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Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is a cultural icon, often known simply as Elvis; also "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".

Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing 'black' and 'white' sounds, made him popular - and controversial - as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog" later embodying the style. He developed a versatile voice and had success with other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into three separate music 'Halls of Fame'. Presley made thirty-three movies, the majority during the 1960s, but he made a critically-acclaimed return to live music in 1968, followed by performances in Las Vegas and across the U.S. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and records sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music.

His death at age 42 shocked his fans worldwide.

Biography

Elvis Presley was of German and Scottish ancestry.. His father, Vernon (b. April 10, 1916, Fulton, Mississippi, d. June 26, 1979) had several low-paid jobs, including sharecropping and truck driving. Gladys Love Smith (b. April 25, 1912, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, d. August 14, 1958) was a sewing machine operator - not much is known about her early life. The two married on June 17, 1933.

Early life

Presley was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi. He was the second of identical twins - his brother was stillborn and given the names Jesse Garon. He grew up as an only child and "was, everyone agreed, unusually close to his mother." The family lived just above the poverty line in East Tupelo and attended the Assembly of God church. In 1938, Presley's father, seen by some as unambitious and lazy, was convicted of an $8 check forgery. He was released after serving eight months, but this event deeply influenced the life of the young family. During her husband's absence, Gladys lost the family home.

At school, Presley was teased by his fellow classmates who threw "things at him - rotten fruit and stuff - because he was different, because he was quiet and he stuttered and he was a mama's boy.

Aged ten, he made his first public performance in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, the young Elvis stood on a chair to reach the microphone and sang Red Foley's "Old Shep". He came in second.

In 1946, Presley was taken to Tupelo Hardware where he was bought a guitar - a $7.90 birthday present (He had wanted a rifle). Two years later, the Presleys moved to Memphis, allegedly because Vernon - as well as needing work - had to escape the law for transporting 'bootlegger' liquor. In 1949, they lived at Lauderdale Courts public housing development in one of Memphis, Tennessee's poorer sections. Presley practiced guitar playing in the basement laundry room and also played in a five-piece band with other tenants.Another resident, Johnny Burnette, recalled: "Wherever Elvis went he'd have his guitar slung across his back... He used to go down to the fire station and sing to the boys there... e'd go in to one of the cafes or bars... Then some folks would say: 'Let's hear you sing, boy,'"

Presley attended L. C. Humes High school and occasionally worked evenings to boost the family income. He began to grow his sideburns longer, and dressed in the wild, flashy clothes of Lansky Brothers on Beale Street. Presley stood out, especially in the conservative Deep South of the 1950s and he was mocked and bullied for it. He enrolled in the school's ROTC and Christmas, 1952 saw Presley perform in the "Annual Minstrel Show" sponsored by the Humes High Band. Presley received most applause - he sang "Cold Cold Icy Fingers" and gave an encore of "Till I Waltz Again With You"

After graduation, Presley was still a rather shy person, a "kid who had spent scarcely a night away from home." His third job was with the Crown Electric Company, as a truck driver. He began wearing his hair longer with a 'ducktail' - the style of truck drivers at that time.

Musical influences

Initial influences came exclusively through his family's attendance at the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal Holiness church. Rolling Stone magazine wrote that: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days."

The young Presley listened a lot to local radio; his first musical hero was Mississippi Slim, a hillbilly singer with a radio show on Tupelo’s WELO. Presley performed occasionally on Slim’s Saturday morning show, Singin’ and Pickin’ Hillbilly. "He was crazy about music... That’s all he talked about," recalled his sixth grade friend, James Ausborn, Slim’s younger brother. "I think gospel sort of him to be in music, but then my brother helped carry it on." Before he was a teenager, music was already Presley’s "consuming passion." J. R. Snow, son of 1940s country superstar Hank Snow, later recalled that Presley - even as a young man - knew all of Hank Snow’s songs, "even the most obscure."

The family's move to Memphis expanded Presley's musical horizons. He became a regular at record stores that had jukeboxes and listening booths - playing old records and new releases for hours. He began to attend services at the East Trigg Baptist Church. Memphis Symphony Orchestra concerts at Overton Park were another Presley favorite, along with the Metropolitan Opera. His small record collection included Mario Lanza and Dean Martin. Presley later said: "I just loved music. Music period."

Presley went to blues and hillbilly venues and was an audience member at the all-night white - and black - gospel sings downtown. He "spent much of his spare time hanging around the black section of town, especially on Beale Street, where bluesmen like Furry Lewis and B.B. King performed". King says that he "knew Elvis before he was popular. He used to come around and be around us a lot... on Beale Street".

Recordings at Sun Studios

On July 18, 1953, Presley went to the Memphis Recording Service at the Sun Record Company (now commonly known as Sun Studios). He paid $3.98 to record the first of two double-sided 'demo' acetates - "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". Presley reportedly gave the acetate to his mother as a much-belated extra birthday present, though the Presleys didn't own a record player at the time. Returning to Sun Studios on January 4, 1954, he recorded a second acetate, "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"/"It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You".

Sun Records founder Sam Phillips had already cut the first records by blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf and Junior Parker. He thought a combination of black blues and boogie-woogie music might become very popular among white people - if presented in the right way. In the spring Presley auditioned for an amateur gospel quartet, the Songfellows, and a professional band. Both groups turned him down.

Phillips had acquired a demo record - "Without Love (There Is Nothing)". Unable to identify the demo's vocalist, his assistant Marion Keisker reminded him about the young truck driver and she called him on June 26, 1954. Presley was not able to do justice to the song (though he would record it years later). Phillips did ask the young singer to play some of the many other songs he knew, and Presley was soon teamed up with local Western swing musicians Winfield "Scotty" Moore (electric guitar) and Bill Black (slap bass). The three began rehearsing, and during a break at the studios on July 5, 1954, Presley began "acting the fool" with Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)", a blues song. When the other two musicians joined in, Phillips got them to restart and began recording. This was the bright, upbeat sound he had been looking out for. The group recorded four songs during that session, including Bill Monroe's Blue Moon of Kentucky, a bluegrass waltz. After an early take, Phillips can be heard on tape saying: "Fine, man. Hell, that's different - that's a pop song now, just about."

To gauge professional and public reaction, Phillips took several acetates of the session to DJ Dewey Phillips (no relation) at Memphis radio station WHBQ (The Red, Hot And Blue show). "That's All Right" subsequently received its first play. A week later, Sun had received some 6000 advanced orders for "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky", which was released on July 19, 1954. From August 18 through December 8, "Blue Moon of Kentucky" was consistently higher in the charts, then both sides began to chart across the South, from Virginia to Texas.

First public performances

Moore and Black left their band, The Starlight Wranglers, to work full-time with Presley. He began regular live performances in Memphis by promoting his first Sun single. They played at the Bon Air, a club used by hard-drinking lovers of hillbilly music. Johnny Cash later recalled Presley playing during breaks at the Eagle’s Nest club.

At the Overton Park Shell (July 30), Presley, Moore, and Black were billed as The Blue Moon Boys, with Slim Whitman headlining. Presley was apparently so nervous during this show that his legs shook uncontrollably. His wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing the young women in the audience to go 'crazy'. Presley is said to have had little understanding about what caused the fans to scream, but he would consciously incorporate similar movements into future shows. DJ and promoter Bob Neal, who had been approached by Sam Phillips to get Presley on the Overton Park bill, was now the trio's manager (taking over from Scotty Moore).

