Elvis Presley

1187 Words3 Pages

Elvis Presley was rock & roll’s first real American star, not to mention one of the most important cultural forces in history, a hip-shaking symbol of abolition for the steady America of the 1950s. Presley’s personality was so fresh and striking that he could never be labeled. He changed music forever as a king and a music legend. Elvis became the first rock-and-roll superstar that broke the boundaries of American culture. Almost everyone knows that Elvis Presley was a famous singer, but many people don’t fully understand what he contributed to popular music to earn his widespread fame.
Born January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley was the son of Gladys and Vernon Presley, a sewing-machine operator and a truck driver (Jann S.). Elvis was actually born right after his twin Jessie Garon. Jessie was born a still born making Elvis the only healthy child to Vernon and Gladys Presley. Vernon and Gladys did not have much money but they did everything they could to provide for their son Elvis. Elvis grew up around his family for a lot of his life including his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins which all lived in Tupelo as well. Presley’s career started all the way back when he was 10 years old where he took 5th place in a competition. Elvis won 5 dollars in fair ride tickets for singing “Old Sheep” (Elvis.com). Now when Elvis was young he was like most other kids and wanted a bike. Elvis parents could not afford to buy him a bike so Gladys talked Elvis into buying his first guitar instead of the bike. Elvis first guitar was $12.95 at the Tupelo Hardware store. In 1948, Elvis played “Leaf on a Tree” to his Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell because he was moving to Memphis, Tennessee.
Elvis was planning to...

... middle of paper ...

... can be harmful, and one can be loved and hated all at once. From his enormous fame came crushing responsibility and constant excess. Achieving widespread fame was just the beginning for Elvis; he went on in history for creating some of the most prominent music around day by day.

Works Cited
Jann S., W. n.d. n. page. .
"Elvis Presley Biography." Elvis.com. Elvis Presley Enterprises, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Pratt, Linda Ray. “Elvis, Or the Ironies of a Southern Identity.” The Elvis Reader: Texts and Sources on the King of Rock ‘N‘ Roll. Ed. Kevin Quain. New York: St. Martin’s, 1992. 93-103. Print. Rpt. in Southern Quarterly 18.1 (1979): 40-51.
Brode, Douglas. Elvis Cinema and Popular Culture. Jefferson: McFarland, 2006. Print.
Katz, Jamie. “The Soul of Memphis.” Smithsonian May 2010: 66-76. Print.

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