Presley family. Variety and cinematic activities

Life path Elvis Presley became the embodiment American dream. An attractive young man from a poor family overnight became an idol of the public, destroying the stereotypes of the music world. Sing like a black man, dress like a black man, behave like a black man - could a respectable white American allow himself to do such antics in the middle of the 20th century? No. Elvis was destined to change that. But at what cost?

short biography

On January 8, 1935, a boy appeared in the family of Vernon and Gladys Presley, who was given the name Elvis Aron. He was born in small town Tupelo, Mississippi. The family was not very wealthy. Or rather, there was almost always not enough money - Vernon didn’t have permanent place work, dooming his wife and son to a semi-beggarly existence.

Despite the lack of funds, the father took care of spiritual development little Elvis. Every Sunday they went to church, where they listened to black gospel music. At the same time, the boy enjoyed the blues performances of his black neighbors and enthusiastically listened to country music on the radio.

Studying at school, singing in a church choir and financial difficulties - this is how the childhood of the future celebrity passed. The rapid economic growth of the United States after World War II did not change the family's situation. Poverty has not disappeared. Despite all the difficulties, in 1948 the Presleys moved to Memphis, the birthplace of the blues. Here the young man’s life began to change. He made friends, started dating girls, and worked hard on his appearance. To begin with, Elvis grew sideburns, then greased his hair and changed his gray wardrobe to a bright one. In general, in appearance he began to resemble a typical African American, which caused bewilderment among others.

Presley surprised everyone and graduation party. No one expected to hear him sing. But the fact remains: Elvis captivated the public and became a school celebrity.

After graduating from school, young Presley goes to work as a truck driver. At the same time, he decides to try his hand at music in order to hear his voice on a record. Elvis went to a record company that offered to record to anyone who wanted it for a fee. During the recording, the young singer became very interested in the studio owner, Sam Phillips. He asked Presley for his phone number and called back... a year later. From this moment it began new life under the sign of rock and roll.

Initially, Sam invited Elvis to sing in country style, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Then the upset young man began to sing the old blues in an unusual rhythm. The musicians took up the joke, which delighted Phillips. He didn't expect a white person to be able to perform black music like that. It was decided to take the recording to a local radio station. As a result - big interest the public to the newly-minted singer, whom listeners mistook for black.

In July 1954, Elvis's first single, “That is all right, Ma,” appeared on the shelves and received great commercial success. A 19-year-old boy begins performing in local bars, winning the hearts of young girls not only with his voice, but also with his unusual dances.

In 1955, Presley broke off his partnership with Sam Phillips and signed a contract with a major record company"RCA". This advice was given to him by his new manager Tom Parker, who had a huge influence on the development of the career of a talented musician. True, not all aspects are positive, according to biographers and critics.

Fans were waiting for Presley's new songs. In the spring of 1956, the singer released his debut album, “Heartbreak Hotel,” which was anticipated by 5 singles. It was a real success. His popularity began to grow rapidly. And not only in the music world. A contract with the Hollywood film company Paramount opens the door to the film industry for him.

The legendary singer and actor Elvis Aaron Presley was born in the small town of Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. The parents of the future king of rock and roll were middle-income farmers who had to work a lot, and they devoted little time to the upbringing and education of little Elvis.

The evangelical church became the first place in which the boy became acquainted with music - religious chants. As the famous singer himself later stated, it was those chants performed by expressive African Americans that prompted him to study music and desire to become a famous singer. Even in the children's church choir, little Elvis stood out with his clear, beautiful voice.
Guitar and piano were the first instruments that Presley mastered while still in high school. Many teachers of the future American celebrity predicted a great future for the boy; his talent was noticeable from the very beginning. early childhood. At the age of eight, Presley received his first award for his beautifully performed song " Old ship” at the Mississippi State Fair.
The turning point in Elvis's childhood was his family's move to Memphis, Tennessee, where the teenager found himself in a completely new musical environment. In the early fifties, such musical styles like country, blues, rock and roll. Attend dance parties and concerts popular artists he started at the age of 14, when he decided that he wanted to become a pop singer.

Youth

Upon completion high school, in order to earn money for living, young Elvis had to work as a driver, at the same time he studied evening courses, mastering the specialty of electrician. It was not his work or his technical specialty that in no way took away his desire to become a popular pop singer. The young man practices singing a lot and hones his skills in playing the guitar. He visited his first songs with the person closest to him in those years, his mother.

