Elvis Presley, usually
referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", is considered to be one of
the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and the best selling solo music artist of all time. He won three Grammys, received the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music
halls of fame. In 2018, he was
posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Elvis acted
in several movies during the 1960s, but he is best known for his unique style
of rock and roll music which reflected the influences of the African American
music that he had heard during his youth, as well as the music of the Assembly
of God Church that his family attended. Although
he became a leading figure of a new sound of rock and roll music referred to as
rockabilly, he was commercially successful in many music genres, including pop,
country, blues, and gospel.
Born to a
poor family in Mississippi, the family moved to Memphis when Elvis was 13, and
his music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer
Sam Phillips who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider
audience. Although Elvis made
several TV appearances on the Milton Berle show and the Steve Allen show in the
1950s, it was his performance of Love Me Tender on the Ed Sullivan show
that made him a national celebrity. With
his rise to fame, Elvis brought rock and roll into the mainstream of popular
culture.
Although Elvis
was loved by many, he was also criticized for his indecent and suggestive body
movements while on stage and was sometimes referred to as “Elvis the Pelvis”.
It was a new kind of music and performance, and it was “shocking” to some
people during the 1950s. However, his unique
style of singing and charisma won over crowds at his concerts.
Come to the
Al Harris Library and see the display of several books on Elvis and rock and
roll music. Check out a book and learn
about this famous cultural icon and best-selling music artist!
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