Elvis Presley (not ‘Elvis Presly’ or ‘Elvis Presely’ as his name is often misspelled) (1935-1977) was the first widely known rock-and-roll singer star – and subsequently named the King of Rock and Roll. He rose from poverty to fame in the mid 1950s, attracting large audiences in concerts and especially teenage girls everywhere he went. Elvis was young and attractive, had great voice, and his sound and style was something totally unique.
Elvis’ musical style was a combination of black Rhythm & Blues, country, blues, pop music of the day, and gospel. His stage performance was a novelty thing in the 1950s, with lots of swiweling dance movements that some parents and church people considered vulgar and a dangerous influence to their teenagers. He even got nicknamed “Elvis the Pelvis” for his swinging dance.
Elvis also started making movies in 1956 with the film “Love Me Tender” – acting had been his dream for a long time. Between 1956 and 1961 he was both recording, giving live concerts, and making movies (with the exception of his time in army) and achieved international fame. Other movies from this early period are “Loving You“, “Jailhouse Rock“, and “King Creole“. Soon after returning from the army in 1961 he abandoned singing to live audiences and turned exclusively to film making.
1960s saw Elvis acting in one movie after another (for example “Flaming Star“, “Blue Hawaii“, and “Viva Las Vegas“), until finally his films ended up being produced like from an assembly line with a set pattern. Elvis grew dissatisfied with his acting career and totally quit making movies in 1969. Instead he started giving live concerts again – encouraged by the good response of the TV special aired in 1968 and by the triumphant success of a month-long concert engagement at the Las Vegas International Hotel in 1969.
The time from 1970 till his death at 1977 Elvis spent touring in concerts all over the United States – around 1,000 concerts total. He also had long engagements in Las Vegas International Hotel each year. He made history with these elaborate shows, his costumes (most often various jumpsuits) breaking box office records.
Elvis died totally unexpectedly in 1977 from heart attack, prescription drug abuse being indicated as a cause.
Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967 after 7 years of courtship. They had one child, Lisa Marie Presley, born in 1968. They separated in 1972, Priscilla retaining the custody of Lisa Marie.
Elvis has sold over 1 billion albums worldwide, has over 100 gold/platinum awards for his singles and albums within the United States and is by far the most popular artist ever. His records, CDs, and movies continue to sell well even today.
