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Elvis Presley

Simply put, Elvis Presley was the first real rock & roll star. A white Southerner singing blues laced with country, and country laced with gospel, he brought together American music from both sides of the color line and performed it with a natural hip-swiveling sexuality that made him a teen idol and a role model for generations of cool rebels. He was repeatedly dismissed as vulgar, incompetent, and a bad influence, but the force of his music and his image was no mere merchandising feat. Presley signaled to mainstream culture that it was time to let go. Four decades after his death, Presley’s image and influence remain undiminished. While certainly other artists preceded him and he by no means “invented” rock & roll, he is indisputably its king. As a recording artist, Presley’s accomplishments are unparalleled. He is believed to have sold over 1 billion records worldwide, about 40 percent of those outside the U.S. The RIAA has awarded Presley the largest number of gold, platinum, and multiplatinum certifications of any artist in history; as of early 2001, 131. His chart performance, as tracked by Billboard, is also unmatched, with 149 charting pop singles: 114 Top 40, 40 Top 10, and 18 #1s. Presley was the son of Gladys and Vernon Presley, a sewing-machine operator and a truck driver. Elvis’ twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn, and Elvis grew up an only child. When he was three, his father served an eight-month prison term for writing bad checks, and afterward Vernon Presley’s employment was erratic, keeping the family just above poverty level. The Presleys attended the First Assembly of God Church, and its Pentecostal services always involved singing. In 1945 Presley won second prize at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Diary Show for his rendition of Red Foley’s “Old Shep.” The following January he received a guitar for his birthday. In 1948 the family moved to Memphis, and while attending L.C. Humes High School there, Presley spent much of his spare time hanging around the black section of town, especially on Beale Street, where bluesmen like Furry Lewis and B.B. King performed. Upon graduation in June 1953, Presley worked at the Precision Tool Company and then drove a truck for Crown Electric. He planned to become a truck driver and had begun to wear his long hair pompadoured, the current truck- driver style. That summer he recorded “My Happiness” and “That’s Where Your Heartaches Begin” at the Memphis Recording Service, a sideline Sam Phillips had established in his Sun Records studios where anyone could record a 10- inch acetate for four dollars.

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Book Review

The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock by Ed Ward

Read "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock by Ed Ward" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964--1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock Ed Ward 336 Pages ISBN: # 978-1250165190 Flatiron Books 2019 Ed Ward, Rock Historian on Terry Gross's NPR program Fresh Air (WHYY, Philadelphia), completes his survey of the history of rock music with The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964--1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock. In The ...

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Bailey's Bundles

At the Louisiana Hayride Tonight

Read "At the Louisiana Hayride Tonight" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


While not technically a “bundle," I am using my personal column to discuss the most important recorded music release of the past year, if not decade. Music, as we presently know it, would be very different had the Louisiana Hayride not existed. Uncharitably known as ..."the poor man's Grand Ole Opry," the Louisiana Hayride was anything but. Not as provincial as the GOO, the Hayride took chances promoting up-an-coming artists that included most notably Hank Williams, Elvis Presley and Johnny ...

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Hardly Strictly Jazz

Reliving Elvis

Read "Reliving Elvis" reviewed by Skip Heller


No matter how much is written, or by whom, Elvis Presley remains impossible to explain. The usual “young white rocker who could sing black" is as inaccurate as any standing American mythology. His legacy has been as mangled as his career was, often to the detriment of the work itself. Yes, at the time of his death, Elvis had become (to use Frank Zappa's description) “that poor guy, that drug-infested blimp." Yes, by 1962 he had become the star of ...

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Book Review

Return of the King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback

Read "Return of the King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Return of the King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback Gillian Gaar Trade Paperback; 270 pages ISBN: 978-1-906002-28-2 Jawbone Press 2010 Elvis Presley continues to be one of the most recession- proof commodities since his death in 1977. The three years since 2007 have seen books written by Presley associates George Nichopoulis (The King and Dr. Nick: What Really Happened to Elvis and Me (Thomas Nelson, 2010)), Sonny West (Elvis: Still Taking Care of ...

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Trends

Elvis Presley and The Tale Of Two Very Different Music Industries

Elvis Presley and The Tale Of Two Very Different Music Industries

Source: HypeBot

Elvis is King!  Or is he?  As we commemorate 40 years since his death, how are Elvis and his fellow legacy artists fairing in the new music industry landscape as compared to their younger counterparts?  Is YouTube for everyone, for example? And Spotify promises long tail revenue, but does that include Elvis and his peers?  Guest post by Zach Fuller of MIDiA Research This week marks 40 years since the passing of Elvis Presley. Whilst ‘The King’s’ emergence has come to ...

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Music Industry

At 80 The King Lives On: Elvis’s Biggest Influences

At 80 The King Lives On: Elvis’s Biggest Influences

Source: HypeBot

By   Eliot Van Buskirk on Spotify Insights Blog You might not see Elvis Presley atop the charts these days, but “The King” played an undeniably crucial role in the history of music—and his influence continues, whether you listen to him every day or not. Elvis was arguably the first mainstream radio and television rock star, and he still makes his way to your ears and eyes, because he influenced so many of today’s top artists directly or indirectly, as you’ll see below. In ...

