Elvis Presley Biography
Elvis Presley Biography
Elvis Aaron Presley was born to parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley, on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. Thirty-five minutes prior to his birth, an identical twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn. This may be one of the reasons Elvis and his mother developed a particularly close relationship that would last his entire life.
He attended an Assembly of God church with his family where he quickly developed an interest in music. At the age of 10, Elvis made his first public performance when he entered a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show; however, he was still quite shy. That same year he received a guitar for his birthday and began learning to play.
When Elvis was 13 years old, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he was somewhat of a loner, playing his guitar and singing and developing his own rockabilly style of music. He lived in a predominantly African American neighborhood-which influenced his music style considerably. He also enjoyed country music, rhythm and blues, spirituals, and gospel music, all of which also helped him form his own unique style.
During high school Elvis worked a number of different part time jobs but still focused predominantly on pursuing his music. He began dressing in a more flashy style and styling his hair with Vaseline, and he began to stand out from the crowd. Though he never had any formal music training or learned to read music, by the time he was a senior in high school, he had his heart set on a career in music.
Elvis recorded his first song at Sun Records in 1953 under the guise of creating a gift for his mother. His music began to attract some attention, but it came under critical acclaim, as well. He auditioned for musical groups only to be turned down and told that he “couldn’t sing,” and his style of music didn’t strike a chord with many people at that time.
When Elvis recorded “That’s All Right” with Bill Black and Winfield “Scotty” Moore in July 1954, however, that song received airtime on the radio and was an immediate hit-and also a big sensation, because most radio listeners presumed Elvis was black. His singing style more closely resembled that of African Americans at the time. The trio quickly recorded a bluegrass song, “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and released their first official record with “That’s All Right” on the A side.
Elvis began playing the clubs and recorded a few additional songs in the following years and became a regional hit from Tennessee to West Texas, but it wasn’t until he drew the attention of Colonel Tom Parker in 1955 and Parker began guiding Elvis that he really started to hit the big time. RCA Victor acquired Elvis’s prior contract with Sun Records and in January 1956, he recorded his first song with RCA: “Heartbreak Hotel.” Later that year “Blue Suede Shoes” was another big hit for RCA and new members, including Chet Atkins, joined his band. Colonel Tom Parker officially began promoting Elvis on March 2, 1956, when Elvis signed a contract with him.
Throughout 1956 and 1957, Elvis was an absolute sensation. He began appearing on television shows performing his music, which generated a great deal of controversy due to his gyrating hip movements. Many thought his dancing inappropriate and some even termed it pornographic. Nonetheless, the ratings of the television programs he was featured on absolutely skyrocketed, and there could be no denying his popularity, particularly with the young ladies. His appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, garnered more than 60 million viewers and became legendary. That year Elvis had his very first number one record: “Heartbreak Hotel” and he also signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures to pursue an acting career
Elvis Presley began breaking music records on the pop charts. “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel” together stayed at the top of the pop charts for a record-breaking 11 consecutive weeks-a record that would stand for 36 years and “Love Me Tender” sold advance copies of more than a million records. Likewise, his first movie role, “Love Me Tender” and every movie he starred in at that point in his career drove millions to the box office to make them a resounding success financially even if most didn’t achieve very high praise from the critics.
Nearly all of the songs Elvis released in 1957 jumped to number one in record time: “All Shook Up,” “Too Much,” “Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear,” and “Jailhouse Rock” were just a few of the huge pop hits. Suddenly, he was a star worldwide, famous for both his music and his film career. In less than 21 months, Elvis Presley had accumulated 10 number one hits on the Billboard pop charts and he was soon even more famous for having more songs in the top 100 than any artist since the beginning of the charts.
In 1956, Elvis purchased an 18-room mansion near Memphis for himself and his parents. The mansion was-and still is-known as Graceland and hoards of Elvis fans still flock to the property to see the place where Elvis lived more than 60 years later.
On December 20, 1957, Elvis received his draft notice, and on March 24, 1958, he was drafted into the U.S. Army as a private. He completed basic training at Fort Hood. In late summer, however, Elvis’s mother, Gladys Presley, contracted hepatitis and he was granted emergency leave to visit her. To his great sorrow, however, his mother died on August 14 from heart failure. She was only 46 years old, and Elvis was devastated.
Nonetheless, he was sent to Friedberg, Germany, on October 1, 1958, to join the 3rd Armored Division, and it was here that he would experience several turning points, though he didn’t know it at the time. Here he would meet Priscilla Beaulieu, age 14 at the time, the girl who would be the love of his life and later become his wife after a courtship of 7 ½ years. Here, too, he would be introduced to amphetamines, the precursor to a drug problem that would trouble him for the rest of his life.
While in the service, Elvis was known as an upstanding soldier who had the respect of his peers. He donated his pay to charity and used it to purchase things for his base and fellow soldiers to make their time a little more pleasant. While absent from touring, he was able to give some performances for his fellow soldiers, and his record producers continued to release new songs he had recorded prior to his entering the service. Before he was honorably discharged from the service as a sergeant on March 5, 1960, he had accumulated another 10 songs that made it into the top 40.
His return to the states, performing his music, and acting on the big screen resumed. He continued to rack up big pop hits with “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Return to Sender,” and other songs and performed a number of charity benefit concerts. One of his greatest achievements, however, was credited to his gospel singing. Elvis Presley was honored with a Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance in 1967.
During his years subsequent to the service, Elvis concentrated more on his personal life, as well. In 1966, just before Christmas, Elvis proposed to Priscilla, and the two were married in a short ceremony in a private suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. Priscilla gave birthday to their only child, a baby girl they named Lisa Marie Presley, on February 1, 1968.
Unfortunately, by this time Elvis was growing unhappy with his career. Movies had been formulaic and were no longer achieving great box office success. Even his music was no longer garnering the attention he had grown accustomed to. In 1969, he achieved his last number one single while he was still living with “Suspicious Minds.” In 1972, he also won his second Grammy Award, this time for his gospel album “He Touched Me” for Best Inspirational Performance.
In the years that followed, Elvis continued to tour, released several live albums, and also did movies for MGM including a documentary and a live performance film. He released Christmas and gospel albums and compilation albums that achieved great financial success. In 1972, his single “Burning Love” would make it into the top 10 on the charts. He also did a television special titled “Aloha From Hawaii” in 1973. But life had begun to take a decidedly different turn for Elvis.
His marriage to Priscilla was disintegrating, affairs ensued, and the couple separated on February 23, 1972, then filed for divorce on August 18 of the same year. From 1973 to 1977, Elvis was involved in multiple relationships but never remarried. Allegations of prescription drug abuse began to circulate, and Elvis gained weight. Soon he was suffering from numerous physical problems and health issues including high blood pressure, liver damage, an enlarged colon, and glaucoma, among others. He had several instances of drug overdoses and developed addictions to prescription drugs and painkillers.
Elvis died on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, amid a great deal of controversy and speculation as to the part prescription drug overuse may have contributed to his death, although the official cause of death was ultimately ruled a heart attack. His funeral was held at Graceland and was a huge media event. More than 80,000 people lined the processional route to the cemetery where Elvis was buried beside his mother. Later, both bodies would be reburied on the Graceland property.
During his legendary lifetime, Elvis Presley came to be known as the undeniable King of Rock and Roll, a legacy that will live forever. In addition, he had a significant impact on the country music, gospel, and adult contemporary markets. Today, Graceland is still visited by throngs of fans each year and is second in home tours only to the White House.
