The creation of a new direction in music - rockabilly - is associated with the name of the American actor and singer Elvis Presley. The star's biography is full of various events - tragedies and successes; the guy managed to become an idol for millions of fans in his short life. He left behind cult compositions, interesting films, and his fortune and rights passed to his wife and only daughter.
Childhood
In Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935, twins were born to Gladys and Vernon Presley. The parents named their sons Elvis and Jess Garon. But one of the boys was born dead, so the second was given another name - Aron, although Elvis later changed it to the biblical Aaron and was even going to rewrite it in documents.
The future rock star has American nationality, but mixed blood: on his mother’s side there were descendants of Cherokee Indians, Irish and Normans, and on his father’s side there were descendants of Scots and Germans. The family lived poorly; Elvis spent his childhood almost in poverty. Vernon didn't have a regular job, so Gladys ran the show. In 1938, my father went to prison for check forgery. Mother had to work even harder.
Gladys managed to pay enough attention to her son; she instilled in him a love of religion and music. On his 11th birthday, the boy received a guitar as a gift, and this influenced his hobbies. In 1948, the Presley family moved to Memphis, where his father had more job opportunities. Here Elvis became more interested in music, visited African-American stores, and watched the performances of bluesmen.
Two years later, he began learning to play guitar with the help of Jesse Lee Denson. Together with the Burnett brothers and Johnny Black, the guy performed on the street, performing country and gospel songs. In 1953, Elvis took part in a school festival and picnic in Overton Park.
First auditions
In 1953, Elvis visited Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service studio, where he created a two-track record for $8. The singer himself said that it was a gift from his mother. The owner of the studio took note of the young man, although he did not make any offers to him. Presley's first auditions were unsuccessful: he was turned down by a nightclub and a gospel quartet.
In June 1954, Elvis received a call from Phillips inviting him to record a song. Although he was unhappy with the result, a second rehearsal took place a week later. During breaks, Presley, along with a double bassist and guitarist, played Arthur Crudup's "Mama" in an unexpected rhythm. Phillips liked the composition, recorded it and took it to the radio. The song was played several times an hour, and Elvis himself was invited to the radio station for an interview.
Already in July, the group performed at the Bon Air club, and later began to sing constantly at Eagles Nest. Presley's group was called The Blue Moon Boys, and it was noticed by Tom Parker, who had extensive experience and contacts in show business. He organized Elvis to tour the southern United States. The singer recorded new compositions:
- "Good Rockin' Tonight"
- "Milkcow Blues Boogie";
- "Baby, Let's Play House";
- "I Forgot to Remember to Forget."
In 1955, RCA Records bought Elvis's entire catalog of songs and the rights to sell them. According to the contract, Presley received 5% from each record sold.
Worldwide success
Already in 1956, Presley became famous outside the southern states. He performed sensual blues compositions, which sold in huge quantities - more than 1 million. After the singer performed on American television, the audience was divided into two groups. One worshiped him like an idol and called him the king of rock and roll. Elvis Presley for the second part was another upstart.
Young people continued to listen to his songs, copied his style - hairstyle, manner of dressing, even gait. And the older generation found his performances vulgar, and the artist himself - mediocre. In the summer, Elvis's records went on sale in the UK and Germany, where his songs became hits. Even in the USSR they heard his compositions, although the recordings could not be purchased.
Presley set records that no one has yet been able to break:
- received three Grammys;
- sold more than 1 billion vinyl records and CDs;
- 150 albums have received gold, platinum and multi-platinum titles;
- 149 hits were in Billboard's Hot 100.
Each of his concerts attracted crowds of fans, although his early performances were not so popular. Thousands of girls tried to meet him, and boys wanted to be like him.
Elvis was obsessed with teenage girls and called them "cherries"
One of the first documented cases of Elvis hitting on a very young girl occurred in 1956. Jackie Rowland was only 14 years old, and her star boyfriend was 21 years old. The girl's parents caught the couple backstage during an Elvis concert. The musician asked to let Jackie go to the bar with him, to which the girl’s mother replied: “My daughter is a minor, and she will return home with me.”
Another woman, Frances Forbes, was Elvis's neighbor. She says that the musician did not notice her until the girl was 14 years old. The singer invited Frances to his house along with two other 14-year-old girls for a slumber party. During the get-togethers, he taught the teenagers how to do makeup, and also tickled and kissed them. Then the singer asked his manager to bring more girls, which he did soon. At one of these parties, the musician undressed, and then began to caress the girls, after which he fell asleep with them in his arms. Another time he asked young beauties to wear white underwear and wrestle in the mud.
