Elvis Aaron Presley[a] (January 8, 1935 â€" August 16, 1977), also
known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He
is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th
century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or
simply "the King". His energized interpretations of songs and sexually
provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix
of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race
relations, led him to great successâ€"and initial controversy.Presley
was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee,
with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there
in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who
wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider
audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead
guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of
rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and
rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete
the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his
contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage
him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak
Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in
the United States. With a series of successful network television
appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of
the newly popular sound of rock and roll.In November 1956, Presley
made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service
in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with
some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts,
however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s
to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them
critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live
performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television
comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert
residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley
gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the
world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely
compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland
estate at the age of 42.
known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He
is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th
century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or
simply "the King". His energized interpretations of songs and sexually
provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix
of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race
relations, led him to great successâ€"and initial controversy.Presley
was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee,
with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there
in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who
wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider
audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead
guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of
rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and
rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete
the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his
contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage
him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak
Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in
the United States. With a series of successful network television
appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of
the newly popular sound of rock and roll.In November 1956, Presley
made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service
in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with
some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts,
however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s
to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them
critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live
performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television
comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert
residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley
gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the
world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely
compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland
estate at the age of 42.
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