The first success can be considered casual acquaintance Elvis with music studio owner Sam Philips, who immediately appreciated his sensual voice and enormous talent young man. The first few songs of young Presley were recorded in Sam's music studio, but they did not gain much popularity then. Soon Phillips brought Elvis together with two local musicians from Memphis, and together they recorded the first compositions that brought popularity to the young Presley.

Variety and cinematic career

After the success of his first compositions, Elvis went on tour in the southern states, and the number of the singer’s army of fans gradually increased. The famous hip rotation performed during performances on that tour became business card pop singer. The beginning of commercial success can be considered Elvis’s acquaintance with Thomas Parker, his future manager nicknamed “Colonel”. A talented manager helped Elvis sign a very lucrative contract with the largest recording studio in the states, RCA Victor.

The first one for real popular song entitled "Heartbreak Hotel" was recorded in 1955. After this song, the name of Elvis Presley becomes famous throughout the country, he is invited to various television shows, he tours a lot and records new singles. Major Hollywood companies are also paying attention to the young performer and are offering him roles in films. For two years from 1956 to 1958 he played in the following films:

Love me Tender;
Prison rock.
Charming.
King Creole.

In the late fifties, Elvis was drafted into the army to serve in West Germany, and it was there that he met a young girl, his future wife, Priscilla.

Personal life

In 1967, at the peak of his fame, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu, who gave the king of rock and roll his only child, daughter Lisa Marie. The family broke up after 5 years in 1972; Presley’s wife could not stand his regular drinking, severe depression, and addiction to tranquilizers and hard drugs.

From the second common-law wife Elvis lived with Linda Thompson for two years, but she also left the popular singer, unable to withstand his stormy adventures. Last love Presley became model Ginger Alden; it was she who spent the last months of her life with her fading idol.

Discography

Rich creative career Elvis Presley includes many albums that were reissued many times even after the death of the king of rock and roll.

1956 – Elvis;
1958 - King of Creole;
1960 - His hand is in the mine;
1961 - Something for everyone;
1962 - Pot luck;
1967 – How well are you doing;
1969 - from Elvis in Memphis;
1975 - Promised Land;
1976 - From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee;
1977 - Moody Blue.

The last years of life and death of the king

The most terrible period in Elvis’s life came in the seventies, paranoid depression, chronic alcoholism, and dependence on psychotropic drugs progressed greatly. Presley's entourage claimed that the idol of millions had been drinking heavily since the very morning, after which he started shooting in the house, claiming that someone was hunting him and wanted to kill him.

The famous king of rock and roll died in his home in Memphis on August 15, 1977, his lifeless body was found in the bathroom by his friend Ginger. After Presley's death was officially announced, thousands of fans from all over the country began to arrive at his house.

After death

The circle of the famous idol made huge money on the name of Presley, his staff, assistants and ex-wives published memoirs and gave interviews, telling juicy details Elvis's life. Music studios, who have the copyright, have repeatedly republished the musician’s compositions.

After Elvis's death, a theory emerged that Presley was alive and that he decided to disappear at the height of his fame. Even such serious publications as the New York Times published material about Elvis Presley's secret residence in South America. Many people tried to make money from a dead idol.

What do you think of Elvis Presley? We are waiting for your answers!

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.

Elvis Presley was born in the town of Tupelo, located in Mississippi. Vernon and Gladys Presley are Elvis's parents. It is known that Elvis had a twin brother named Jess Garon, who died immediately after birth.

Elvis's father had no profession and took on any job he could find. It is logical that financial disruptions did not allow the family too much pleasure. This situation worsened when Vernon was jailed for 2 years for fraud.

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 was constantly playing, from where the child absorbed country songs, as well as traditional pop compositions. One day young musician performed at the fair folk song Old Shep and received a prize. Deciding to encourage her son’s interest in music, Gladys gave the child his first guitar.

In 1948, the family moved to Tennessee, where it was easier for the head of the family to find work. The family settled in the city of Memphis. It was here that Elvis became acquainted with African-American styles of music - blues, boogie-woogie and rhythm and blues. This musical “school” influenced the performer’s vocal style. Like many teenagers, Elvis spent a lot of time in the company of friends with whom he sang to the guitar. famous hits country. Most of his childhood comrades will remain with him for a long time.

