Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (1935 - 1977) was born in a two room house on January 8,1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi. The Presley family lived near poverty in the early years when upon moving to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, the thirteen year old Elvis would become influenced by the gospel music of a Pentecostal church.
After graduating from high school, in 1953 Elvis paid to record two songs meant to be a birthday gift to his mother. âMy Happinessâ and âThatâs When Your Heartaches Beginâ would be his first steps towards becoming what many would say was the greatest entertainer of the century and âthe King of Rock nâ Roll.â
In 1954 Sun Records would release âThatâs All Right,â backed by âBlue Moon of Kentucky.â Within a few days it was a hit when Memphis radio station WHBQ began programming the record and Presley began a regular touring schedule outside of the Memphis area. His second single, âGood Rockin' Tonight,â with âI Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shineâ was released in September, 1954 and a month later Elvis Presley made his first appearance on the âLouisiana Hayrideâ in Shreveport to the delight of a large audience. He was signed to a one-year contract for a weekly performance.
Elvis Presley moved from Sun Records to RCA where a few months later in 1956 his very first single âHeartbreak Hotel,â topped the charts at #1. Before the year ended Elvis had 16 records on the Hit Parade, four of them âI Want You I Need You I Love You,â âDonât Be Cruel,â âHound Dogâ and âLove Me Tenderâ also reached #1. In 1957 âToo Much,â âAll Shook Up,â âTeddy Bearâ and âJailhouse Rockâ also leaped to the top of the charts. The following year, âDonâtâ and âHard Headed Womanâ hit the top spot with âI Beg Of You,â âWear My Ring Around Your Neck,â âOne Nightâ and âI Got Stung,â also million sellers. In 1959, âA Fool Such As I,â âI Need Your Love Tonight,â âA Big Hunk of Loveâ and âMy Wish Came Trueâ continued the hit streak for Elvis.
In 1960 three more #1 hits, Stuck On You,â âItâs Now Or Never,â âAre You Lonesome Tonightâ and âSurrender.â In 1961, âI Feel So Bad,â âLittle Sister,â âHis Latest Flameâ and âCanât Help Falling In Love.â It was âGood Luck Charm,â âSheâs Not You,â and âReturn to Senderâ in 1962 âThe Kingâ also hit with âYouâre The Devil in Disguise.
Before the 60âs ended Elvis would hit with âCrying in the Chapel,â âLove Letters,â âIf I Can Dream,â âIn the Ghetto,â âDonât Cry Daddy,â and another chart topper, âSuspicious Minds.â In the 1970âs âThe Wonder of You,â âBurning Love,â âYou Donât Have to Say You Love Me,â âPromised Landâ and âWay Downâ each charted.
A multiple Grammy award winner, in his first dozen years Elvis Presley had 100 hits on the Billboard charts and was the most famous entertainer in the world. On tour and on stage in Las Vegas he played more than a thousand sold out concerts and starred in enormously profitable films such as âLove Me Tender,â âJailhouse Rockâ and âKing Creole.â
Elvis Presleyâs âAloha from Hawaiiâ concert in January 1973 was the first of its kind to be broadcast worldwide via satellite and was seen by at least one billion viewers worldwide. At age 42, Elvis Presley died at his home in Memphis on August 16, 1977. In 1986 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1998 the Country Music Hall of Fame and in 2001 the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. In 2007 Elvis Presley was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
The Elvis Presley estate earns over 40 million dollars every year, a record for a deceased entertainer and his Graceland Mansion where he is buried is designated as a National Historic Landmark.
