1973, Presley was featured in the first globally broadcast concert. Several years of prescription drug abuse damaged his health, and he died in 1977 at the age of 42. Before Presley died, he had type 2 diabetes, Hypertension and Cholesterol that he was diagnosed with on April 29, 1974, due to his weight gain and after a medical check-up

Early life

Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi to 18-year-old Vernon Elvis Presley and 22-year-old Gladys Love Presley (born Smith), in the two-room shotgun house built by Vernon's father in preparation for the child's birth. Jesse Aaron Presley, his identical twin brother, was delivered stillborn 35 minutes before him. As an only child, Presley became close to both parents and formed an unusually tight bond with his mother. The family attended an Assembly of God church, where he found his initial musical inspiration. Presley's ancestry was primarily a Western European mix: on his mother's side, he was Scots-Irish, with some French Norman; one of Gladys' great-great-grandmothers was Cherokee. According to a third cousin of Presley's, one of Gladys's great-grandmothers was Jewish. There is no evidence that Presley or his mother shared this belief in a Jewish heritage. Syndicated columnist Nate Bloom has challenged the cousin's account, which he calls a "tall tale". Presley's father's forebears were of Scottish and German ancestry. Gladys was regarded by relatives and friends as the dominant member of the small family. Vernon moved from one odd job to the next, evidencing little ambition. The family often relied on help from neighbours and government food assistance. The Presleys survived the F5 tornado in the 1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak. In 1938, they lost their home after Vernon was found guilty of altering a check written by the landowner. He was jailed for eight months, and Gladys and Elvis moved in with relatives. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his family when he was 13 years old. Presley was one of the first musicians to play a type of music called rock and roll, which combined rhythm and blues with country music. His first No. 1 hit, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in 1956, and was one of the first popular rock and roll songs.

Personal life

In 1957 Presley bought Graceland on Highway 51 South in Memphis which was officially renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1972.

In 1958 Presley entered the military and was stationed in Germany. He was honourably discharged from the military, and returned to the United States in 1960. In Germany, he met Priscilla Beaulieu who lived abroad with her family until 1963. They got married in 1967 and had a female child named Lisa Marie in 1968.

In 1971 Presley was honored by the United States Junior Chamber as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in America.

In 1972, Priesley filed for divorce which was finalized in 1973. He lived with Linda Thompson until November 1976 when he met Ginger Alden who was in Graceland when he passed away in 1977. His father Vernon, Grandmother Minnie Mae and his Aunt Delta stayed until their last breath in Graceland where guards used to be uncles of Presley. His double cousin Patsy Presley was his secretary. Dick Grob and Al Strada were two security members from his entourage nicknamed "the Memphis Mafia" who kept on working for Presley's father whom Presley's will appointed as executor and trustee.

Legacy

Presley's rise to enormous worldwide success in 1956 changed the field of popular music forever. It also had a great effect on popular culture. Presley was one of the first celebrities in the era of mass communication: at age 21, within a year of his first appearance on the American television network, he was already one of the most famous men in the world. He is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with worldwide sales of 500 million records, His name, image and voice are instantly recognisable worldwide. It has inspired many imitators. Being an Elvis impersonator can be a professional job. In polls and surveys, he is recognised as one of the most important and influential American musical artists. Presley's fans always used to gather at the gates of Graceland which, after his death became the second most visited house in the United States.

Illness and death

On August 16, 1977, Presley was scheduled on an evening flight out of Memphis to Portland, Maine, to begin another tour. That afternoon, however, his fiancée Ginger Alden discovered him unresponsive on the bathroom floor of his Graceland mansion. Attempts to revive him failed and he died on August 16, 1977 from heart disease. Elvis Presley's autopsy report, sealed for 50 years, is scheduled to be released in 2027.

Related pages

• List of musicians from Mississippi

Other websites

• Elvis Presley on IMDb
• Elvis Presley at AllMovie
• Elvis Presley at Find a Grave
• Elvis Presley Enterprises - Official site of the Elvis Presley brand.
• Elvis Resources - Interviews and articles about Elvis Presley By Elvis Australia
• Elvis Presley's Graceland Archived 2008-02-08 at the Wayback Machine - A detailed history of Elvis' Graceland, with photos.
• Elvis Presley Directory Archived 2014-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
• Elvis Presley Tributes Archived 2008-10-25 at the Wayback Machine