Elvis Presley
The King Of Rock 'N' Roll
Elvis Growing Up
Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935 to a poor family in Tupelo, Mississippi. Throughout his childhood, he showed great devotion to his parents, especially his mother. He was raised with a strong faith in God and always attended church with his parents. On Presley’s 11th birthday in 1946, he received his first guitar. Using his love for gospel music, he struck success at his high school’s talent show. After he graduated high school, he would later work several jobs in order to pursue his dreams of becoming a musician. Eventually, Elvis recorded a demo at a studio and was taken under the wing of Sam Phillips who saw potential in Elvis. From then on, he began recording music and touring.
His Impact On the Decade
Elvis's combination of different genres of music into a new style of music was his key contribution to pop culture. Since the implementation of musical styles occurred right before the civil rights movement precursing social integration, it makes this key moment in pop culture history seem monumental.
www.longislandpress.com Presley performed one of his most famous concerts at the Nassau Coliseum in New York on July 19, 1975. Ellin Granelli, one of the lucky ones who got tickets the concert said, "he had the audience in the palm of his hand the entire time."
Elvis's Impact on youth culture
Elvis's Connections To Today
Elvis inspired greatness in different bands from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, the Clash, to the Arctic Monkeys. Although he didn’t invent rock n' roll, he introduced a new style of rock n' roll which combined Southern music with African-American music. His style had influenced another genre of music known as R&B (Rhythm and Blues). Elvis and his guitar also helped present the electric guitar as the one main instrument s that outlined rock and roll today. Not only did his music influence some of our music today, but his dancing also affected the media and society today. While Elvis’s dance moves were thought of as vulgar and inappropriate in the 50s because of the sexual appeal it radiated, it may have been the key to open the door to sex appeal (referring to celebrities) in the media today.
The Controversy Of Elvis and His Dance Moves
When Elvis Presley’s performance of “Hound Dog” first aired on televisions, teenagers were raving over Elvis’s hip gyrating while parents tried to cover their children's eyes from the shockingly distasteful dancing. This video had been disliked by many viewers and also criticized as in the New York Herald Tribune which expressed that his performance was “unspeakably untalented and vulgar.”
Citations
Connolly, R. (n.d.). What if Elvis Presley had never been born? Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3667263/What-if-Elvis-Presley-had-never-been-born.html
Elvis Presley Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/elvis-presley/biography
J. (2016). Elvis Presley's Musical Influence on America. Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/elvis-presleys-musical-influence-on-america.html
When Elvis Presley Scandalized America and MC Hammer Topped the Charts. (2011). Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/when-elvis-presley-scandalized-america-and-mc-hammer-topped-the-charts-20110607