In August 1953, Elvis graduated from high school, and soon found himself in the Memphis Recording Service studio to sing a couple of songs for a record as a gift for his mother. The choice fell on My Happiness and That’s When Your Heartaches Begin. After some time, the American recorded another single there, after which studio owner Sam Phillips promised to invite the singer for a professional recording.

At this time, Presley works as a truck driver and participates in all vocal competitions and castings in musical groups, and also regularly receives refusals. The leader of the Songfellows quartet even directly told the future king of rock and roll that he had no vocal abilities.

Music and cinema

In the summer of 1954, Sam Phillips finally 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 the break, to calm his nerves, Elvis began playing the song That's All Right, Mama, but in a non-standard rhythm, expressive and unusual. Thus, Elvis Presley’s first hit was born completely by accident. It was followed by the song Blue Moon of Kentucky, recorded in the same manner. The collection with these songs took 4th place in the hit parade.

By mid-1955, the singer already had 10 singles, each of which was enthusiastically received by young people, and videos and clips for the composition became popular in North America and Europe. A new style music, which was created by Elvis Presley, had the effect of an exploding bomb. With the help of producer Tom Parker, Elvis signs a contract with record giant RCA Records. True, for Presley himself the contract was terrible, since the musician received 5% of song sales.

Nevertheless, this studio releases famous songs Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes, Tutti Frutti, Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Jailhouse Rock and Can't Help Falling In Love and Love Me Tender. “Elvisomania” begins in America, the artist’s hits take leading positions in the American music charts, and each concert attracts crowds of fans.

Presley is one of the few rock performers who served in the army while at the peak of his popularity. His service took place in the third tank division, which was stationed in Germany. However, even during the service, discs were released with songs recorded in advance. And Hard Headed Woman even topped the American hit parade.

After demobilization, Elvis and his producer focused on cinema, and the records are now only soundtracks for films. But the films “Soldier's Blues”, “King Creole”, “Flaming Star”, “Savage” and others were not successful at the box office, and albums with music from these films were not particularly popular. But singles with non-Hollywood songs conquered the charts over and over again. The rock star's photo appeared on the cover of the best publications on the planet.

The full-length records His Hand in Mine, Something for Everybody, Pot Luck were also successful, since here the singer continued to successfully experiment with musical genres, mixing blues, gospel, country and rockabilly.

The success of another film called “Blue Hawaii” played a cruel joke on Elvis Presley. Producer Tom Parker now demanded only identical roles and songs in the style of "Hawaii". Since 1964, interest in Presley's music has been declining, and soon the American's songs left the charts. Starting with the film "Speedway", the filming budget turns out to be higher than the profit generated.

Presley's last films were Charro! and A Change of Habit, released in 1969, attempted to change the perception of Elvis as a one-man actor, exclusively a character in romantic comedies. Two good dramas appeared, but the damage was already irreparable.

The same failure awaited music recordings, which resulted in Elvis Presley refusing to record records. It was only in 1976 that the singer was persuaded to make a new recording. The album was released, and the songs immediately returned to the top lines of the world charts. But Presley did not record his voice anymore, each time citing illness. The last record in the official discography of the “King of Rock and Roll” was the album Moody Blue, composed of previously recorded but unreleased songs.

About 40 years have passed since then, but Elvis Presley’s record (146 songs in the top 100 of the Billboard hit parade) has never been broken.

Personal life

While serving in Germany, Elvis met Priscilla Bouillet, who was 14 years old at the time. In 1963, the girl moved to America, and the couple began to meet regularly. After another 3 years, Elvis Presley proposes to the woman. The wedding took place in May 1967. This marriage brought Elvis only daughter Lisa Marie, who would later become the first wife.

But due to her husband’s publicity, frequent depression and regular absences, Priscilla decided to leave. The divorce officially took place in 1972, although the couple did not live together for more than a year.

Since the summer of 1972, Elvis Presley was in a civil marriage with Linda Thompson, who had previously won the Tennessee beauty pageant. The couple separated at the end of 1976. During the last months of her life, Presley's companion was actress and fashion model Ginger Alden.

It is known that best friend the singer was Colonel Tom Parker. He traveled with Elvis to concerts and on national tours. Researchers of the musician’s life and work claim that Elvis’s behavior was influenced by Parker, who allegedly instilled in the musician a passion for money and made the celebrity selfish and domineering. At the same time, the colonel was the only person with whom Presley last years communicated in life without fear of being deceived. Tom never betrayed Elvis and remained faithful even in difficult times.

