Elvis and His Music it

Elvis and His Music

It is probably safe to say that everyone around the world has heard of Elvis Presley. He is still admired by fans and peers, almost 30 years after his death. Elvis was and remains the undisputed King of music.

Former president Ronald Reagan clearly indicated how he felt about Elvis, saying, "Elvis epitomized America, and for that we shall be eternally grateful. There will never be anyone else like him" (O'Meara 2002). Although Frank Sinatra was respectfully referred to as the "chairman of the board," even he once said, "I'm just a singer...Elvis was the embodiment of the whole American culture" (O'Meara 2002). Paul McCartney recalled that "when we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted to be was Elvis Presley" (O'Meara 2002). Others have remarked that Elvis shaped the music world and continues to influence it to this day. He is timeless. He is everyone's generation. But, perhaps John Lennon sums up these sentiments best when he said, "Before Elvis there was nothing" (O'Meara 2002).

Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 08, 1935 to Gladys and Vernon Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, thus Elvis grew up as an only child. In 1948, The Presley's moved to Memphis, Tennessee, there Elvis graduated in 1953 from Humes High School (All 2006). During this era, Memphis was a haven for various types of music, all of which had a tremendous influence on him. Pop and country music were the main marketable music at the time, however Elvis not only frequented all-night gospel revivals, but also absorbed the black rhythm and blues music on historic Beale Street. It is because he took to heart all the different styles of music that his own singing style became so unique (All 2006). In other words, what he heard became his own.

In 1954, when he strolled into Sun Studios, the office manager asked him "Who do you sound like," Elvis replied, "Nobody. I don't sound like nobody" (Simon 1995). That was true then, and it remains true today. No one sounds like Elvis!

In 1955, RCA Victor bought his recording contract from Sun Records and by 1956, Elvis had become an international household name. His sound and style were unique, and together with the myriad of musical influences, he challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, which resulted in an entirely new era of American music and pop culture (All 2006). Elvis was a white man who could sing like a African-American blues artist, and had the stage presence that captivated the world.

Elvis was only 23 years old when his mother, Gladys died. She had been the center of his world. According to biographer Peter Guralnick, "She made him feel as if he was something special, as if nothing he did could be wrong. And I think for Elvis the whole, not simply the center of his world disappeared, but the reason for his world" (Simon 1995). Guralnick explains that this was a mystery that puzzled Elvis till the day he died, and it was something for which he never found an answer. In other words, Elvis never really got over his mother's death, she had been his everything (Simon 1995).

Although a gifted and musician and a good and generous human being, by the end of his life, Elvis had fallen into a state of decadence, drunkenness, drug abuse, and physical deterioration (Simon 1995). He had become bitterly disappointed with his life, and almost a desolate person, for celebrity had basically chewed up his creativity (Simon 1995). Guralnick writes that there were "fewer and fewer opportunities to withdraw from the spotlight, and with the ability to withdraw from the spotlight," he simply became consumed by it (Simon 1995). Ironically, his manager Colonel Tom Parker understood that one of the key elements of success is limited exposure of the artist to the public, otherwise, the public will consume the artist. However, Guralnick notes, "I think that it didn't work for Elvis because his creative outlet were not maintained at the same time...but some one like Bob Dylan, for instance, sought to recreate himself over and over again," thus he withdrew from the spotlight to do different things, to do new things, and this is perhaps the only way to survive in a celebrity-consuming age (Simon 1995).