Presley appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, on October 2. Hank Snow introduced Presley on stage. He performed "Blue Moon of Kentucky" but received only a polite response. Afterwards, the singer was allegedly told: "Boy, you’d better keep driving that truck."

Country music promoter and manager Tillman Franks booked Presley's first appearance on Louisiana Hayride (October 16, 1954). Before making the booking, Franks - never having seen Presley - referred to him as "that new black singer with the funny name". During the first set, the reaction was muted, but the second show had a younger audience and Franks advised Presley to "Let it all go!" House drummer D.J. Fontana, who had worked in strip clubs, was able to use beats to accentuate Presley's movements and - along with Bill Black's usual enthusiastic stage antics - the crowd was more responsive. According to one source: "Audiences had never before heard music like Presley played, and they had never before seen anyone who performed like Presley either. The shy, polite, mumbling boy gained self-confidence with every appearance, which soon led to a transformation on stage. People watching the show were astounded and shocked, both by the ferocity of his performance, and the crowd’s reaction to it... Roy Orbison saw Presley for the first time in Odessa, Texas: 'His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing...I just didn’t know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it.' 'He’s the new rage,' said a Louisiana radio executive... 'Sings hillbilly in R&B time. Can you figure that out. He wears pink pants and a black coat.'" Sam Phillips said Presley "put every ounce of emotion... into every song, almost as if he was incapable of holding back." When he collapsed after a concert in Florida, a doctor warned him to slow down because he worked as hard in twenty minutes as the average laborer did in eight hours.

Presley's sound was proving hard to categorize - he had been billed or labeled in the media as "The King of Western Bop", "The Hillbilly Cat," and "The Memphis Flash". On August 15, 1955, he was signed to a one-year contract with "Hank Snow Attractions", a company owned by Hank Snow and "Colonel" Tom Parker. Parker became Presley's manager thereafter.

By August, 1955, Sun Studios had released ten sides credited to "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill", all typical of the developing Presley style.

Breakthrough year: 1956

Several major record labels had shown interest in signing Presley. On November 21, 1955, Parker and Phillips negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $35,000.

To increase the singer's exposure, Parker finally brought Presley to television. (In March 1955, Presley had failed a TV audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.) He had the singer booked for six of the Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show (CBS), beginning January 28, 1956, when he was introduced by Cleveland DJ Bill Randle. Parker also obtained a lucrative deal with Milton Berle (NBC) for two appearances.

On January 27, Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released. By April it would reach number one in the U.S. and sell a million copies. On March 23, RCA released the first Presley album: Elvis Presley. As with the Sun recordings, the majority of the tracks were songs by or from country artists.

From April 23, he had a two-week booking at the Venus Room of the New Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas - billed this time as "the Atomic Powered Singer". His performances were not well received, by critics or guests (it was an older, more conservative audience). However, Presley, Scotty and Bill saw Freddie Bell and the Bellboys live in Vegas, and liked their version of Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog". By May 16, Presley had added the song to his own act.

After an April 3 appearance, Presley returned to The Milton Berle Show on June 5 and performed "Hound Dog" (without a guitar). After singing it uptempo, he then performed a slower version, using the microphone stand as a support. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle stirred the audience - as did his vigorous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat. Presley's "gyrations" created a storm of controversy: the next day's press used such words as "vulgar" and "obscene" because of the strong sexual content perceived in his act. Presley was obliged to explain himself on the local New York City TV show Hy Gardner Calling: "Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it".

The Milton Berle Show appearances drew such huge ratings that Steve Allen (NBC), not a fan of rock and roll, booked him for one appearance. Allen announced: "... We want to do a show the whole family can watch and enjoy. And that’s what we always do." After Allen introduced "the new Elvis" (in white bow tie and black tails), he remarked: "You are certainly being a good sport about the whole thing." Presley then sang "Hound Dog" to a top hat and bow tie-wearing bassett hound perched on a pedestal. The day after (July 2), Presley, Scotty, and Bill recorded the single "Hound Dog", making thirty takes before Elvis was satisfied. Scotty Moore later said they were "all angry about their treatment the previous night". Presley often referred to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career. Nevertheless, Allen's show had, for the first time, beaten The Ed Sullivan Show in the Sunday night ratings, prompting a previously critical Sullivan (CBS) to book Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.

Although country vocalists The Jordanaires accompanied Presley on the Steve Allen show, their first recording session with him was July 2, for the recording of "Any Way You Want Me". The Jordanaires would work with the singer through the 1960s.

Presley's first Ed Sullivan appearance (September 9, 1956) was seen by an estimated 55-60 million viewers. During the second, Presley only had to shake his legs to get screams from the audience, which a bemused Sullivan didn't notice him doing when stood next to the singer. On the third show, the family-minded Sullivan censored Presley's "gyrations": he was shown only above the waist. Despite this, Sullivan still declared at the end: "This is a real decent, fine boy. We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you... you're thoroughly all right."

On November 16, Presley's first movie Love Me Tender was released. It was panned by the critics, but did well at the box office.

Controversial king

Sam Phillips had anticipated problems promoting Presley's Sun singles. He recalled: "The white disc-jockies wouldn't touch what they regarded as Negroes' music and the Negro disc-jockeys didn't want anything to do with a record made by a white man." Ironically, hillbilly singer Mississippi Slim, one of Presley's heroes, was one of the singer's fiercest critics. Phillips felt Dewey Phillips - a white DJ who did play 'black' music - would promote the new material, but there was disbelief amongst listeners. Presley was interviewed several times on air by the DJ and was pointedly asked which school he had attended to convince listeners that he was white.

Regarding Presley's hybrid style of music, others have observed: "Racists attacked rock and roll because of the mingling of black and white people it implied and achieved, and because of what they saw as black music's power to corrupt through vulgar and animalistic rhythms... The popularity of Elvis Presley was similarly founded on his transgressive position with respect to racial and sexual boundaries... White cover versions of hits by black musicians ... often outsold the originals; it seems that many Americans wanted black music without the black people in it." To some, Presley had undoubtedly "stolen" or at least "derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s." But some black entertainers, like Jackie Wilson claimed: "A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis."

By the spring of 1956, Presley was becoming popular nationwide and teenagers flocked to his concerts. Scotty Moore recalled: "He’d start out, 'You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog,' and they’d just go to pieces. They’d always react the same way. There’d be a riot every time." Bob Neal wrote: "It was almost frightening, the reaction... from teenage boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him." In Lubbock, Texas, a teenage gang fire-bombed Presley's car. Some performers became resentful (or resigned to the fact) that Presley going on stage before them would 'kill' their own act; he thus rose quickly to top billing. At the 1956 Mississippi-Alabama Fair concert, a hundred National Guardsmen were on hand to prevent crowd trouble.

Presley was considered by some to be a threat to the moral wellbeing of young women, because "Elvis Presley didn’t just represent a new type of music; he represented sexual liberation." In 1956, a critic for the New York Daily News wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley" and the Jesuits denounced him in its weekly magazine, America. Even Frank Sinatra opined: " kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."

