During his 23-year career, Elvis Presley became a defining figure in rock and roll. Let’s find out how Elvis got to the top and how the life of the legendary celebrity was cut short!
Childhood
Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, to Gladys Smith and Vernon Presley. Elvis also had a twin brother, Jesse Presley, who died shortly after birth. According to the musician, the restless spirit of his brother haunted him all his life.
Elvis quickly developed a love for music, and on his 11th birthday he received a guitar as a gift. In 1948, the family, living in poor conditions, moved to Memphis, where the boy began singing in a local gospel group and tested his strength in talent competitions.
Elvis developed his personal style during his school years: he grew his hair and used hair gel to create a unique hairstyle, and his clothes were colorful. He regularly took his guitar with him on school trips and sang for his classmates. On the advice of one of his teachers, Elvis took part in a school competition and won it.
Due to his family’s poor financial situation, Elvis began working at an early age. In 1951, he took a job at a precision instrument factory in Memphis, where he assembled military mine grenades. He was also a truck driver for Crown Electric until 1954.
The path to success
In the late 1940s, a new musical craze began – rock and roll, which was a mixture of elements of rhythm and blues, rockabilly and western swing. Sun Records founder and owner Sam Phillips said that if he could find a white singer with a “black voice”, he could make millions of dollars with him.
Elvis first appeared on the label in 1953, where test recordings were made with the young talent. After this, Phillips realized that the young singer had the voice he was looking for. On July 12, 1954, Sam signed a recording contract with Elvis, and this was the beginning of Presley’s career. A single was released with the A-side being “That’s All Right” and the B-side being “Blue Moon of Kentucky”.
Elvis met Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager and with his help signed a $35,000 contract with RCA Records. Heartbreak Hotel, released in 1956, opened a new chapter in rock history. After this, more and more new records followed.
On November 15, 1956, Elvis’s first film, Love Me Tender, was released. Elvis’s long-time dream came true. The audience also liked him as an actor, although critics did not consider him very talented.
Despite his sudden success, Elvis did not forget where he came from and often made donations to those in need.
Military service
On December 20, 1957, Elvis was drafted into the US Army for two years of military service. However, at this time he was working on the film King Creole. Elvis feared he would not be able to finish, but eventually his manager was able to arrange a postponement and he was able to enlist later on March 24, 1958. The location of the military service was Germany, and the draft attracted enormous media attention.
Meanwhile, his mother’s health had seriously deteriorated, and the singer managed to take time off to spend two days with her. Shortly thereafter, in August 1958, she died, which affected Elvis’s life.
At a party during his service, Elvis met his captain’s daughter, Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, whom he later married in 1967, and their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was born on February 1, 1968.
Demobilization and appearance in films
Elvis’s military service ended in 1960. His return included a popular television appearance on The Frank Sinatra Show, where they sang together.
After that, he released three singles in the pop music style that was becoming fashionable at the time. Elvis continued his film career, starred in several successful films (Blazing Star, The Wild One) and avoided a great opportunity – the leading male role in West Side Story, which he did not accept on the advice of his manager. The decision turned out to be a huge mistake, because the film received 10 Oscars and 3 Golden Globes.
In 1961, Elvis signed a seven-year film contract. He appeared in three films a year, initially financially successful but of little professional value, and released a soundtrack album. Fans remained with him for some time, but new stars began to appear in the music field, in particular The Beatles. It was not difficult to realize that Elvis was going down the wrong path, and if he did not change, his career would gradually fade away.
Return to music
In 1968, Elvis’ manager Colonel Parker realized it would be better if the king returned to the stage. He agreed with NBC television and they did a show with Presley. The Singer Special (which was later titled “The Return of ’68”) was broadcast on December 3, 1968, and was a hit with audiences. For this occasion, a new hit was written, If I Can Deram, which Elvis performed at the very end of the show.
In early 1969, he began serious studio work, which resulted in three million-selling singles. Elvis held a four-week series of performances (July 31–August 26, 1969) at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, another runaway success that resulted in a five-year contract with the hotel. Elvis became the king of Vegas, developed his own new style and made his own suits.
Presley was at the peak of his career, continuous concerts, well-selling records, a stream of fans, three Grammy awards. In 1971, he met with President Nixon, who called him “one of the nation’s ten greatest sons.” He received the Bing Crosby Award from the Recording Academy of America. Elvis also took part in the film “Elvis on Tour,” which was awarded a Golden Globe.
Down the hill
Elvis divorced his wife in 1973. Priscilla was tired of her husband’s constant absence, and she found a new partner in karate master Mike Stone. Elvis was never able to cope with this, he became addicted to drugs, became obese, and his mood began to change.
His health and performance were affected by his self-destructive lifestyle. He frequently required hospital treatment and was diagnosed with glaucoma, hypertension and kidney damage. It happened many times that he was unable to perform due to his condition. Elvis became a sad parody of himself. He gave his last concert on June 26, 1977.
On August 16, 1977, his then-girlfriend, Ginger Alden, found him unconscious in the bathtub. Elvis could not be revived and was officially declared dead at half past four in the afternoon. His death was due to cardiac arrest, and 10 types of drugs were later found in his system. His funeral took place two days later, and thousands of people accompanied him on his final journey.
Life after death
Elvis’s heirs earned more than $700 million from records sold after his death. There were fans who still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that the King was no more. Some believe that they saw him even after the funeral, or think that the singer simply wanted to get away from the public. Unfortunately, Elvis died, but his music lives on!
