Elvis Presley, "The King of Rock
'n Roll" made his first public appearance when he
was 10 years old at a fair and dairy show.
Dressed as a cowboy, he sang the song "Old
Shep" and won 2nd prize. He was quiet, shy
and stuttered as a young boy and kids teased
him. He was a mama's boy and was very close to
his mother all his life.
His musical influences were gospel and
a combination of rhythm and blues and country
music. He is the only performer as of today who
has been inducted into four separate music "Halls
of Fame".
He recorded a record at the Sun Record
Company for his mother as a birthday gift in 1953, and
this was the beginning of his music career. He
began performing live in Memphis, but was told to keep
his truck-driving job as a back-up. In 1954 he
was invited to sing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
and the Louisiana Hayride. His first RCA single
was released in 1956 and reached number one of the
charts.
Elvis brought a new type of music
along with hip movements and gyrations that caused
distressed parents to want to ban their teenagers from
buying his records. When he appeared on the Ed
Sullivan television show in 1956, Sullivan censored
the show by allowing him to be seen only above the
waist.
He was inducted into the Army in 1958
and was honorably discharged in 1960 as a sergeant
(E5). During the 60s he made 33 movies, but they
were poorly reviewed, and in 1968 he made a comeback
to his music career with live traveling performances
and appearances in Las Vegas
By the 70s his health was deteriorating.
He was over-weight and addicted to prescription
drugs. He died in 1977 at the age of 42 years. He had an enlarged heart, and
that, combined with his drug use was the cause of
death.
