LIFE AND TIMES OF ELVIS PRESLEY

 

Top Elvis Presley Questions:

• Who first recorded Elvis Presley?

• What is the name of Elvis Presley’s estate?

• How did Elvis Presley die?

• Was Elvis Presley drafted into the army?

• Who was Elvis Presley's manager?

Popularly known as The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis the Pelvis or by his full names Elvis Aaron Presley - Elvis Presley as we shall refer to this music legend of repute in this article - was born in 1935 on January 8, in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA.

Elvis was a mover and shaker of the early rock music era and held his place as major influencer of the music genre until his demise. Born and bred into a life of abject poverty in his hometown, Tupelo, Elvis during his teenage years sought greener pastures in Memphis. Hooked to music from his childhood, Elvis gave music a big go by attending music auditions held by music labels in Memphis. It's was after one of such auditions that luck smiled on his, as veteran music producer at a local blues label, Sun Records - Sam Phillips, listened to and rung up Elvis on the telephone. 

Sun Records at the time was putting together its inhouse band and so Elvis secured a spot alongside Bill Black on Bass Guitar, and Scotty Moore on Rhythm Guitar. Upon put together the trio, the label swung the band immediately into rehearsals and recording sessions. 

Being the band's lead singer, something about Elvis aside his voice hit home even as a teenager - his persona and gift of showmanship even from a young age. He carried about with him an air of flamboyancy, with combinations of clothing that carried wild colors along with a uniquely styled long greased back hair.

The star in Elvis emerged in 1954 when he and the band experimented with variants of blues singer, Arthur Crudups songs, especially his - That's All Right Mama - song which Elvis did justice to with the high pitched tenor of his voice, which was later dubbed as Rockabilly. These variations developed by the band helped to shape later albums of Elvis recorded at Sun Records ( although Elvis didn't hit national fame with any of these). The variations improvised on by Elvis and hai band-mates were light, highly danceable and flexible to manoeuver versions of traditional blues songs.

Things took a better turn for Elvis when his management was switched to country music promoter, Colonel Tom Parker in 1955. Tom Parker had singlehandedly made a success of country music icons like, Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold etc. Under Toms supervision Elvis's works with Sun Records was sold to both RCA Victor, and Hill and Range, both New York City- based businesses. Elvis Presley music catalog at the time fetched for him, $5000 and for Sun Records, $35,000. This deal migrated his work-life from Sun Records to RCA and so Elvis had to begin recording at RCA's Nashville, Tennessee - studios.

This deal saw Elvis begin work with a larger retinue of musicians even though his original band mates still remained, and it was a RCA that Elvis began to make national impact musically with hit singles like Love Me Tender, Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Heartbreak Hotel etc. Elvis rose to become king of the bestseller charts in and around 1956 to 1958 with Rock and Roll's introduction.

Elvis became the teen idol of the 50s and 60s with a global following that was largely influenced beyond just his brand of music but his personality which included his style, panache and an endearing enigma among the womenfolk. To test the waters, Elvis was drafted into the U.S Army in 1958 - which cause primarily a national grief - as he was looked up to at the time as a cultural influencer. It will interest you to know that Elvis Presley also influenced a lot musician of his time and of the future, including the likes of - Bob Dylan, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon - and many more rock musicians through time. In the words of Bruce Springsteen, here what he had to say about Elvis Presley at the later's passing - “It was like he whispered his dream in all our ears and then we dreamed it, You did not have to want to be a rock and roll star or even a musician to want to be like Elvis"

It will interest you to know that during Elvis Presley's hay days he was seen as a bohemian and hooligan by the more conservative religious people and was critically hated by racists who saw him as a weak link and deliquescent fellow who mixed both white and black cultures at will - going ahead to give credit to any black collaborators or styles - which was grossly frowned upon in the 50s and 60s.

1960 saw Elvis return from the army. What shocked the world was that Elvis actually served as a combat soldier in Germany instead of settling for a position at the Army's Entertainment Division (Special Services). Being the true star he was, Elvis picked up his show business from where he left to the surprise of many - who thought he was just a hype and would fade away soon. Unknown to the public, Elvis, was a very hard worker and had recorded loads of materials before he got conscripted into the army. Elvis upon release of each album, ranked tops on the billboard charts. Upon his return from the army, Elvis delved into movie production and churned out over 30 movies between 1961 to 1969, including Blue Hawaii, Change of Habit etc.

The years following his return from the army, were the best he ever had. Elvis Presley became generally accepted and his best releases as a musical artiste were done during this period. The 1960s saw him release mega hit single like - Return to Sender, Viva Las Vegas, It's Now or Never, Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Can't Help Falling In Love etc., and like a proud father Elvis could point to new crops of Rock and Roll musicians taking the music genre to new heights like - Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, the Beatles etc. Also, the audience for the Rock and Roll musical genre at this point had expanded so much that it now had global acceptance.

Elvis got married in 1967 which was divorced in 1973 and fathered a daughter, Lisa Marie, in 1968. Elvis Presley towards the later end of his life, became nonchalant towards his first love - music. Rather, Elvis became a recluse of sorts - hiding away in his opulent manor, Graceland, surrounded by folk who didn't give a hoot about his wellbeing but were around him for the lavish parties that took place at his Graceland Estate.

A night before he was to hit the road on yet another big tour, in the summer of 1977, on August 16, Elvis passed away at age 42, of a heart attack triggered by drug overdose. To this day, Graceland has become a Mecca of sorts as the Elvis's mourning has not ceased. Graceland remains one of America's top 10 tourist attractions and till this day, Elvis Presley's albums and artifacts still sell tremendous copies. August of every year sees the world pay a pilgrimage visit to Graceland, to commemorate the anniversary of his death. Elvis Presley's impersonators till this day have ran into a legion and still counting.