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"It [Presley's music] was also considered the death knell of Southern segregation and the seed of an agonized orgy of national self-hatred and cultural shame."
an Elvis Sampler
Love Me Tender
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The King of Rock & Roll
No one would have ever thought a poor Mississippi boy would one day grow up to be dubbed "The King of Rock and Roll." Elvis Presley was born on January 8th 1935 in a 2 bedroom shack in Tupelo, Mississippi. During his childhood, his family was very poor and they moved several times before settling in Memphis.
Elvis frequented blues clubs on Beale Street in Memphis, and listened to country artists like Roy Acruff and Ernest Tubb. He combined these to create the "Rockabilly" sound, a combination of hillbilly (country) music and rock and roll.
Elvis recorded his first songs with Sun Records in 1953. During another session in 1954, Elvis and 2 Tennessee-based musicians, Scotty Moore and Bill Black, recorded a loud and energetic version of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right." This was the birth of "Rockabilly." It was this style, combined with Elvis' great performance that made him "The King of Rock and Roll."
His music inluenced Buddy Holly.
Altogether Elvis had 94 gold singles, 3 gold EP's and 40+ gold LP's. His gold records were: Heartbreak Hotel, I Was the One, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Hound dog, Don't be cruel, Love Me Tender, and Anyway You Want Me.
Elvis Presley article in the Rock Hall of Fame
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