Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll
Died: 1977 Age: 42
Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)
Universally hailed as the King of Rock and Roll, Presley exploded onto
the music scene in the mid 1950s. Presley was a truck driver when he was
discovered in 1953 by producer Sam Phillips. He came into Sun Records
in Memphis, Tennessee, to record a song for his mother, and Philips was
struck by Presley’s voice and signed the singer. Inspired by gospel,
country and western, and rhythm and blues, Presley and his band
(guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black) recorded a number of
songs for Sun, including “That’s Alright, Mama” and “Blue Moon of
Kentucky.” Presley signed with RCA in 1955 and subsequently released a
succession of hit records, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be
Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” and the title track from his first
movie, “Love Me Tender.” Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army in
1958; after two years in the service, he returned and focused primarily
on making movies and recording soundtracks. Presley starred in 33 movies
in his career and returned to making music in 1968 with his famed
televised comeback special. That was followed by music he recorded in
Memphis, including “Suspicious Minds,” “In the Ghetto” and “Kentucky
Rain.” Presley was 42 when he died of a heart attack at Graceland, his
Memphis mansion, on August 16, 1977. He continues to hold the record for
most Top 40 hits (104), most Top 10 hits (38) and most weeks at Number
One (80). Presley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1986.
Insights by Dr. Reebee Garofalo and Elijah Wald: “As long as Colonel Parker remained his manager, Presley would have been
unlikely to make any dramatic changes of artistic direction – but it is
not hard to imagine the Colonel opening an Elvis Grand Casino in Las
Vegas where the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ could have held court throughout
the years. After Parker’s death in 1997, Elvis might have branched out.
Like his old Sun labelmate Johnny Cash, he might have put himself in
the hands of young rock producers and revisited his blues and country
roots, making stripped-down albums that would have won him a new
following of young hipsters. Given his command of older pop styles, he
would also have been an obvious first choice for the Frank Sinatra and
Tony Bennett superstar duet projects.”