Mini Biography
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi. In September 1948 when Elvis was 13, he and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating from Humes High School in Memphis, Elvis took odd jobs working as a movie theater usher and a truck driver for Crown Electric Company. He began singing locally as "The Hillbilly Cat", then signed with a local recording company, then in 1955 with RCA. He did much to establish early rock and roll music, bringing black blues singing into the white, teenage mainstream. Teenage girls became hysterical over his blatantly sexual gyrations, particularly the one that got him nicknamed "Elvis the Pelvis" (TV cameras were not permitted to film below his waist). At the time of his death, he had sold over 600-million singles and albums.
In 1955, Elvis was cast in his first acting role in a supporting part in Love Me Tender (1956), the first of 33 movies he starred in. Critics blasted most of his films, but they did very well at the box-office earning upwards of $150 million total. Elvis's military service in the late 1950s and the "British invasion" of the 1960s reduced his concerts, though not his movie/recording income. Through the 1960s, Elvis settled in Hollywood where he starred in over 20 movies, acting alongside some of the most well known character actors in Hollywood.
Elvis made a comeback in the 1970s with live concert appearances starting in early 1970 in Las Vegas with over 57 sold-out shows. Elvis toured throughout the USA appearing on-stage in over 500 live appearances, many of them sold out shows. But the stress of constantly traveling as well as his increasing weight gain and dependence upon stimulants and depressants took their toll. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 at his mansion in Graceland, near Memphis at age 42. Since his death, his Memphis home Graceland has become a shrine for millions of followers worldwide. Elvis impersonators and purported sightings have become stock subjects for humorists
Elvis Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an up-tempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing 'black' and 'white' sounds, made him popular - and controversial - as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into three separate music 'Halls of Fame'.
In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three movies - mainly poorly reviewed musicals. 1970 saw a critically-acclaimed return to live music, followed by performances in Las Vegas and across the U.S. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. His death, at the age of 42, shocked his fans worldwide.
We bring you 15 little-known facts about the King of rock 'n' roll
Elvis had an identical twin. Born stillborn, the twin was named Jessie Garon and rumour has it that mother Gladys saw the tragedy as a sign that her living twin was destined for great things.
Aron or Aaron? The correct spelling of Elvis's middle name has baffled fans for years. The fact is that Elvis was apparently named Aron (just the one 'a') after his stillborn twin Garon. However, rumour has it that when Elvis wanted to change the spelling to the more traditional Aaron, he found it had always been spelt that way due to a bureaucratic error. Later, knowing that Elvis preferred the traditional spelling, his father chose Aaron for his tombstone.
Elvis's musical talents blossomed when he was given an acoustic guitar for his eleventh birthday. The young Elvis, however, was disappointed - he had wanted a bicycle. However he persevered and taught himself to play a few chords, strumming away to blues and gospel songs, and the legend was born.
Elvis used to be a truck driver, earning $1.25 an hour. His real ambition, however, was to become an electrician and he started evening classes to gain the necessary skills.
Aside from three concerts in Canada, Elvis never performed outside the United States.
Elvis's first public singing performance was made at the age of ten at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, where he sang 'Old Shep' (a song he later recorded.) The young King didn't win.
Elvis once wrote a letter to President Nixon in which he asked to be appointed as an undercover narcotics cop. Nixon gave Elvis a honorary Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge - a presentation which, in the light of his death (where heavy drug use was suspected), turned out to be pretty ironic.
Elvis had to pay for his first song recording - forking out a fee of around $4. He had wanted to record to see what his voice was like.
Elvis's legendary manager Colonel Tom Parker was really called Andreas van Kuijk.
Elvis gave money to several charities, each year giving $1,000 or more to each of 50 Memphis-area charities, as well as many other donations in Memphis and around the country. Most of his charitable donations were kept secret.