In August, 1956, a Florida judge called Presley a "savage" and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing in Jacksonville. The judge declared that Presley's music was undermining the youth of America. Throughout the performance (which was filmed by police), he kept still as ordered, except for wiggling a finger in mockery at the ruling. (Presley himself recalls this incident during the '68 Comeback Special).

The singer himself seemed bemused by all the criticism. On another of the many occasions he was challenged to justify the furore surrounding him, he said: "I don't see how they think can contribute to juvenile delinquency. if there's anything I've tried to do, I've tried to live a straight, clean life and not set any kind of a bad example. You cannot please everyone." In 1957, Presley had to defend himself from claims of being overtly racist (He was alleged to have said: "The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes"). Jet magazine subsequently investigated the story and found no basis to the claim, but did find plenty of testimony that Presley saw people as people "regardless of race, color or creed."

His parents moved into a new house in Memphis, but the singer lived there briefly. With increased concerns over security, "Graceland" was bought in 1957, a mansion with several acres of land. This was Presley's primary residence until his death.

Presley's record sales would become enormous throughout the late 1950s, with hits like "All Shook Up", "(Let me Be Your) Teddy Bear" and "I Need Your Love Tonight". Jailhouse Rock, Loving You (both 1957) and King Creole (1958) were released and are regarded as the best of his early films. However, many critics were not impressed. Very few authoritative voices sang his praises. In response, it has been claimed that while "Elvis’s success as a singer and movie star dramatically increased his economic capital, his cultural capital never expanded enough for him to transcend the stigma of his background as a truck driver from the rural South... 'No matter how successful Elvis became... he remained fundamentally disreputable in the minds of many Americans... He was the sharecropper’s son in the big house, and it always showed.'"

Military service

On December 20, 1957, Presley received his army draft notice. Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures had already spent $350,000 on Presley's latest film King Creole and they feared the consequences of suspending or canceling the project. The Memphis Draft Board granted Presley a deferment so the movie could be finished. On March 24, 1958, he was finally inducted and completed basic training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, before being posted to Friedberg, Germany.

Presley joined the 1st Battalion, 32nd Armor. He had chosen not to receive any special treatment and was respected for not joining 'Special Services', which would have allowed him to avoid certain duties and maintain his public profile. His service still received massive media coverage, with much speculation echoing Presley's own concerns about his enforced absence doing irreparable damage to his career. However, early in 1958, RCA producer Steve Sholes and Hill and Range "song searcher" Freddy Bienstock had both pushed for recording sessions and strong song material, the aim being to release regular hit singles during Presley's two-year hiatus. The hit singles - and six albums - duly followed.

In Germany, Presley apparently began taking pills. " sergeant had introduced him to when they were on maneuvers at Grafenwöhr... it seemed like half the guys in the company were taking them". Friends around Presley also began taking them, "if only to keep up with Elvis, who was practically evangelical about their benefits."

As Presley's fame grew, his mother began to gain weight and drink excessively. She had wanted her son to succeed, "but not so that he would be apart from her. The hysteria of the crowd frightened her". Doctors diagnosed hepatitis. Her condition worsened and Presley was granted emergency leave in August of 1958. Shortly after his return to Fort Chaffee, his mother died, aged forty-six. Presley was distraught, "crying hysterically" and eyewitnesses say he was "grieving almost constantly" for days. Her favorite gospel group, The Blackwood Brothers, sang at her funeral.

Presley returned to the U.S. on March 2, 1960, and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant (E-5) on March 5. Recording sessions in March and April yielded some of his best-selling songs - including "It's Now or Never". Although some tracks were uptempo, none could be described as "rock and roll". Most found their way on to an album - Elvis is Back! - described as "a triumph on every level... It was as if Elvis had invented his own brand of music, broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved." The album was also notable because of Homer Boots Randolph's acclaimed saxophone solo during the blues standard "Reconsider Baby".

Hollywood years

Presley is said to have admired Marlon Brando, James Dean and Tony Curtis; he returned from the army eager to continue acting.

His manager, with an eye on long-term earnings, negotiated a multi-picture seven-year contract with Hal Wallis. The contract gave Presley a fee for each role and a percentage of any profits. The films were usually musicals and further marked his transition from rock and roll rebel to all-round family entertainer. The singer withdrew from concerts and television appearances, except for a 1960 Frank Sinatra Timex Show and two charity concerts (in Memphis and Pearl Harbor, 1961). Although Presley was praised by directors, like Michael Curtiz, as polite and hardworking (and as having an exceptional memory for both his and the other actors' lines), "he was definitely not the most talented actor around".

The Presley vehicles, and the AIP beach movies (mainly made for an early sixties teenage audience) were generally viewed by critics as a "pantheon of bad taste".. The scripts of his movies "were all the same, the songs progressively worse." Others noted that the songs seemed to be "written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll."

Presley movies were nevertheless popular and he "became a film genre of his own." Elvis on celluloid was the only chance to see him in the absence of live appearances, especially outside of the U.S. (The only time he ever toured outside of the U.S. was in Canada in 1957). His Blue Hawaii even "boosted the new state's tourism. Some of his most enduring and popular songs came from those movies", like "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Return to Sender" and "Viva Las Vegas". His films during the 1960s "had grossed about $130 million, and he had sold a hundred million records, which had made $150 million."

By 1967, Parker's management contract gave him 50% of Presley's earnings. Over the years, much has been written about Parker's business practices, his dubious origins, gambling addictions and how these may have directly affected Presley's career. Marty Lacker, a lifelong friend and a member of the so-called Memphis Mafia, regarded Parker as a "hustler and scam artist" who abused Presley's reliance on him. However, Priscilla Presley noted that "Elvis detested the business side of his career. He would sign a contract without even reading it." Lacker did acknowledge that Parker was a master promoter.

Priscilla (née Beaulieu) had stayed with Presley during the 1960s (they had first met in Germany). They married on May 1, 1967 in Las Vegas. A daughter, Lisa Marie, was born exactly nine months later.

Presley was one of the highest paid actors during the sixties, but times were changing. " Elvis Presley film was becoming passé. Young people were tuning in, dropping out and doing acid. Musical acts like the Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, the Doors, Janis Joplin and many others were dominating the airwaves. Elvis Presley was not considered as cool as he once was." Priscilla recalled: "He blamed his fading popularity on his humdrum movies" and "... loathed their stock plots and short shooting schedules." She also noted: "He could have demanded better, more substantial scripts, but he didn't."

In spite of the formulaic movie songs, Presley did make noteworthy recordings, including "Suspicion", "(You're The) Devil in Desguise", "It Hurts Me" and "Guitar Man". The decade's output was also memorable for his two gospel albums: His Hand in Mine and How Great Thou Art. The latter won Presley his first Grammy award.

1968 comeback

Chart statistics for mid-1968 show that Presley's recording career was floundering - only die-hard fans were buying his soundtrack recordings. He had apparently become deeply dissatisfied with the direction his career had taken, especially a movie schedule that all but eliminated creative recording. This led to an NBC TV show, later dubbed the '68 Comeback Special, aired December 3, 1968. The show featured lavish production numbers - not dissimilar to those in his movies. It also included segments from live sessions that saw him clad in black leather and performing in an uninhibited style, reminiscent of his rock and roll roots. Presley was extremely nervous about recording live, but Rolling Stone called it "a performance of emotional grandeur and historical resonance." Its success was helped by director and co-producer, Steve Binder, who worked hard to reassure the singer and to produce a show that was not just an hour of Christmas songs, as Presley's manager had originally planned.