Death

The beginning of the 70s is the most terrible period in Presley’s biography. Sonny West, the singer's bodyguard and biographer, in an interview with American journalists, said that Elvis could drink three bottles of whiskey in the morning, shoot into the empty rooms of his house and shout from the balcony that they wanted to kill him. According to West, Elvis loved gossip and also enjoyed plotting against his staff.

The cause of death of the “King of Rock and Roll” haunted me for a long time American society. On the morning of August 15, 1977, Elvis Presley visited the dentist, where he took a quantity of painkillers and sedatives. He arrived home to his villa "Graceland" after 12 o'clock at night and still for a long time talked on the phone with the producer, discussing the details of the concert, which was supposed to take place in a few days. Then he talked with his friend Ginger Alden about a possible engagement.

The singer could not sleep, he took sleeping pills and started reading a book. Then, closer to the morning, he took another dose of pills and went to bed in the bathroom, where such an opportunity was provided. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Ginger discovered the celebrity's body, and at 16 o'clock " ambulance"officially recorded the death of Elvis Presley.

It is known that Elvis Presley’s entourage earned millions of dollars from the performer’s name. After the musician’s death, the staff actively gave interviews to the press, published their memories, and bought copyrights to some of the singer’s compositions. Even dead Elvis brought in mind-blowing income.

According to a survey conducted in the United States, the majority of Americans call Presley a symbol of the twentieth century, a real embodiment of the fairy tale about Cinderella.

Discography

1956 - Elvis Presley
1956 - Elvis
1958 - King Creole
1960 - His Hand In Mine
1961 - Something For Everybody
1962 - Pot Luck
1967 - How Great Thou Art
1969 - From Elvis In Memphis
1975 - Promised Land
1976 - From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee
1977 - Moody Blue
Filmography
1956 - Love me tenderly
1957 - Prison Rock
1958 - King Creole
1960 - Soldier's Blues
1961 - Savage
1961 - Blue Hawaii -
1968 - Speedway -
1969 - Charro! -
1969 - Change of habit

Last update: 11/18/2018

Forty years have passed since his death, and we pay tribute to the King of Rock and Roll. When Elvis Aaron Presley died at age 42 on August 16, 1977, he was wearing gold pajamas. This wasn't the only thing about the King of Rock and Roll, as he was called. One evening, Elvis Presley picked up a Triumph Bonneville 750, loved it, and insisted that a dozen be delivered to his Bel Air home by midnight so his friends could tear through the streets that night. Presley remained the man of the Harley-Davidson Electra Glade itself.

Eager to deliver a personal letter to President Richard Nixon, he approached security guards at the White House wearing a "dark blue Gabardine karate-style two-piece over a shirt with high collar, a coat on his shoulders, a gold medallion around his neck and a gold-handled cane in his hand,” as his friend, Jerry Schilling, recalled. It had pockets cut out of the trousers to provide a smoother, tighter fit. And as a gorgeous teenager, he, according to a contemporary, "combed his hair in the morning using three different hair oils: wax for the front, one kind of oil for the hair at the top, another for the hair at the back." He used cloth wax so that when he performed, his hair would fall a certain way.”

On film set"It Happened at the World's Fair" with Colonel Tom Parker, 1963

And when that hair fell... Roy Orbison, who watched Elvis Presley's first performances in early 1955, said: "I can't overstate how shocked he looked and seemed. He was this punk boy, just a real cat, singing like a bird. And he moved in a way that no one had ever seen before. His lips began to mock, and his legs shook, jerking and pushing, of their own accord. As his guitarist Scotty Moore said, "I think with those loose pants we wore, you were shaking your leg and it looked like all hell was going down there." To a student nurse who saw one of the King's shows in May 1955, he was "just a big, beautiful piece of forbidden fruit."

Elvis Presley was born at 4:35 a.m. on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. His father, Vernon Presley, was a truck driver, his mother, Gladys Presley, a housewife. The family moved to Memphis when Elvis Presley was 13. The Presleys were poor and, as Kevin Kern said of Presley, "denim reminded Elvis that he was poor, so he didn't wear jeans like adults."

Presley began to fill the family's pockets when he appeared on Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service on July 5, 1954. At first he sang, not very well, some ballads. Then he sang "It's Okay, Mommy" and that changed everything. His voice trembled with passion. He was exciting, dangerous. He was, the headlines screamed: “the libertine of youth,” his actions “too indecent to mention in every detail.” When he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, he was only shown from the waist up. “It’s like electricity flowing through you,” Presley said. “It’s like making love, but it’s stronger. Sometimes I think my heart will explode."

