Elvis Presley (born January 8, 1935 died August
16, 1977, aged 42), was an American singer
and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant
cultural icons of the 20th century, he 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 success—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.
With his rise from poverty to significant
fame, Presley's success seemed to epitomize
the American Dream. The best-selling solo
music artist of all time, he was commercially
successful in many genres, including pop,
country, R&B, adult contemporary, and gospel.
He won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and
has been inducted into multiple music halls
of fame. Presley holds several records; the
most RIAA certified gold and platinum albums,
the most albums charted on the Billboard 200,
and the most number-one albums and number-one
singles on the UK Albums Chart and UK Singles
Chart, respectively. In 2018, Presley was
posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom.
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