After our recent family trip to Memphis, Tennessee I walked away quite inspired by the history of Blues and Rock and Roll. The city was arguably the birthplace of rock-and-roll in the 1950s, where country music, blues, and jazz all merged together. This was also a coming together of white musicians and black musicians. I learned much of this at the Museum of Rock and Soul in Memphis. While New Orleans could be considered the birth of jazz music, Memphis was the birth of blues and rock-and-roll. Much of this music was put on display on the entertaining Beale Street, which played a crucial role in inspiring many great musicians such as BB King and Elvis Presley.
Two of the most iconic sites in Memphis, both have to do with music. First there is Beale Street, the iconic neon-light bar strip of Memphis similar to Bourbon Street, Broadway Street (Nashville), or the Vegas Blvd. We went here each night on our visit to enjoy some live blues music and great BBQ ribs. The 2nd most famous spot in Memphis, is the home of Elvis Presley known as Graceland. This is essentially a grand museum estate that demonstrates his house, his cars, planes, costumes, studio albums, and many other items pertaining to his life. Perhaps the third most iconic spot in Memphis, is the site where MLK was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel which was also a very surreal experience. But for now I'm not going to focus so much on Memphis, or MLK, or even the history of Rock and Roll. Instead I want to give a proper biographical study of the legendary king of rock, Elvis Presley.
Quite surprisingly I really didn't know too much about Elvis' story and before this trip was hardly much a fan of his music. However I did appreciate his cultural significance as arguably one of the most iconic American celebrities of all time. If there was a Mount Rushmore of American Pop Icons his face would surely be up there with perhaps Marylyn Monroe. Elvis is the essence of Americana and lived a life that truly embraced American culture. Despite his short life he produced so much music, film, and a character that still thrives to this day. He had such a groundbreaking style with his rich voice, energetic charm, seductive dance moves, and his flamboyant costumes.
I've recently been watching some documentaries and movies about Elvis and find his story to be very fascinating. He was born into an impoverished family yet he was clearly gifted early on as a charming musician. He remained very close with his parents all through his rise to fame. He was by no means a womanizer or substance abuser (as most musicians are) and only married once. He honorably served his country in the military for two years at the prime of his career. He went thru many various phases in his career and died at the young age of 42. There is no doubt that he stole much of his style from the black blues music, however Elvis still created a very unique personae. He ushered in a new era of dance and music that in my opinion helped bridge the gap between white and black. So without further ado here is my biographical study of the great Elvis.
Early Years and Rise to Fame
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935 to a low class family in a small cottage. He was an identical twin, however his brother died at birth. His dad moved from one odd job to another, never able to sustain a good fortune. In first grade Elvis demonstrated some interest in music and later received his first guitar for his ten year birthday. By fifth and sixth grade the young Elvis was described as obsessed with music very much influenced by the African American blues and gospel of the area. As a young teenager he would travel everywhere with his guitar and had a naturally good voice, however was very shy to perform in public.
In 1948 Elvis' parents decided to relocate to Memphis, Tennessee to found better sustainability. He continue his interest in music and also held various side jobs to support the family. On his free time he would visit Beale Street where he was greatly inspired by the country and gospel music. He was most influenced by the country music of Hank Snow and Jimmie Rodgers and the blues music of BB King and Little Richard. By the time he had graduated high school he had established a fairly confident style and was prepared to infuse country music with the blues. He had several auditions and recordings at Sun Studio from 1953-1954. The producer Sam Philips was looking for a white person who could perform black style music. Elvis finally won him over with his upbeat rendition of "
That's All Right" by Arthur Crudup. The cover song was recorded and quickly became a popular song that brought Elvis to attention.
Upon first hearing his music on the radio many listeners were surprised to discover that Elvis was not black. He began attracting large audiences at his live performances not only for his voice but his energetic and sexual dancing. He created an original style of leg movement, dubbed as "The rubber legs" which demonstrated a very unique and often seductive movement of the lower body. This sexual movement was quite groundbreaking for it's time and simply drove the women wild. It also however was the subject to much controversy who felt this type of movement to be a bad influence on white Christians. By 1956 however Elvis had made his first few television appearances (including the popular Milton Berle Show) and instantly became a national star. His first debut album released in 1956 with the popular songs of "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog".
Musical Stardom
By 1956 Elvis Presley signed with a new musical agent, Colonel Tom Parker and switched from Sun Records to RCA Records. He quickly became the new face of the emerging genre of Rock and Roll alongside other great stars such as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Cash. He created a rather new sound that essentially merged rhythm and blues with western country music, a new genre later referred to as rockabilly. His unique style of music and dance inspired a whole new rebellious youth culture which was quickly attacked by conservative leadership. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover warned against his bad influence on the youth. While appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show Elvis was shot from the waist up. The 1950s after all was known as the Age of Innocence where sexual notions were kept in total privacy. And yet despite all this Elvis continued to lead a musical revolution that would forever change society.