Buoyed by the experience, Presley recorded the albums From Elvis in Memphis and From Memphis To Vegas, From Vegas To Memphis, the former considered to be one of the best of his career.

Sex symbol: The women in his life

Many fans and others have acknowledged Presley's sexual attraction and photogenic looks. Steve Binder recalled from 1968: "... when Elvis came back from vacation in Hawaii... he was awesome looking. I mean, I'm heterosexual. I'm straight as an arrow and I got to tell you, you stop, whether you're male or female, to look at him. He was that good looking. And if you never knew he was a superstar, it wouldn't make any difference; if he'd walked in the room, you'd know somebody special was in your presence."

Reference has often been made to Presley's allegedly numerous sexual conquests. (According to eyewitness Byron Raphael, who worked for Presley's manager, the star even had a secret one-night stand with Marilyn Monroe.) In reality, it is unclear whether Presley actually had sex with most of the women he dated. His early girlfriends Judy Spreckels and June Juanico say that they did not. Raphael and Alanna Nash have stated that the star "would never put himself inside one of these girls..." Presley had a relationship with Natalie Wood, but she once commented: "He can sing but he can’t do much else." Peggy Lipton claims that he was "virtually impotent" with her (She attributed this to his heavy drug misuse). Cassandra Peterson (best known as "Elvira") says she knew Presley for only one night and all they did was talk. Priscilla Presley and biographer Suzanne Finstad also claim that the singer wasn't overtly sexually active.

Other women, like Cybill Shepherd, have said they had full sex with the singer.Ann-Margret (Presley's co-star in Viva Las Vegas) refers to Presley as her "soulmate", but reveals little about their long-rumored romance. Presley dated many female movie co-stars, primarily for publicity purposes. Lori Williams dated Elvis for a while in 1964. She says their "courtship was not some bizarre story. It was very sweet and Elvis was the perfect gentleman." She also claims that Ann-Margret "was the love of his life." A publicity campaign about the romance between Elvis and Ann-Margret was launched during the 1963 filming of Viva Las Vegas, which helped to increase the Margret's popularity.

The vast majority of books (including both of Guralnick's) on Presley contain details of his many romances and alleged affairs, including many while he was married. With regard to having sex, Guralnick concurs with others: "he wasn't really interested."

Return to live performances

1969 saw Presley making record-breaking appearances in Las Vegas. He later toured across the U.S. and had a stream of sold-out shows, performing 1,145 concerts between 1969 to 1977, with many setting venue attendance records. He also had hits in the singles charts of many countries. However, Presley's song repertoire was criticized, showing he was becoming distant from any current trends within pop and rock music.

On December 21, 1970, Presley met with President Richard Nixon at the White House. Peter Guralnick details how Presley engineered the encounter, a somewhat bizarre attempt to express his patriotism, his contempt for the hippie drug culture and his wish to be appointed a "Federal Agent at Large". His priority was apparently to obtain a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge, to add to other law enforcement badges and guns he had been keenly collecting. He not only offered to infiltrate hippie groups, he also claimed that The Beatles "had come to this country, made their money, then gone back to England where they fomented anti-American feeling". Nixon was uncertain and bemused by the whole episode, twice expressing concern during their conversation that Presley needed to "retain his credibility".

MGM filmed him in Las Vegas for a 1970 documentary: Elvis: That’s The Way It Is. As he toured, more gold record awards followed. MGM filmed other shows for Elvis On Tour, which won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary, 1972. A fourteen-date tour started with an unprecedented four consecutive sold-out shows at Madison Square Gardens, New York. After the tour, Presley released the 1972 single "Burning Love" - his last top ten hit on the U.S. pop charts.

In 1973, Presley had two January shows in Hawaii. The second was broadcast live around the world. The "Aloha from Hawaii" concert was the first to be broadcast via satellite and reached at least a billion viewers. The show's album went to number one and spent a year in the charts.

Off stage, Presley and his wife Priscilla had continuing marriage difficulties (documented in Elvis and Me and by Guralnick). In spite of his own infidelity, Presley was furious when he learned that his wife was having an affair with a mutual acquaintance - Mike Stone, a karate instructor. He raged obsessively: "There's too much pain in me... Mike Stone die.". A bodyguard, Red West, felt compelled to get a price for Stone's contract killing and was relieved when Presley decided: "Aw hell, let's just leave it for now. Maybe it's a bit heavy..." The Presleys separated on February 23, 1972, agreeing to share custody of their daughter.

Divorcing in 1973, Presley became increasingly isolated and overweight, with prescription drugs taking their toll on his health, mood and his stage act. Despite this, Presley was still capable of critically acclaimed performances; his "thundering" live version of "How Great Thou Art" won him a Grammy award in 1974. He continued to play to sell-out crowds and release hit records and a 1975 tour ended with a concert in Michigan, attended by over 62,000 fans.

As time progressed, Presley became even more obese - he would diet excessively and then binge eat. "e no longer had the motivation to lose his extra poundage... he became self-conscious of his appearance, his self-confidence before the audience declined. Headlines such as 'Elvis Battles Middle Age' and 'Time Makes Listless Machine of Elvis' were not uncommon."

Almost throughout the 1970s, RCA had been increasingly concerned about making money from Elvis Presley material: they often had to rely on live recordings because of problems getting him to attend studio sessions. RCA's mobile studio was occasionally dispatched to "Graceland" in the hope of capturing an inspired vocal performance. Once in a studio, his interest was sometimes lacking and he was easily distracted. Much of this behavior has been linked to the enduring problems of his health and pill taking.

The final year

Presley's decline continued. A journalist recalled: "Elvis Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self... he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts." In Alexandria, Louisiana, a local journalist complained that the singer was on stage for less than an hour and "was impossible to understand." In Baton Rouge, Presley didn’t go on stage at all. He was unable to get out of his hotel bed and the rest of the tour was cancelled.

Fans, too, Guralnick relates, "were becoming increasingly voluble about their disappointment, but it all seemed to go right past Elvis, whose world was now confined almost entirely to his room and his books." In Knoxville, Tennessee (May 20), "there was no longer any pretense of keeping up appearances... The idea was simply to get Elvis out onstage and keep him upright for the hour he was scheduled to perform." Thereafter, Presley struggled through every show. Despite his obvious problems, appearances in Omaha, Nebraska and Rapid City, South Dakota were recorded for an upcoming album and a CBS-TV special: Elvis In Concert.

Rick Stanley (a step-brother) recalls that Presley was almost bedridden during his last year. "We'd fly into a city and he'd go right into bed as soon as we got there. We'd have to get him up to do the show." In Rapid City, "he was so nervous on stage that he could hardly talk... He was undoubtedly painfully aware of how he looked, and he knew that in his condition, he could not perform any significant movement. He looked, moved, and gestured like an overweight old man with crippling arthritis." A cousin, Billy Smith, recalled how Presley would sit in his room and chat, recounting things like his favourite Monty Python sketches and past japes, but "mostly there was a grim obsessiveness... a paranoia about people, germs... future events, that put Billy in mind on more than one occasion of Howard Hughes."