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Music Industry

Elvis Presley's 'Suspicious Minds'

Elvis Presley's 'Suspicious Minds'

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

One of the many joys about writing for the Wall Street Journal is being given the opportunity to report in depth on rock, pop and soul songs I love. One such song is Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds. In today's edition of “Personal Journal" (or online here), I interview Mark James, the song's writer, and Chips Moman, the legendary producer who founded American Sound Studio, about the song's origins and evolution. Suspicious Minds was recorded in January 1969 during the sessions ...

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For Sale

Elvis Presley "Jailhouse Rock" Original Dance Sequence Costume and The Eagles Don Henley's Handwritten "Hotel California" Working Lyrics Hit the Block for the First Time on Gotta Have Rock and Roll's "The Rock and Roll Pop Culture" Auction

Source: Susan Blond, Inc.

On Wednesday, March 21st over 700 rock and roll and pop culture original artifacts including an Elvis Presley iconic “Jailhouse Rock" costume will hit the auction block in the Rock and Roll Pop Culture Auction online at gottahaverockandroll.com. Also up for auction is a spectacular line up of rock and pop culture memorabilia that is as legendary as the stars themselves. Lots offered here include: Elvis Presley's owned and signed blue suede shoes, Paul McCartney's earliest known handwritten letter with ...

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Recording

1956: The Year Elvis Presley Skyrocketed To Global Fame!

1956: The Year Elvis Presley Skyrocketed To Global Fame!

Source: Sony Music Entertainment/Legacy

Young Man With The Big Beat Traces Elvis' Every Step In The Year That He Transformed From A Rockabilly Singer To The King Of Rock And Roll 5-CD Super-Deluxe Box Set Features Studio & Live Recordings, An Unreleased Live Concert, Interviews, And A Lavishly-Illustrated, Day-By-Day Timeline Of Elvis In 1956 Deluxe set available now for pre-order at ELVIS1956.COM; Advance orders through this website will also receive an exclusive replica vinyl 7" of Elvis' first 45rpm EP for RCA Records Also ...

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Recording

Elvis Presley: Honorable Discharge

Elvis Presley: Honorable Discharge

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

When Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army in March 1958 and deployed to the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor, 3rd Armored Division in West Germany, his absence created a rock vacuum. With the King in uniform, other worthy recording artists were poised to command a larger share of the limelight. Rockers-in-waiting included the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Ritchie Valens and Eddie Cochran. But when Holly and Valens died in February 1959 and Cochran [pictured] died ...

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Interview

My Weekend with Elvis

My Weekend with Elvis

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Last week over lunch, my editor at the Wall Street Journal asked me to travel to Memphis for the weekend to cover Elvis Week. I've long wanted to attend the event marking the anniversary of the rocker's passing. I was never a big Elvis fan beyond the 30 # 1 Hits CD. I had always assumed there was something oddly Gothic and sticky about the whole obsession. But I was curious. The more my editor and I talked, the more ...

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TV / Film

Remastered Film Celebrating Elvis Presley's Career to be Shown in Theaters Across the Country

Remastered Film Celebrating Elvis Presley's Career to be Shown in Theaters Across the Country

Source: Michael Ricci

Elvis Presley is returning to the big screen again in the remastered film “Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration," which will be shown July 29 at more than 460 movie theaters around the country.

The movie will feature remastered footage of concert performances and interviews from the 1972 documentary “Elvis on Tour" -- the singer's last film before he died in 1977.

The film's release commemorates the 75th anniversary of Elvis' birth and includes a retrospective from his former wife, ...

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Opinion

Rare Photos Give Glimpse of Elvis Presley, Graceland

Rare Photos Give Glimpse of Elvis Presley, Graceland

Source: All About Jazz

Elvis Presley archivists have found three rare photos dating back more than 50 years that show the young singer greeting fans at the gates of Graceland.

Negatives of the photos were discovered as archivists pored through a vast collection of documents from the office of Vernon Presley, Elvis' father. The office is a stop on the daily tour of Graceland, Elvis' Memphis estate.

Angie Marchese, director of archives at Elvis Presley Enterprises, said the negatives were tucked in a small ...

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Performance / Tour

Cirque Du Soleil 'Viva Elvis': It Has the Glitz, but Does It Capture Presley's Soul?

Cirque Du Soleil 'Viva Elvis': It Has the Glitz, but Does It Capture Presley's Soul?

Source: Michael Ricci

Like Cirque's Las Vegas take on the Beatles in “Love," “Viva Elvis" attempts to capture the magical spirit of one of rock 'n' roll's most mythic figures. But does the Canadian company succeed? Lewis notes that there are some striking musical numbers, including a military-themed treatment of “Return to Sender." He adds that Cirque made a wise choice in bypassing any male singers for the live renditions of Elvis Presley classics. Wrote Lewis, “Several numbers that are rendered anew ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

20 Original Albums...

The Jazz Alliance
2012

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The Original Elvis...

The Jazz Alliance
1996

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Elvis Presley (The...

The Jazz Alliance
1996

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Walk A Mile In My...

The Jazz Alliance
1995

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If Every Day Was Like...

The Jazz Alliance
1994

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