Biography
Elvis Presley is a singer and film actor, the king of rock and roll, a symbol of the American dream that has become a reality. The combination of country and blues styles in songs allowed the musician to stand out from other performers and become the idol of his generation, as well as the founder of a new style of music – rockabilly.
Childhood and youth
Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi to Vernon and Gladys Presley. It is known that Elvis had a twin brother named Jess Garon, who died immediately after birth.
Presley’s father had no profession and took any job he could find. Disruptions in finances did not allow the family too much pleasure, she often had to rely on food assistance from neighbors and the state. This situation worsened when Vernon was jailed for 8 months for fraud. The family lost their home, Gladys and her son had to live with relatives.
Elvis was brought up surrounded by religion and music. The boy regularly attended church and even sang in the church choir. And at home the radio constantly sounded, from where the child absorbed country songs, as well as traditional pop songs. Once a young musician performed at the fair with a performance of the folk song Old Shep and received a prize. Deciding to support her son’s interest in music, Gladys gave the child the first guitar.
In 1948, the family moved to Tennessee, where it was easier for my father to find work. The family settled in the city of Memphis. It was here that the young man got acquainted with African-American styles of music: blues, boogie-woogie and rhythm and blues. Such a musical school influenced the vocal style of the performer. Like many teenagers, Elvis spent a lot of time in the company of friends, with whom he sang famous country hits to the guitar.
In August 1953, Presley graduated from high school, and soon found himself at the Memphis Recording Service to record his voice on a record as a gift to his mother. The choice fell on My Happiness and That’s When Your Heartaches Begin. After some time, the guy created another disc there, after which the owner of the studio, Sam Phillips, promised to invite the singer for a professional recording.
In his youth, Presley worked as a truck driver and participated in all ongoing vocal competitions and auditions for musical groups, where he regularly received refusals. The head of the Songfellows quartet even directly told the future king of rock and roll that he had no vocal abilities.
Carier start
In the summer of 1954, Sam Phillips nevertheless contacted the singer and offered to participate in the recording of the song Without You. The result did not suit anyone – neither Elvis, nor the musicians, nor the owner of the company, who realized that this performer needed a different repertoire. During a break, to calm his nerves, Presley began to play the song That’s All Right by African-American blues singer Arthur Crudup, but in an off-beat, expressive and unusual way. Thus, quite by accident, the first hit was born.
The track was very popular with radio listeners, the rising star was invited to the radio, where Elvis gave his first live interview. This was mainly to assure listeners that the performer was not African American.
Elvis Presley on stage
On the wave of success, a few days later the song Blue Moon Of Kentucky was released, recorded in the same manner. The compilation with these tracks took 4th place in the charts.
By the middle of 1955, the singer already had 10 singles, each of which was enthusiastically received by young people, and video recordings of performances were successful not only in North America, but also in Europe. The new style of music that Presley created had the effect of an exploding bomb. With the help of producer Tom Parker, Elvis landed a record deal with record giant RCA Records. True, for the performer himself, the contract was extortionate, since the musician received only 5% of song sales.
Nevertheless, the famous Presley songs Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes, Tutti Frutti and Love Me Tender were released at this studio. “Elvisomania” began in America, the artist’s hits occupied leading positions in the American music charts, and each performance gathered crowds of fans.