Elvis Presley | Artist
Elvis Aaron Presley aka "The King" was an American singer and actor born 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, his sound and style set the template for rock and roll music as a popular art form and fundamentally influenced the next generation of bands such as The Beatles. Presley 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 popularise African-American music. Presley was joined by Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (bass) and D.J. Fontana (drums). Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm & blues. His 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. Up to his death in August '77, Presley released forty four studio albums, including movie sountracks, five excellent live albums, and hundreds of EPs and Singles. Outstanding albums include Elvis Presley (1956), Elvis (1956), From Elvis in Memphis (1969), The Way it Is (1970) and Elvis Country (1971). Plus the live albums Elvis: TV Special (1968) and Elvis in Person at Las Vegas Nevada (1970). The compilation albums Elvis' Golden Records and The Sun Sessions, and A Boy From Tupelo are superb collections. Elvis' recording success emerged fully formed almost the minute he walked into Sun Studios on the evening of July 5th 1954. The session initially proved unfruitful until late in the night, then as they were about to abort and go home, Presley spontaneously launched into a 1946 blues number, Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right". Moore recalled, "All of a sudden, Elvis just started singing this song, jumping around and acting the fool, and then Bill picked up his bass, and he started acting the fool, too, and I started playing with them." Phillips quickly began taping; this was the sound he had been looking for. Three days later, popular Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips played "That's All Right" on his radio show and listener interest was such that Phillips played the record on constant rotation. During the next few days, the trio recorded a bluegrass song, Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky", again in a distinctive style and employing an echo effect that Sam Phillips dubbed "slapback". A single was pressed with "That's All Right" on the A-side and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the reverse. Issued as Elvis's first single "That's all Right" became an instant hit and todal is ranked number 112 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Presley's rise to national attention in 1956 transformed the field of popular music and had a huge effect on the broader scope of popular culture. As the catalyst for the cultural revolution that was rock and roll, he was central not only to defining it as a musical genre but in making it a touchstone of youth culture and rebellious attitude. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, in his Graceland mansion, at the age of 42. Cause of death was a cardiac arrest brought on by excessive use of presecription drugs.
Artist Website: elvis.com
Featured Albums: Elvis Presley
Related Artists: Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash
Collections: Music Visionaries