At the Milton Berle show, June 1956

In 1956 it all came out: "Heartbreak Hotel", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", all in 1956. They tried to emasculate him. On the Steve Allen Show, Presley wore a white tie and tails and sang “Hound Dog.” But at the Milton Berle show in June 1956 it was the real deal, legs doubled, pelvis thrust, microphone his toy. Movies beckoned, and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, a former carnival barker and dog catcher, introduced him to Hollywood. Elvis Presley filmed "Love Me Tender" in 1956. And then he began courting Natalie Wood (of West Side Story fame), whom he took back to Memphis.

Natalie Wood, Memphis, October 1956

"Jailhouse Rock" was released in 1957. The seats were torn. The world was Presley's oyster. And then the US government developed it, or "brought it out" as he later told an audience in Las Vegas. What if the police had intervened? Don't know. But within two years, Presley lost his hair and his freedom by listening to Uncle Sam.

Three things followed as a result. One of them was "GI Blues," a high-powered but cheesy musical that set the tone for too many of Presley's films, even as he gravitated toward deeper, more demanding roles. For example, he loved Beckett and once challenged his chief producer, Hal Wallis: "When will I get my Beckett?" When Barbra Streisand offered him the male lead in her 1975 remake of A Star Is Born, Colonel Parker caused difficulties. Elvis Presley hoped this might be his From Here To Eternity, the film that saved Frank Sinatra's career, but it wasn't.

At the end military service Friedberg, Germany, March 1960

Second military man side effect was his marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu, the adopted daughter of an army officer. She was only 14 years old when the King met her. They grinned, a little too much for Ms. Beaulieu when, at age 18, she visited her now-discharged suitor in Memphis. “Wait,” Presley said. “Things can get out of control.” IN next year he said, "I want this to be something to look forward to" when she returned to live with her parents and continue her studies. "There's a desire there." Instead, she dyed her hair to match his blue and black locks while wearing school uniform and posed for Polaroids.

She, too, had her ups and downs, just like the King, and it was the third thing Presley picked up in the army, from a sergeant on maneuvers. Like his comrades who surrounded him, the Colonel's gang was dubbed the Memphis Mafia. It was not easy for the girl to share her man with a platoon of ever-present bantering friends, but Beaulieu managed. Until, finally, on May 1, 1967, Presley and Beaulieu flew Sinatra's private jet from Palm Springs to Las Vegas, paid $15 for a marriage license and tied the knot at the Aladdin Hotel. The banquet station then included bratwurst and oysters Rockefeller. And some of the Memphis Mafia accompanied loving couple on their honeymoon, reports Peter Guralnick in his master's biography, Careless Love.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley after their wedding, Las Vegas, 1967

Married bliss reached, Presley got down to business. He liked the phrase “take care of business,” and on the tail of his private Convair 880 jet was the TCB logo, which he bought in 1975 and named Lisa Marie in honor of his cherished daughter (who later married Michael Jackson). Not that Presley was idle. Between 1960 and the end of 1967, he made 21 films, including Blue Hawaii, and released 44 singles.

None of the films were worthy of his intensity. Of the singles, well, there's "Little Sister" and "Return To Sender", but there's also "Do The Clam" and "You Never Never Walk Alone". Of course he was revered. The Beatles visited in 1965 and paid tribute, although things were rough at first. “If you just sit and look at me, I’ll go to sleep,” said the King. John Lennon later asked Schilling to "tell Elvis that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have done anything."

It was true, but the moment came when Presley showed that he still had it. In 1968 he proved this. He made NBC special. He was wearing a black leather suit. He kicked off with “Heartbreak Hotel” and “All Shook Up.” He looked flexible and fast. He felt dangerous. He made his way through “Lawdy, Miss Clawd.” His hair fell in his face. He is back. He was a star. He was the King.

On the set of the film Blue Hawaii, April 1961

And he continued to produce. “In The Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds” went fast. So is Vegas: two shows over four weeks, in a 2,000-seat suite at the new International Hotel. Elvis Presley triumphed, in a white Cossack suit that nodded to the image of karate. “Jailhouse Rock” and “Don’t Be Cruel” brought Cary Grant to his feet. Priscilla Presley felt the energy: "I don't think I've felt myself in any entertainment since." Colonel Parker had tears in his eyes. It was the King.