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“He was obsessed with teenage girls. It scared us all,” said Lamar Fike, a former member of Elvis’ entourage. Let us remember that after his divorce from Priscilla, the 39-year-old musician began dating his half-brother’s 14-year-old girlfriend.
Acting career
Musical success opened the doors of Hollywood for Elvis. In 1956 he first appeared on screens as an actor. He not only proved himself to be a talented artist, but also played four of his songs in the film “Love Me Tender.”
Then Presley’s filmography was replenished with other films:
- "Prison Rock";
- "To love you";
- "Savage";
- "Soldier's Blues";
- "Blue Hawaii";
- "The girl is happy";
- "Long live Las Vegas."
For the second picture he had to dye his hair brunette, and since then he has not returned to his natural shade. Elvis himself wrote and performed soundtracks for some films. Filming “King Creole” allowed him to get a reprieve - in 1957 he was drafted into the army.
After finishing his service, the famous singer planned to devote himself entirely to cinema. He moved to Los Angeles and began actively acting. For each of his roles, Presley received $500,000 and half of the film's rental price. Gradually he stopped writing compositions not related to films. Since 1964, the artist began to lose popularity - musical trends changed, and the famous group The Beatles appeared. Because of this, Elvis contacted Felton Jarvis, who added drums and bass guitar to his compositions.
Movie
Such musical success contributed to the fact that the doors of Hollywood opened wide for Presley. The first film with his participation appeared on the screens at the end of 1956, it was the film “Love Me Tender.” The role was small, but here, in addition to filming, Elvis sang four more musical compositions.
This was followed by filming in two more films, “Loving You” and “Prison Rock.”
At the height of his popularity, in early 1958, Presley was drafted into the American Army and served in the 3rd Armored Division in West Germany. He was allowed to rent a private house during his service, so the singer had the opportunity to continue to engage in creativity.
In 1960, Elvis was discharged and moved to Los Angeles, as there were many offers to act in films.
In just 13 years, Elvis Presley starred in more than thirty films:
- "Soldier's Blues";
- "Blazing Star";
- "Savage";
- "Blue Hawaii";
- “Girls! Girls! Girls!
- "Kissing Cousins";
- “Long live Las Vegas!”;
- "Employee";
- "The girl is happy."
Military service
Presley, beloved by his many fans, decided to undergo military service. At first, the military department wanted to use his image as a tool to popularize the army. But society was unkind to the rock and roll that he performed, so his producer abandoned the idea. He was afraid that this move would reduce the singer's popularity.
In 1958, Elvis was assigned to the Third Armored Division of the American Army. First he served in Texas, then traveled to Nashville to record new songs. In August, the singer flew to Memphis, where his mother died on the 14th. This tragic event left its mark on Presley.
In September the guy was transported to West Germany. Here he created a special gang - the Memphis Mafia. It included friends and relatives who knew him from childhood or from the beginning of his military service. Each participant performed his own functions - lackey, bodyguard, manager, accompanist. A year later, Elvis met the daughter of a US Air Force officer. Too young Priscilla Bewley - she was only 14 years old - captivated him with her honesty and simplicity. Her parents did not approve of a relationship with a famous musician, but love led the young people to an official marriage.
During his entire service, Presley’s discography was replenished with new hits:
- "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck";
- "Hard Headed Woman";
- "One Night";
- "I Need Your Love Tonight";
- "A Big Hunk o' Love".
Four albums were also released, which became popular in a short period.
Elvis dated five women at the same time - myth or reality?
Elvis had a very difficult and tumultuous personal life, which is not surprising considering how many young girls idolized him. His first official girlfriend was Anita Wood, whom he dated for several years. The couple had a fairly serious relationship, but Elvis's meeting with Priscilla Beaulieu in Germany changed everything. At first, the musician was torn between his two lovers, but then Anita decided that it was time to break off the relationship.
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However, marriage to Priscilla did not become a reason for abandoning other girls. Elvis actually dated five other women while he was married. Two of them were named Viva Costar and Ann-Margret Olsson. When Priscilla found out about her husband’s infidelities, she, according to her biographers, threw a vase of flowers across the room. However, she did not create a scandal for her husband, but tried to return his love. Priscilla began to imitate Ann-Margret in appearance, even doing similar hairstyles and choosing outfits in the same style.
Return to the stage
Since his acting career ended, Presley decided to devote the rest of his youth to music. He gave a television concert on the NBC channel, where he appeared before the audience in a new image and with interesting compositions - the king of rock and roll returned to the stage.