A book was published - the first exposé to detail Presley's years of drug misuse. Written with input from three of Presley's bodyguards (members of the "Memphis Mafia"), the authors claimed it was a last-ditch attempt to save his life. The singer "was devastated by the book. Here were his close friends who had written serious stuff that would affect his life. He felt betrayed."

Presley's final performance was in Indianapolis at the Market Square Arena, (June 26). August 17, 1977, was to be the start of another tour. However, at "Graceland" the day before, Presley was found on the floor of his bathroom by fiancée, Ginger Alden. According to the medical investigator, Presley had "stumbled or crawled several feet before he died." He was officially pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. at the Baptist Memorial Hospital.

His funeral was a national media event. Hundreds of thousands of fans, the press and celebrities lined the streets hoping to see the open casket in "Graceland" or to witness the funeral. Amongst the mourners were Ann-Margret (who had remained close to Presley) and his ex-wife. U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued a statement.

Presley was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, next to his mother. After an attempt to steal the body, his - and his mother's - remains were reburied at "Graceland" in the Meditation Gardens.

Post mortem

Towards the end of his life, Presley had many health problems, some of them chronic. "Elvis had had an enlarged heart for a long time. That, together with his drug habit, caused his death. But he was difficult to diagnose; it was a judgment call."

Presley first took drugs in the army, taking amphetamines to stay awake on late shifts, though there are claims that pills of some form were first given to him by Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips. In Elvis and Me, his ex-wife Priscilla writes that by 1962, Presley was taking placidyls to combat severe insomnia in ever increasing doses and later took Dexedrine to counter the sleeping pills' after effects. Over time, she saw "problems in Elvis' life, all magnified by taking prescribed drugs."

According to Guralnick: "drug use was heavily implicated in this unanticipated death of a middle-aged man with no known history of heart disease...no one ruled out the possibility of anaphylactic shock brought on by the codeine pills...to which he was known to have had a mild allergy...There was little disagreement in fact between the two principal laboratory reports and analyses filed two months later, with each stating a strong belief that the primary cause of death was polypharmacy, and the BioScience Laboratories report...indicating the detection of fourteen drugs in Elvis' system, ten in significant quantity."

The judgement of some in the medical profession has also been seriously questioned. Although Presley's physician, Dr. George C. Nichopoulos, was exonerated with regard to Presley's death, "In the first eight months of 1977 alone, he had written 199 prescriptions totalling more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines and narcotics: all in Elvis' name. On January 20 1980, the board found him guilty of overprescription, but decided that he was not unethical." His license was suspended and he was given three years' probation. In July 1995, his license was permanently revoked after the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners found that he had improperly dispensed drugs to a number of his patients.

However in 1994, the autopsy into the death of Presley was re-opened. Coroner Dr Joseph Davis declared: "There is nothing in any of the data that supports a death from drugs. In fact, everything points to a sudden, violent heart attack."

The autopsy results will not be in the public domain until 2027.

Legacy

Author Samuel Roy has written: "Elvis' death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society."

Biographer Ernst Jorgensen has observed that when Presley died, it was as if all perspective on his musical career had been lost. His latter-day song choices had been seen as poor and indulgent; many who disliked Presley had long been dismissive because he did not write his own songs. The tabloids had ridiculed him regarding his obesity and the kitschy, jump-suited performances of his final years. Re-runs of his worst movies only highlighted the dubious career path he had taken in the sixties. (In 1980, John Lennon said: " died when he went into the army. That's when they killed him, that's when they castrated him."). Acknowledgement of his vocal style had been reduced to mocking the hiccupping, vocalese tricks that he had used on some of his early records - and the way he said "Thangyouverymuch" after songs during live shows. This was only countered by the almost religious and uncritcal dedication of his most ardent fans who had even denied that he looked 'fat' before he died. Any wish to understand Elvis Presley - his genuine abilities and his real influence - "seemed almost totally obscured."

However, back in the late sixties, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein had remarked: "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution... the 60's comes from it."

Presley's early music and live performances helped to lay a commercial foundation which allowed other, established performers to be recognised. African-American acts like Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Little Richard came to national prominence after Presley's acceptance among the mass audience of White American teenagers. Little Richard commented: "He was an integrator, Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music." It has been claimed that the black-and-white character of Presley's sound, as well as his persona, helped to relax the rigid color line and thereby fed the fires of the civil rights movement.

Presley's recorded voice is seen by many as his enduring legacy (His death triggered a huge boost in his record sales, as well as other merchandise - some of it of dubious quality and taste). In The Great American Popular Singers (1974), Henry Pleasants wrote: "Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass... and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third... Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G's and A's that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices - in fact, Elvis' is an extraordinary voice, or many voices."

Gospel tenor Shawn Nielsen, who backed Presley, said: "He could sing anything. I've never seen such versatility... He had such great soul. He had the ability to make everyone in the audience think that he was singing directly to them. He just had a way with communication that was totally unique." Bob Dylan remarked: "When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss... Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail."

Many other celebrated performers of pop and rock music have acknowledged how much the young Presley had inspired them. The Beatles were all big Presley fans. John Lennon said: "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been a Beatles." Deep Purple's Ian Gillan said: "For a young singer he was an absolute inspiration. I soaked up what he did like blotting paper... you learn by copying the maestro." Rod Stewart declared: "Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps." Cher recalled: "The first concert I attended was an Elvis concert when I was eleven. Even at that age he made me realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience."

By 1958, singers obviously adopting Presley's style, like Billy Fury, Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard (the so-called "British Elvis"), were rising to prominence in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, Johnny Hallyday became the French equivalent and the Italians Adriano Celentano and Bobby Solo were also heavily influenced by Presley.

The singer continues to be imitated - and parodied - outside the main music industry. Presley songs remain very popular on the karaoke circuit and many from a diversity of cultures and backgrounds work as Elvis impersonators ("the raw 1950s Elvis and the kitschy 1970s Elvis are the favorites.")

Presley's informal jamming in front of a small audience in the '68 Comeback Special is regarded as a forerunner of the so-called 'Unplugged' concept, later popularized by MTV.

In 2002 The New York Times observed: "For those too young to have experienced Elvis Presley in his prime, today’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his death must seem peculiar. All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and distant memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force... Elvis’s breakthroughs are underappreciated because in this rock-and-roll age, his hard-rocking music and sultry style have triumphed so completely."

Awards and recognition

In 1971 Presley was named 'One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation' by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). That summer, the City of Memphis changed the name of the section of Highway 51 South in front of Graceland to Elvis Presley Boulevard, and he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that presents Grammy awards).

Presley won three Grammy awards, all for gospel performances. He had fourteen nominations during his career.

He is the only performer to have been inducted into three music 'Halls of Fame': the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1998), and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2001). In 1984, he received the W. C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation and the Academy of Country Music’s first Golden Hat Award. In 1987, he received the American Music Awards’ first posthumous presentation of the Award of Merit.

In 1993, Presley's image appeared on a United States postage stamp. In a 2006 survey for the USPS, the Elvis stamp was the most popular.

In 1994, the 40th anniversary of Presley's "That's All Right" was recognized with its re-release, which made the charts around the world, making top three in the UK.