And then, later, the wheels came off. There was a paternity suit. There was Presley's surreal visit to President Nixon, in search of a BNDD (Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) badge. There were more costumes decorated precious stones. And there were drugs, and doctors, and dentists, and pharmacists who dispensed them. Indeed, six days after his divorce was finalized on October 9, 1973, Presley was hospitalized in Memphis, his breathing terrible, his body swollen.

Landing on his private plane, Lisa Marie, in Cincinnati, May 1976

He hid a little. But his behavior on stage was erratic. He talked a lot and wildly. He did 15 minutes of karate. He seemed "sleepy." On stage he played with weapons and looked for love. He returned to the hospital to find himself attended to by nurse Marian Kok and nurse Kathy Simon. President Nixon called to wish him well, as did Sinatra. Suddenly he was touring. For Houston Press the show was terrible, "presented by a bloated, mumbling figure who didn't perform as the King of Everything." And so it went on.

But he was the King. He was handsome. He moved with an explosive sexuality that was unmatched by anyone. Elvis Presley changed the world. And to do so is a gift given to few. Everyone salutes Presley. Everyone salutes the King.

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in poor family and spent his childhood in a poor neighborhood where whites lived next to blacks. When Elvis was 13, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, the "Mecca" of the blues. Elvis grew up in the heart of... Read all

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977) - American singer, musician, producer and actor, known by the "title" "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "The King".

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi into a poor family and spent his childhood in a poor neighborhood where whites lived next to blacks. When Elvis was 13, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, the "Mecca" of the blues. Elvis grew up in the very heart of American roots music, absorbing, along with the “white” musical tradition, the rich “black” origins of the music of the American South.

In 1953, at the Sun Records studio, Elvis, allegedly under the pretext of a birthday present for his mother, made his first demo recording, which did not go unnoticed by the studio owner Sam Philips, and a year later, Elvis’s first single was released on Sun, which turned the music world. "That's All Right, Mama" became Elvis's first local hit. During 1954-1955, Elvis rapidly gained popularity, first in and around Memphis, and then throughout the American South. During this period, he was noticed by manager "Colonel" Thomas A. Parker, who arranged for Elvis to sign with the largest American popular music label, RCA Victor, at the end of 1955. Thus, Presley's recordings were released to a wide American market.

Elvis's first hit with RCA was "Heartbreak Hotel" in early 1956, followed by a string of equally successful hits: "Blue Suede Shoes", "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", "Hound Dog", " Don "t Be Cruel", "All Shook Up" and others. The styles in which Elvis worked in the 50s were striking in their diversity: from “raw” rhythm and blues to refined pop music, from rock and roll to spirituals and gospel.

In the pre-army period, Elvis Presley starred in 4 films, which are recognized by critics as the best in his career. In 1958, he was drafted into the army and served in West Germany. Upon his return in 1960, thanks to competent management, Elvis was able to maintain and even increase his popularity. There have been significant changes in his music and instead of rock and roll, a significant part of his repertoire began to be occupied by high-quality pop music. During the 1960s, Elvis stayed away from touring, starred extensively in Hollywood in commercially successful but often tasteless comedies, studio recordings were supplanted in the catalog by equally tasteless soundtracks, and by the end of the decade his popularity began to decline. However, in 1968, the NBC television show “Elvis TV Special” appeared on American screens, where the “former” Elvis appeared before the public, performing the music on which he grew up: gospel, blues, country, rock and roll. This show, dubbed "The Comeback" by critics, was a turning point in Elvis's career. Elvis sounded modern again and began recording current material from leading authors with leading producers.

In 1969 it took place triumphant return Elvis to concert activities what predetermined him further career. From 1969 to 1977, Presley gave more than a thousand concerts, which over time completely replaced studio work. Exhausting tours required the artist to constantly be on his toes, as a result of which he had to take various medications that accumulated in his body over time, which ultimately led to death from a heart attack on August 16, 1977.

However, even after the artist’s death, Elvis’s work remains attractive to the audience. In 1985, Elvis Presley became the first to be inducted into the symbolic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; many artists acknowledge that Elvis had a decisive influence on their work. To this day, "The King" remains one of the most influential artists of all time. popular music, and reissues of his recordings are traditionally in high demand among modern listeners.

Also has a daughter - Lisa Marie Presley, today popular singer and mother of four children.