On April 16, 1977, the King of Rock n' Roll, Elvis Presley, passed away at the age 42 from heart failure related to his drug abuse.You may remember his "gyrating" and provocative dance moves from the worksheet we did about the 1950s. Indeed, Elvis' style and charisma made him one of the biggest idols rock n' roll had ever seen. However, he was not always the gleaming star we remember him to be today; he came from quite humble beginnings.
He was born in Tupelo Mississippi on January 8, 1935. Unfortunately, his twin brother, Jesse (Jessie) Garon, was still born, so Elvis grew up as an old child. His family did not have very much and frequently moved, but his childhood was characterized by his loving parents, especially his mother, Gladys, and his families religious background. In fact, the gospel music he listened to in church would later influence his music style.
He had his first brush with music when his mother bought him a guitar for his 11th birthday. According to some accounts, however, his singing didn't attract much attention during his childhood. It wasn't until high school that Presley began to gain recognition. After he graduated in 1953, he began to seriously pursue his musical career. Soon, in 1954, he was able to release his first single "That's All Right" with the Sun Studio record label. However, it was his song "Heartbreak Hotel" which he released the following year that became a real hit. His provocative dance moves and vibrant style in combination with his looks quickly earned him a large teenage following. His new success sone earned him not just record labels, but movie contracts.
Shortly after he signed his contract with Paramount pictures and debuted his hit film, Love Me Tender, in 1956, Elvis was drafted into the US Army. Once again, however, tragedy struck, and Presley's mother passed away days before his deployment. After attending her funeral, he continued his service in Europe, where he would meet his future wife Priscilla Beaulieu. Despite his time away his career continued to take off, and he quickly acted in film after film and likewise recorded song after song. Besides the impact his fame had on his career, his introduction of rock n' roll to the mainstream helped open the doors for more rock artists, black and white.Not everyone was a fan of his, however. Many preachers and horrified parents found his stage style to be vulgar and obscene, and some whites criticized him for dabbling in "black music." And behind the scenes, Presley's life proved to be less glamorous than his stage life; 7 years into his marriage to Priscilla, the couple divorced. Additionally, he was living an unhealthy lifestyle full of junk food, prescription drugs, poor sleeping habits, and fake friends. The combination of these factors effectively ended his musical career.
Yet even after his death, he still maintains a profound effects on pop culture and the music industry. Virtually everyone and their friends know who Elvis is, some hardcore fans have dedicated themselves to impersonating him, and millions of people worldwide can speak of his influence over music.
If he were alive today, we would be celebrating his 85th birthday.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley
https://www.biography.com/musician/elvis-presley
https://www.lagrange.edu/resources/pdf/citations/2012/11_Wallace_History.pdf
https://biography.elvis.com.au/
https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/death-of-elvis-presley-video
It's very interesting how people have such varied perspectives on Elvis' career. He's had such highs and lows, yet his music style doesn't add much sympathy for himself to many. Even with all that, he was able to form a new type of genre that gave so many artist and people a new voice. African American artists like Little Richard followed in suit, but his influence didn't stop, artists like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Elton John all found a place with Elvis.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_Elvis_Presley