Interest in Presley's recordings continued with the 2002 World Cup, when Nike used a Junkie XL remix of his "A Little Less Conversation" (credited as "Elvis Vs JXL") in TV commercials featuring international soccer stars. It topped the charts in over 20 countries and was included in a compilation of Presley's US and UK number one hits, Elv1s: 30.

In the UK charts, in January, 2005, three re-issued singles again went to number one ("Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung" and "It's Now or Never"). Throughout the year, twenty singles were re-issued - all making the top five.

In the same year, Forbes magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the preceding year. Investor CKX paid $100 million for an 85% interest in Presley's income in February 2005 (In mid- 2006, the top place was taken by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain).

Graceland was designated as a National Historic Landmark by U.S Interior Secretary Gale Norton on 27 March, 2006

Presley has featured prominently in a variety of polls and surveys designed to measure popularity and influence.

In March 2007, as part of American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" event, Celine Dion performed "If I Can Dream" with a rotoscoped image of Presley, creating the illusion that the two were performing together.

Discography

U.S. Number One Hits

Presley standards associated with his image and career include: "Blue Suede Shoes" (#20 in 1956), "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" (#2 in 1958), "One Night" (#4 in 1958), "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I" (#2 in 1959), "(Marie's the Name of) His Latest Flame" (#4 in 1961), "Can't Help Falling in Love" (#2 in 1961), "Return to Sender" {#2 in 1962), "You're the Devil in Disguise" (#3 in 1963}, "Crying in the Chapel" (#3 in 1965), "In the Ghetto" (#3 in 1969), "Don't Cry, Daddy" (#6 in 1969), "Kentucky Rain" (#16 in 1969), "The Wonder of You" (#9 in 1970), "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" {#11 in 1970), "Burning Love" (#2 in 1970), "Promised Land" (#14 in 1974), and "Way Down" (#18 in 1977).

Further reading

In addition to those books listed in the References section (see below):

• • Alanna Nash, Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia, Harper Collins, 1995.
  • Alanna Nash,The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley,Simon and Schuster, 2003.
  • Albert Goldman, Elvis, McGraw-Hill, 1981.
  • Albert Goldman, Elvis: The Last 24 Hours, Pan Books, 1991.
  • Elaine Dundy, Elvis and Gladys, Futura, 1986.
  • Lew Allen, Elvis & the birth of rock, Genesis Publications, 2007.
  • Michael T. Bertrand, Race, Rock, and Elvis, University of Illinois Press, 2000. ISBN 0-252-02586-5
  • Louis Cantor - Dewey and Elvis - The Life and Times of a Rock 'n' Roll Deejay, University of Illinois Press, (2005). ISBN 0-252-02981-X
  • Vernon Chadwick, ed., In Search of Elvis: Music, Race, Art, Religion. Proceedings of the first annual International Conference on Elvis Presley, Westview, 1997.
  • Erika Doss, Elvis Culture, University of Kansas Press, 1999.
  • Greil Marcus, Double Trouble: Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley in a Land of No Alternative, Faber, 2000.
• List of more than 1500 books relating to Elvis Presley

