Biography of Elvis Presley

 Biography of Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley born on 08 January 1935 was a popular American singer and actor who lived a short life but with an amazing history. He is most acknowledged for his contribution to the Rock and Roll genre of Western music. Also known as ‘The King of Rock and Roll’, Presley popularized rockabilly, which was a blend of rhythm and blues and Country music. His performance style was a combination of energy and erotic sensuousness. Presley was greatly influenced by the African-American singers like Arthur Crudup and his music cut across racial prejudices. This made him quite a controversial figure. 

The Elvis Aaron’s gorgeous looks and scintillating stage performances brought Hollywood to his threshold. He acted in several movies and even composed music for movie soundtrack albums. 

After a seven-year-long break from live performances, Elvis Aaron returned to the small screen with ‘Elvis’, a show that became an instant hit. 

Elvis Aaron was the first performer whose concert was broadcast via satellite. He received numerous music awards and was included in several music halls of fame. He is also the bestselling solo artist in the history of music. One of the most celebrated music and cultural icons of the twentieth century, Elvis Presley died at the age of 42 due to drug overdose.

Childhood & Early Life

Elvis Presley was born in the family of Vernon Elvis Presley and Gladys Love, on January 8, 1935, at Tupelo, Mississippi. His identical twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was delivered stillborn 35 minutes before him. Presley was a religious family and attended an Assembly of God Church regularly. He found his first musical inspiration here.

Elvis Aaron first public performance was on October 3, 1945, at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show where he sang ‘Old Shep’.

On his twelfth birthday, he was gifted his first guitar. He received basic lessons of guitar from his uncles and the new pastor at the family's church.

Elvis Aaron was greatly inspired by country singers like Ted Daffan, Ernest Tubb and Southern Gospel singer, Jake Hess.

The younger brother of Mississippi Slim (a singer who had a radio show on Tupelo's WELO during the late 1940s) was a classmate of Presley and often took him to the station. Slim arranged two on-air performances for Elvis Aaron when he was just 12. 

In June 1953, when Elvis Aaron graduated from high school, he had already chosen music as his career.

Career

Elvis Aaron Presley’s first demo record was cut at Sun Studio. On July 5, 1954, DJ Philips recorded Presley singing Arthur Crudup’s ‘That’s all right’. Three days later, the song was played on-air and it became a huge hit. The same song was his first single.

Backed with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley played publicly at the Bon Air Club on 17th July 1954. They were soon joined by a drummer.

By that time, Elvis Aaron had appointed Tom Parker as his executive manager. Both Phillips and Parker negotiated for a contract between Elvis Presley and ‘RCA Victor’. The deal was struck on November 21, 1955, and Elvis’s Sun contract was sold for a price of $40,000.

On January 28, 1956, Presley made his television debut on ‘Stage Show’. This was followed by ‘Milton Berle Show’, ‘Steve Allen Show’ and many more.

In March 1956, Elvis Aaron appeared for an audition for the movie ‘Love me Tender’ with the Paramount Movie Studios. He was signed on to do six more movies.

About two weeks after Elvis audition, he received his first gold record for "Heartbreak Hotel," which had sold one million copies.

On December 20, 1957, Elvis Aaron Presley received a draft notice. He could have got himself excused from joining the military but he chose to enter the US army as a common soldier. Elvis was away from the music scene for two years, but his manager Parker excelled in keeping up his fame.

On March 2, 1960, Elvis Aaron was discharged from the army with the rank of sergeant and he returned to the United States.

His first comeback album was ‘Elvis is Back’ which was followed by ‘Something for Everybody’. Elvis Aaron soon began appearing in TV shows like ‘The Frank Sinatra Timex Special’.

Presley was offered a number of movies at this stage. Most of them were the same old musical comedies like ‘Paradise, Hawaiian Style’.

On December 3, 1968, Elvis Aaron returned to the stage in the acclaimed televised comeback special Elvis. The success of the show buoyed him to produce his first non-soundtrack album ‘From Elvis In Memphis’.

On December 21, 1970, Elvis Aaron Presley met the then-president Richard Nixon.

Elvis Presley kept on with his album recordings, tours, concerts and shows even with poor health.

Major Works

It is estimated that Elvis Aaron had sold more than one billion records globally. His most memorable hits include ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Blue Christmas’, ‘My Baby Left Me’.

Elvis Aaron starred in 31 feature films in the central role. Most remembered of his movies are ‘Love me Tender’, ‘Wild in the Country’, ‘Blue Hawaii’, ‘King Creole’, among others.

Elvis also appeared in three television specials, –‘Elvis’, ‘Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite, and ‘Elvis in Concert’.

Awards & Achievements

Elvis Aaron received 14 Grammy nominations and won three times for the album ‘How Great Thou Art’ (1967), the album ‘He Touched Me’(1972) and his live Memphis concert recording of the song ‘How Great Thou Art’.

In 1971, NARAS gave Elvis Aaron the Lifetime Achievement Award. Six of Elvis' recordings have been included in the NARAS Hall of Fame.

On January 16, 1971, The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce named Elvis Aaron One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation.

 

A Unique Style

Elvis Aaron had a unique style of music and performance all his own. His music was a combination of country and gospel music. Elvis also danced around on stage shaking his hips. At the time, many adults were shocked by his music and dancing. When Elvis Aaron went on TV, he was usually asked not to dance or was filmed from the waist up. Teenagers, however, loved Elvis' music and dancing. They had never seen anything like it and they loved it. 

Interesting Facts

Rolling Stone magazine called "That's All Right" the first-ever rock-and-roll recording.

Elvis bought a mansion outside of Memphis called Graceland. Today Graceland serves as a museum.

Elvis Aaron’s daughter Lisa Marie was married to Michael Jackson.

He was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning 3 times.

When Elvis first met his future wife Priscilla, she was only fourteen years old.

Elvis Aaron recorded 40 top 10 songs including 18 number one hits.

His music and movies are still very popular. Elvis Aaron made an estimated $55 million in 2012.

Family, Personal Life & Death

On May 1, 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. They divorced in January 1973.

Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie, was born on February 1, 1968. She, too, went on to become a singer.

Elvis Aaron’s drug addiction worsened after the divorce. On the morning of August 16, 1977, Elvis was found on the floor of his bathroom at Graceland. The doctors said he died of a drug overdose. He was only 42.

Personal Quotes

“When things go wrong, don't go with them.” 

“Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them.” 

“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't going away.”

“Sad thing is, you can still love someone and be wrong for them.”

“Don’t criticize what you don’t understand, son. You never walked in that man’s shoes.” 

“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody is the same, but you leave 'em all over everything you do”

“Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do 'em all together, I guess.” 

“The image is one thing and the human being is another. It's very hard to live up to an image, put it that way.” 

“To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave.”

Your kisses lift me higher...like the sweet song of a choir. You light my morning sky, with burning love.” 

“I'd rather go on hearing your lies Than to go on living without you.”

“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine. Ain't nowhere else in the world where you can go from driving a truck to Cadillac overnight” 

“Where could I go but to the Lord?” 

“Don't criticize that man unless you have walked in his shoes.” 

“I don't do any vulgar movements.” 

Elvis Presley died on 16 August 1977.