Elvis released his first musical motion picture in November of 1956, a western called Love Me Tender. By 1957 Elvis had become an international star with 3 more radio hits at number 1 including "Too Much", "All Shook Up", and "Let me Be Your Teddy Bear". He purchased his famous mansion of Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee and had his parents move in with him. He continued recording music and produced two more musical films that year including Loving You and the famous Jailhouse Rock. The film is often regarded as Elvis's most famous moments on the big screen and the song was yet another number one hit for Elvis. His Christmas Album, with the popular "Blue Christmas" became the highest selling Christmas Album of all time.
Military Service
In the winter of 1957-1958 Elvis was drafted by the US Army and rather then buy his way out he honorably chose to do his service. At the prime of his career and fame, Elvis publicly stated that he did not want any special treatment. He did his basic training that summer in Fort Hood, Texas and still continued recording songs during his free time. In October 1958 he was sent to Germany as an armor specialist. While there he discovered "upper" pills as well as the art of karate. He also met and fell for the 14 year old daughter of an officer named Priscilla whom he would later marry (Elvis was 23 at the time). Although he never engaged in heavy fighting, Elvis did two full years of service in the military (17 months spent overseas in Germany). During his two year military stint RCA Records continued distributing his radio hits which kept him relevant. On March of 1960 he returned to the United States and was honorably discharged from the army.
Hollywood Career
In the 1960s under the management of Colonel Parker, Elvis turned his career to primarily focus on movies. Elvis enjoyed Hollywood and acting, and although he wanted to pursue more dramatic films he stuck to the usual genre of musical comedy. He produced a total of 33 films throughout his acting career, including popular ones such as
Love Me Tender (1956),
Jailhouse Rock (1957), and
Viva Las Vegas (1964). None of Elvis' films garnashed any critical acclaim however they were all very profitable successes. He also made several live television appearances such as on the Ed Sullivan Show or the Frank Sinatra Show. During the 1960s, Elvis did not tour as much, however many of the songs from his films were released as studio hits.
Return to Music
In 1967 Elvis married his sweetheart from Germany, Priscilla and a year later they had their only child Lisa Marie. This marked a career shift for Elvis who felt his popularity begin to decline perhaps in the midst of a new British rock counterculture invasion. He grew tired of making musical movies and decided to return to live performance. He ushered in this new era with a live television broadcast known as the
1968 Comeback Special. From this point on Elvis was reinvigorated with a whole new energy and style. He began wearing lavish costumes of jumpsuits, rhinestones, capes, boots, big buckled belts, and leather outfits. He continued to demonstrate the all-American western cowboy and released several more hits including;
Suspicious Minds,
Don't Cry Daddy, and Kentucky Rain.
In 1969 he landed a contract to perform live performances at the newly opened International in Las Vegas. The show was a sweeping success and led to further live shows/contracts for years to come. Elvis became the top attraction in Las Vegas, selling out all of his shows. At this time he also became more outspoken against the hippie drug culture and even partnered with President Richard Nixon to serve as an ambassador. Elvis' fight against the hippie movement, may have been patriotic, but was probably more so bitterness against the genre that had replaced him. Nonetheless he continued to remain popular among the contemporary adult crowd and won his 2nd Grammy for the gospel album, He Touched Me.
Final Years
Due to Elvis' busy tour schedule he was hardly at home in Graceland with his wife and child which of course caused distance and a breakdown in his marriage. This was further complicated by news of an affair he had with a woman. Elvis and Priscilla settled for divorce in August of 1972. From this point on Elvis went into a downward spiral, perhaps affected by his image of the righteous American man. While he continued to perform his health began to fail him and he grew overweight, no thanks to the many depressants he took. He overdosed a few times on these pills which put him in a coma. However he continued to draw a loyal crowd in Vegas during this time and also continued to produce country and gospel hits. He also spent more time dedicated to karate as a means to stay healthy and positive.
On June 26th 1977 Elvis performed his last live concert at Market Square in Indianapolis. He appeared very nervous, sad, and sweaty however with the aid of his father he made it thru and still sang quite well. Elvis spent the final few weeks of his life near his home of Graceland in Memphis, TN close to his family and staff. He intended to continue touring however at this point his condition was worsened by glaucoma (blurred vision), hypertension (high blood pressure), liver failure, and constipation. On the morning of August 16th, he was found dead in the bathroom floor due to cardiac arrest at the age of 42. The shocking news quickly spread across the world and everyone mourned the death of this musical legend.
Although Elvis lived such a short life, it was filled with so much activity. It was as if he was living two or three lives in the span of his 40 years. It's no doubt this is perhaps what lead to sheer exhaustion and reliance on stimulant drugs. To be fair Elvis never had an illegal drug or alcohol problem like most famous musicians do. However he did abuse these prescribed depressants and that is what ultimately destroyed his health. It was no doubt a very tragic death for such an American icon but in retrospect it has only added to his legacy, such as other early deaths (Marylyn Monroe, James Dean, Jim Morrison, Buddy Holly, John Lennon). In his 24 year career Elvis produced so much content, from albums, songs, and movies. But even more so he created such an original character with his song, dance, and costumes. He was truly a trend-setter and without question one of the most influential musicians of all time. There can be no debate as to why he is considered the king of Rock and Roll.