He recorded new songs and albums in the American studio. They were very different from his previous work. Elvis skillfully combined mature pop music with soul style, danced the twist on stage, and therefore fit harmoniously into new youth musical trends.
Later, the singer signed a contract for a summer engagement with the International Hotel. He assembled a new team: James Burton's rock group, a pop symphony orchestra, a black band and a gospel quartet. These musicians remained with him until the very last performance. The concert was successful, after which new songs were recorded.
In 1970, Presley finally decided on his style - he went on stage in a flared white jumpsuit with macramé and buckles. Over the years, the costume was complemented with rhinestones, stones and metal accessories. His concerts turned into a special musical ritual: he started and ended them the same way.
Personal life
In 1963, Priscilla, whom Elvis met in Germany, moved to the USA. The singer spent a long time convincing her father to give permission for this trip. The couple met regularly, Presley observed all the rules of decency and behaved like a true gentleman. Three years later, he proposed to the girl, and in 1967 they got married.
Elvis Presley's young wife pleased him with the birth of a girl. The daughter was named Lisa Marie (later she became the wife of Michael Jackson). The family life of Priscilla and the singer was unstable; they often quarreled over his publicity and constant touring. For these reasons, the girl filed for divorce in 1972, although the couple had not lived together for a long time.
But this was not the end of Elvis Presley’s personal life. Until 1976, he lived in a civil marriage with Tennessee beauty pageant winner Linda Thompson. And until his death, model and actress Ginger Alden lived with him. The couple looked harmonious - both lovers were tall and slender (the singer’s height reached 182 cm, the girl’s height reached 175 cm). But Elvis Presley had no more children.
Elvis shot one of his girlfriends
Beauty queen Ginger Alden was briefly in a relationship with Presley. She was 20 then, and he was 41 years old. But they met much earlier. Initially, Ginger's older sister became interested in the singer, but the king of rock preferred the younger one.
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Elvis wanted to start a family life with a girl, but their relationship was too stormy. Quarrels and scandals reached the point that one day Ginger ran away from the musician in a car, and he shot after her. The singer even asked one of his managers to puncture the tires of his new girlfriend’s car. He also tried to lock her in his house more than once.
Last years and death
The seventies were the most difficult years for the singer. While still in service, he began taking medications to help him stay alert at night. Later he got used to them and drank during performances. Elvis could play two concerts in a day, go to a party at night, return home at dawn, and get up in the morning for the next trip. This schedule did not allow him to relax, so he also had to take sleeping pills. Presley considered himself fat and took diet pills, becoming dependent on the drugs.
He developed apathy towards everything: music no longer occupied his thoughts, in the studio and at concerts he was absent-minded. After a long tour in 1977, he was hospitalized. He had been depressed in recent months over a book written by sacked staff and former friends. The collection talked about Presley's aggressive behavior, his drug and alcohol addiction, and suspicion.
On August 16, Elvis returned from a visit to the dentist to his estate. He spent half the night talking with Ginger about this book, preparing for a new tour. At dawn he took a dose of sedatives, but could not sleep. A few hours later he took a few more pills. After this, Presley stayed reading a book in the boudoir bath. The girl discovered his body only at two o'clock in the afternoon.
The ambulance arrived quite quickly, the singer was taken to intensive care, but it was too late. The official cause of death is heart failure . But many fans did not believe that he could die like that. The funeral took place on August 18, 1977, and his ashes were taken to Graceland after fans tried to open his grave.
Legacy and memory
The singer has become so popular that many people call him only by his first name - Elvis. Another one like this has not yet been born, so a surname is not needed. In America he is remembered as a king, in the rest of the world he is the king of rock and roll . Many documentaries and biographical films have been shot and books have been written. There are Presley imitators on every continent. His estate is second only to the White House in terms of the number of tourists. More than 600,000 people come here every year.
His compositions continue to be published, now in mp3 format. The rights to all of his songs are owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises, which is partly run by his wife and daughter. Many people consider Elvis to be the singer of the hit “Only you”; in fact, it was sung by The Platters. And Presley only re-recorded the composition.
For a long time, fans did not believe in the death of their idol; they opened his grave to get proof of their theories. Some newspapers wrote that Elvis simply faked his death because he wanted to end his public activities and retire to continue his spiritual development.
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Elvis attacked Priscilla when she decided to break up with him
When the girl told Elvis that she no longer loved him and was leaving him for karate champion Michael Stone, Elvis, in a fit of jealousy, attacked her with his fists. In her memoirs, Priscilla wrote: “He grabbed me and forced me to make love to him. It was very unpleasant."
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