Notes

1. Presley's genuine birth certificate does actually say 'Elvis Aaron Presley' (as written by the doctor). There is also a 'souvenir birth certificate' that reads 'Elvis Aron Presley.' Oddly, when Presley did sign his middle name, he used 'Aron'. It says 'Aron' on his marriage certificate and even his army duffel bag. 'Aron' was apparently the spelling the Presleys considered to make it similar to the middle name of Elvis's stillborn twin, Jesse Garon. He later sought to change the name's spelling to the traditional and biblical 'Aaron'. In the process he learned that official state records had always listed it as 'Aaron'. Therefore, he always was, officially, 'Elvis Aaron Presley'. Knowing Presley's plans for his middle name, 'Aaron' is the spelling his father chose for Elvis's tombstone, and it is the spelling his estate has designated as the official spelling whenever the middle name is used today. Interestingly, his death certificate says 'Elvis Aron Presley' This helps inflame the 'Elvis is not dead' conspiracy theories. Elvis' stillborn brother's first name is given as 'Jesse' in many sources. However, according to a memorial marker in the grounds of "Graceland", the correct spelling is 'Jessie'. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A702839 Information retrieved 2007-06-25
2. "According to Donald W. Presley and Edward C. Dunn, both distant relatives of the King, a direct link can be made from Elvis back to a certain Johann Valentin Pressler, a winegrower who emigrated to America in 1710. Pressler came from a village in southern Palatinate called Niederhochstadt. Niederhochstadt became Hochstadt sometime during the 250 years after Johann Pressler left it, but there are still many Presslers there..."
3. "Elvis roots 'lead to Scotland'"; a 23 March 2004 BBC story that cites Allan Morrison, the author of the then-unpublished book The Presley Prophecy
4. "'Elvis Presley's Scottish Ancestry'".
5. "Elvis Presley's Roots"
6. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 13
7. http://www.elvis-presley-biography.com/ElvisBirthPlace.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-15
8. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis 36, referring to an account by singer Barbara Pittman and Patrick Humphries, Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics, 117
9. "Elvis Presley Biography"
10. Accounts differ: some sources say Presley had also wanted a bicycle for some time, but his parents could not afford one. "Store worker remembers guitar purchase " Retrieved 2007 07/01
11. http://www.elvis-presley-biography.com/ElvisBirthPlace.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-15
12. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis 50
13. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 10
14. Lichter, The Boy Who Dared To Rock, 10
15. Lichter, The Boy Who Dared To Rock 9
16. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis
17. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 50
18. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 10
19. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 149
20. Elvis biography Retrieved 2007-06-28
21. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 13
22. Rolling Stone biography of Elvis Presley ""
23. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 21
24. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 21
25. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 171
26. Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination, 18
27. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 21
28. Newsweek August 18, 1997 "Good Rockin'", 54-55
29. George-Warren, H., Pareles, J. and Romanowski, P. (eds.), (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll , Simon & Schuster, 783
30. B.B. King, quoted in Szatmary, D., (1996). A Time to Rock: A Social History of Rock n' Roll, New York: Schirmer Books, 35
31. Elvis biography ""
32. Newsweek August 18, 1997 "Good Rockin'", 54
33. Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A life in music, 10
34. "PBS"
35. Miller, J., (1999). Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977, 71
36. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 83
37. Lichter, The Boy Who Dared To Rock, 12
38. Guralnick, The Complete 50's Masters, 1992 (CD booklet notes)
39. Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A life in music, 13
40. The last two words spoken - "just about" - are heard differently by various biographers e.g. "nearly 'bout", "Lil' Vi"
41. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 16. Presley's version dropped the word 'Mama' from the title.
42. "Elvis Presley: Sun 209"
43. "Elvis Presley Sun Recordings"
44. "Elvis' First Record"
45. "Johnny Cash Remembers Elvis Presley"
46. "Overton Park Shell 50th Anniversary, Elvis’ 1st live show"
47. Naylor and Halliday, The Rockabilly Legends, 43. Scotty Moore claims it was just the natural way he moved when performing - little to do with 'nerves' (see Clayton and Heard,Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best, 2003, Virgin Publishing Limited, 61).
48. Elvis Presley Classic Albums, DVD, Eagle Eye Media EE19007 NTSC
49. Jim (John) Denny, the Opry manager, is usually linked to this statement (see, for example, Naylor and Halliday, The Rockabilly Legends, 43-46). According to Peter Guralnick, it was Eddie Bond, the country music band leader and DJ who said it at the time Presley failed auditions to join the Songfellows and a professional band. Presley later revealed that the comment "broke my heart." See Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 1994, 11. Country singer Faron Young and Jim Denny's son, Bill, have both strenuously denied that the Opry manager made the comment. See Rose Clayton and Dick Heard, Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best, 2003, Virgin Publishing Limited, 69
50. Naylor and Halliday, The Rockabilly Legends
51. Naylor and Halliday, The Rockabilly Legends 52. Country singer Porter Wagoner said Black worked hard on stage, mimicking Presley's moves, to stir the audience. "Bill Black was a big part of - at least fifty percent." See Rose Clayton and Dick Heard, Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best, 2003, Virgin Publishing Limited, 73
52. Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination, 50
53. Guralnick, (1992).
54. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 254
55. "Elvis"
56. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 21
57. Review: Elvis Presley
59. "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afuJnsWRkwE"
60. ""
61. Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A life in music, 49. Jackie Gleason, the producer of the Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show, had been so disturbed by Presley's January 28 performance, he later apologized for putting on "a porno act". See blueopossum.homestead.com/TheDorseys.html. An example of press criticism can be found at ""
62. Elvis ‘56 DVD ""
63. Beebe, R., Fulbrook, D. and Saunders, B., (2002). Rock over the Edge, Duke University Press, 97, ISBN 0–8223–2915–897
64. Elvis ‘56 DVD
65. For more on the TV hosts' rivalries of the period, see
66. The Jordanaires with Elvis Photos
67. Harbinson, W. A., (1980). The life and death of Elvis Presley, London, Michael Joseph, 62
68. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record ,16
69. Dundy, E., (1985). Elvis and Gladys: The Genesis of the King, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 288
70. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 11 and 16
71. Walser, R., (1998). "The rock and roll era", in The Cambridge History of American Music, Cambridge University Press, 358
72. Bayles, M. (ed.), (1996). Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, University of Chicago Press, 22
73. Quoted in: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_not_racist.shtml. The issue of whether Presley 'stole' music of black origin continued decades later. See http://arts.guardian.co.uk/elvis/story/0,,774842,00.html and its rejoinder http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north122.html as examples. Both retrieved 2007-07-14
74. Moore, S., as told to Dickerson, J. (????). That’s Alright, Elvis: The Untold Story of Elvis’s First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore, Schirmer Books, 175
75. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 12
76. Carr and Farren, The complete illustrated record, 12
77. Brown, P. H. and Broeske, P. H., (1998). Down at the End of Lonely Street: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley, 55
79. Quotations about Presley: http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley3.htm. Retrieved 2007-6-26
80. http://www.ladyluckmusic.com/radio/guest/. Retrieved 2007-07-10
81. spoken interview on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afuJnsWRkwE. Retrieved 2007-06-23
82. See http://gratefuldread.net/archives/cat/000733.html. Retrieved 2007-07-14
83. http://movies.toptenreviews.com/actors/reviews/a347979.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-14
84. Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination, 24
85. Pratt, Linda R. (1979). "Elvis, or the Ironies of a Southern Identity," in Elvis: Images and Fancies, Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 43 and 45
86. Rodman, G., (1996).Elvis After Elvis, The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend, London: Routledge, 78
87. Elvis in the Army
88. Lichter, The Boy Who Dared To Rock, p.51
89. Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A life in music, 107
90. Guralnick, Careless Love, 21
91. Rodriguez, R., (2006). The 1950s' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Rock & Roll Rebels, Cold War Crises, and All-American Oddities, 87
92. Guralnick, Careless Love, 480
93. www.army.mil/CMH/faq/elvis.htm.
94. Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A life in music, 128
95. Guralnick, Careless Love, 27
96. Guralnick, Careless Love, 89-91
97. Verswijver, L., (2002). Movies Were Always Magical: Interviews with 19 Actors, Directors, and Producers from the Hollywood of the 1930s through the 1950s, 129.
98. Caine, A. Interpreting Rock Movies: The Pop Film and Its Critics in Britain, 21
99. Kirchberg and Hendrickx, Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream, 67
100. Hopkins, Elvis in Hawaii, 32
101. Lisanti, Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema, 18
102. Hopkins, Elvis in Hawaii, vii
103. Alagna, Magdalena, (2002). Elvis Presley, Rosen Publishing.
104. A general article on Parker can be found at: http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2002/08/18/story343531628.asp. Retrieved 01/07/07
105. Nash, A. with Lacker, M., Fike, L. and Smith, B. (1995). Elvis Aron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia, Harper Collins (A detailed biography of Parker was written by Alanna Nash and published in 2003).
106. Presley, Elvis and Me
107. Lisanti, Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema, 19
108. Presley, Elvis and Me, 188
109. Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A life in music, 248
110. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/elvispresley/biography
111. Binder relates how he challenged Presley to stand with him on Sunset Boulevard. Presley had assumed he would not only be recognized, but mobbed. He went outside and nothing happened. Binder describes the incident as "embarrassing", but it helped build up trust with the singer. See Binder interview: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_steve_binder.shtml. Retrieved 2007-07-18
112. Guralnick, Careless Love, 293
113. Presley biography http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A702839. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
114. http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_steve_binder.shtml. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
115. Connie Kirchberg and Marc Hendrickx, Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream (1999), 62. See also Jim Curtin, Elvis: Unknown Stories behind the Legend, 119
116. This was sensationally reported by many tabloid newspapers in October 2006. See New York Post, October 1, 2006; Daily Mail, October 4, 2006.
117. Byron Raphael with Alanna Nash, "In Bed with Elvis," Playboy, November 2005, Vol. 52, Iss. 11, p.64-68, 76, 140. The article claims that "the so-called dangerous rock-and-roll idol was anything but a despotic ruler in the bedroom ... He was far more interested in heavy petting..."
118. http://www.nataliewood.co.uk/books.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-19
119. Lipton, Peggy, (2005). Breathing Out, St. Martin's Press, 172. Peggy Lipton further relates that with Presley it "didn't feel like a man next to me - more like a boy who'd never matured." When he tried to make love to her "he just wasn't up to sex. Not that he wasn't built, but with me, at least, he was virtually impotent."
120. Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 1997.
121. Priscilla Presley, Elvis and Me. Suzanne Finstad, Child Bride.
122. In her book, Cybill Disobedience, Shepherd relates how Elvis "charmed" her by telling her in one of his drug-induced states about the time a doctor gave him an injection directly into his eye. She also claims to have introduced Elvis to certain amorous techniques.
123. Ann Margret with Todd Gold, Ann Margret: My Story (1994)
124. Ruthe Stein, "Girls! Girls! Girls! From small-town women to movie stars," San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 1997.
125. Tom Lisanti, Drive-In Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties (2003), 207
126. See Priscilla Presley, Elvis and Me, 175
127. In his critical study on the "dream machine" (media manipulation to create semi-fictional icons), Joshua Gamson cites a press agent "saying that his client, Ann-Margret, could initially have been "sold ... as anything"; "She was a new product. We felt there was a need in The Industry for a female Elvis Presley." See Joshua Gamson, Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America, University of California Press, 1994, 46. See also C. Lee Harrington and Denise D. Bielby, Popular Culture: Production and Consumption, 2000, 273
128. Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, 415
129. At a press conference after his first opening in Vegas, when a reporter referred to him as "The King", Presley pointed to Fats Domino, standing at the back of the room. "No," he said, "that’s the real king of rock and roll." See Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination, 39
130. "How Big Was The King? Elvis Presley's Legacy, 25 Years After His Death." CBS News, August 7, 2002.
131. Guralnick, Careless Love, 420
132. Guralnick, Careless Love, 420, in passim
133. Guralnick, Careless Love, 489
134. Guralnick, Careless Love, 490
135. According to Billy Stanley, he "wasn't the same person" as before. Cited in Kirchberg and Hendrickx, Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream, 109
136. Jorgensen, Elvis: A Life in Music, 381
137. Roy, Elvis: Prophet of Power, 70
138. Guralnick, Careless Love, In passim
139. Scherman, T. "Elvis Dies." American Heritage, August 16, 2006.
140. Guralnick, Careless Love, 628
141. Guralnick, Careless Love, 628
142. Presley read voraciously, on subjects like philosophy, mysticism, etc., from about 1964. He was apparently looking for answers to life's deeper questions and confided in Larry Geller: "I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get. And how empty I really feel." Guralnick, Careless Love, 174 and in passim
143. Guralnick, Careless Love, 634
144. Guralnick, Careless Love, 637-8
145. Roy, Elvis: Prophet of Power, 71
146. Guralnick, Careless Love, 642
147. Dunleavy, S., (1977). Elvis: What Happened (with Red West, Sonny West, Dave Hebler), Bantam Books (ISBN 0345272153)
148. David Stanley interview, Elvis Information Network (EIN).
149. Guralnick, Careless Love, 651. Presley had apparently been on the toilet before he stumbled and then vomited.
150. Culture Shock: Flashpoints: Music and Dance: Elvis Presley
151. Marty Lacker was apparently not pleased when Tom Parker turned up at Presley's funeral wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. "All he did was stand outside and lean up against a car and smoke a cigar and look at all the people going in." (Rose Clayton and Dick Heard, Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best, 2003, Virgin Publishing Limited, 394)
152. "Death of Elvis Presley Statement by the President." by John Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project, retrieved October 22, 2006
153. Baden, M. M. and Hennessee, J. A., (1992). Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner, 35
154. Goldman, A., (1991). Elvis: The Last 24 Hours, New York: St. Martin's Press
155. Guralnick, Careless Love, 652
156. http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/cyril_wecht/4.html. Retrieved 2007-6-21
157. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,772041,00.html. Retrieved 2007-06-21
158. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,772041,00.html. Retrieved 2007-06-21
159. Roy, Prophet of Power, 173
160. Jorgensen, Elvis: A Life in Music, 4
161. Such criticsm of Presley continues. See: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/08/ew.hot.elvis/index.html. Retrieved 2007-07-12
162. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A702839. Retrieved 2007-07-08
163. How big was the king? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/07/entertainment/main517851.shtml. Retrieved 2007-07-14
164. Such fan worship is satirized at sites like: http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/sacred_heart_elvis.html. Retrieved 2007-07-12
165. Jorgensen, Elvis: A Life in Music, 4
166. http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley4.htm
167. Music journalist Dave Marsh has defended Presley and argued how his work led to integration. See http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/07/entertainment/main517851.shtml. Relrieved 2007-07-14
168. http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley4.htm
169. See: Bertrand, Michael T., (2000). Race, Rock, and Elvis, University of Illinois Press.
170. http://en.wikiquote.org/Elvis_Presley. Other analyses of Presley's voice credit him with a three octave range. See Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination
171. http://en.wikiquote.org/Elvis_Presley
172. http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley4.htm
173. http://www.music-atlas.com/artists/elvis_presley.htm
174. Quoted in: Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination, 35
175. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=64675
176. http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley4.htm
177. http://www.rfimusique.com/siteen/biographie/biographie_6309.asp
178. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/rmis/2006/00000011/00000003/art00005?crawler=true
179. Stecopoulos, H. and Uebel, M., (1997). Race and the Subject of Masculinities, Duke University Press, 198
180. Article about '68 Comeback; interview with Steve Binder: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/stevebinder_talksabouttheking.shtml. Retrieved 2007-07-28
181. "Long Live the King", The New York Times, August 16, 2002
182. Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination, 33
183. "Elvis remains the king of postage stamps". Associated Press. 2006-12-26. Retrieved 2006-12-26. This year's Wonders of America set climbed to second place in the most popular stamps, but Elvis is still the King, the Postal Service said Tuesday. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
184. see Elvis Presley hit singles
185. Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination
186. Details of announcement at:http://www.doi.gov/news/06_News_Releases/060327.htm retrieved 2007-06-26
187. "Sinatra is voice of the century" BBC NEWS, April 18, 2001. Retrieved 2006-10-22: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatestamerican/greatestamerican.html; http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100; http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials; "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
188. "Elvis on 'Idol:' How It Was Done" from ABC News. Retrieved 2007-04-27

