Elvis Presley

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“Forget Me Never”: The Reform of Elvis Presley
As the era of War and Depression was coming to a close, a new America was on the rise. Women began taking their place within the role of housewife while teenagers were careless with their actions. Since the Great Depression was over, the economy was booming and all the worries about money were gone. Race and segregation was still a problem and becoming more and more controversial. African Americans were fighting for desegregation, especially in schools such as in the Board v Brown case. While the new era brought on some social changes, many known changes came from one man known as “The King of Rock and Roll”: Elvis Presley. With Market potential on his mind, Sam Phillips of Sun Records was looking for an artist who appealed to both whites and blacks, found just what he was looking for in Elvis, a man with a white face and a black sound. Phillips managed to find an artist who appealed to the largest consumer base; white society. Presley’s music would go on to revolutionize future genres along with the people themselves. Elvis Presley did not only impact fashion, attitude, music and views on race during the 1950s, but also had a profound influence regarding these aspects that can still be seen in today’s society.
Even though Elvis Presley did not create rock and roll, he was the driving force behind it. The term “Rock and Roll” was used to describe the new music that was taking shape. It was first used by a disc jockey named Alan Freed in Cleveland Ohio. This genre of music was influenced by country music, gospel, rhythm, and blues (Waltos, Goodrich, and DiSalvo). Record producers wanted a white artist who could make African American music since they saw a lot ...

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...was ahead of the curve of social change, and it opened many doors previously closed to minority artists” (Batchelor). Elvis helped open people’s minds to other cultures through his integrated music (Meisenheimer). Elvis may have not fixed segregation entirely, but he did have a major influence on it.
While Elvis Presley had an influence on the attitude, fashion, music, and views on race in the 1950s, he would continue to influence these same aspects for future generations. Presley was a simple man who grew up in a time that was filled with hatred, depression, and war. When no child dared to speak back to their parent, Elvis showed the youth rebellion and when segregation was an issue, he showed white teenagers that African Americans were human just like them. Even though older generations continued to show their hatred for Elvis Presley, he still continued to rock.

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