References

• Carr, Roy and Farren, Mick (1982). Elvis: The complete illustrated record Eel Pie Publishing, ISBN 0 906008 54 9.
• Clayton, Rose and Heard, Dick (2003). Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best, Virgin Publishing Limited, ISBN 0 7535 0835 4.
• Cook, J., Henry, P. (ed.), (2004). Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination Form, United States Department of the Interior. www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/tn/Graceland.pdf
• Guralnick, Peter (1994). Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
• Guralnick, Peter (1999). Careless Love. The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, Abacus.
• Hopkins, Jerry (2002). Elvis in Hawaii, Bess Press.
• Jorgensen, Ernst (1998). Elvis Presley: A life in music. The complete recording sessions, St. Martin's Press.
• Kirchberg, C. and Hendrickx, M., (1999). Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream, Jefferson, NC: McFarland
• Lichter, Paul (1980). Elvis - The Boy Who Dared To Rock, Sphere Books, 10, ISBN 0 7221 5547-6.
• Lisanti, Tom (2000). Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies.
• Naylor, Jerry and Halliday, Steve (2007). The Rockabilly Legends; They Called It Rockabilly Long Before they Called It Rock and Roll (book and DVD), Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, 43, ISBN-13;: 978-I-4234-2042-2.
• Presley, Priscilla, (1985). Elvis and Me, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York. ISBN 0-399-12984-7.
• Roy, Samuel (1985). Elvis: Prophet of Power, Branden Publishing Co. Inc., ISBN 0-8283-1898-0.

See also

• Best-selling artist of all-time
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of artists by total number of USA number one singles
• List of artists by total number of UK number one singles
• King of Rock and Roll
• Elvis Presley's relationships
• Elvis Presley phenomenon
• Elvis Presley Enterprises
• List of songs about or referencing Elvis Presley

External links

• Elvis Presley Enterprises - Official site of Elvis Presley.
• Elvis Presley at IMDb
• ElvisPedia - Encyclopedia of Elvis Presley.
• Elvis forums - Elvis forums
• Rockhall - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Elvis at Music.com - Complete biography - discography.
• Elvis Gospel Service
• Celluloid Elvis
• Early Elvis
• Elvis "Aloha Hawaii" Statue

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• People from Memphis, Tennessee
• People from Tupelo, Mississippi
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