- Wikipedia

{"parse":{"title":"Elvis Presley","pageid":9288,"text":{"*":"

For other uses, see Elvis Presley (disambiguation).

\"Elvis\" and \"King of Rock and Roll\" redirect here. For other uses, see Elvis (disambiguation) and King of Rock and Roll (disambiguation).

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Elvis Presley
$\"A$ Presley in a publicity photograph for the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock
Born	Elvis Aaron Presley^[a] (1935-01-08)January 8, 1935 Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	August 16, 1977(1977-08-16) (aged 42) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting place	Graceland, Memphis 35\u00b02\u203246\u2033N 90\u00b01\u203223\u2033W / 35.04611\u00b0N 90.02306\u00b0W / 35.04611; -90.02306
Other names	King of Rock and Roll
Occupations	\n Singer \n actor \n
Works	\n Albums \n singles \n songs \n film and television \n
Spouse	\n Priscilla Beaulieu \n (m. 1967; div. 1973)
Children	Lisa Marie Presley
Relatives	Riley Keough (granddaughter) Brandon Presley (second cousin) Harold Ray Presley (first cousin once removed)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	\n Rock and roll \n pop \n rockabilly \n country \n gospel \n R&B \n blues \n
Instruments	\n Vocals \n guitar \n piano \n
Years active	1953\u20131977
Labels	\n Sun \n RCA Victor \n His Master's Voice (UK) \n Allied Artists \n
\n Musical artist

Military service^[1]
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Years of service	1958\u20131960
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Headquarters Company, 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32d Armor, 3d Armored Division
Awards	Good Conduct Medal
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Signature

Elvis Aaron Presley^[a] (January 8, 1935 \u2013 August 16, 1977), known mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Known as the \"King of Rock and Roll\", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's energized performances and interpretations of songs, and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy.\n

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi; his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. His music career began there in 1954, at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on guitar and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who managed him for the rest of his career. Presley's first RCA Victor single, \"Heartbreak Hotel\", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the US. Within a year, RCA Victor sold ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular rock and roll; though his performative style and promotion of the then-marginalized sound of African Americans^[6] led to him being widely considered a threat to the moral well-being of white American youth.^[7]\n

In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, he relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. Presley held few concerts, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. Some of Presley's most famous films included Jailhouse Rock (1957), Blue Hawaii (1961), and Viva Las Vegas (1964). In 1968, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed NBC television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse and unhealthy eating severely compromised his health, and Presley died unexpectedly in August 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42.\n

Presley is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with sale estimates ranging from 500 million records to over a billion worldwide.^[b] He was commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, rock and roll, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, adult contemporary, and gospel. He won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. He holds several records, including the most RIAA-certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart, and the most number-one singles by any act on the UK Singles Chart. In 2018, Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.\n

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v t e Elvis Presley
\n Awards \n Albums \n Singles \n Songs \n Films and television \n Personal relationships \n Cultural depictions \n Cultural impact \n
Studio albums	\n Elvis Presley \n Elvis (1956 album) \n Elvis' Christmas Album \n Elvis Is Back! \n His Hand in Mine \n Something for Everybody \n Pot Luck \n How Great Thou Art \n From Elvis in Memphis \n From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis \n That's the Way It Is \n Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) \n Love Letters from Elvis \n Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas \n Elvis Now \n He Touched Me \n Elvis (1973 album) \n Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake \n Good Times \n Promised Land \n Today \n From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee \n Moody Blue \n
Soundtrack albums	\n Loving You \n King Creole \n G.I. Blues \n Blue Hawaii \n Girls! Girls! Girls! \n It Happened at the World's Fair \n Fun in Acapulco \n Kissin' Cousins \n Roustabout \n Girl Happy \n Harum Scarum \n Frankie and Johnny \n Paradise Hawaiian Style \n Spinout \n Double Trouble \n Clambake \n Speedway \n Viva Elvis \n Elvis Presley: The Searcher \n
EPs	\n Love Me Tender \n Peace in the Valley \n Jailhouse Rock \n Flaming Star \n Follow That Dream \n Kid Galahad \n Viva Las Vegas \n Tickle Me \n Easy Come, Easy Go \n
Live albums	\n Elvis (1968 album) \n From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis \n On Stage \n As Recorded at Madison Square Garden \n Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite \n Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis \n Having Fun with Elvis on Stage \n Elvis in Concert \n An Afternoon in the Garden \n
Budget albums	\n Elvis Sings Flaming Star \n Let's Be Friends \n Almost in Love \n C'mon Everybody \n I Got Lucky \n Elvis' 40 Greatest \n Pure Gold \n
Compilation albums	\n Elvis' Golden Records \n For LP Fans Only \n A Date with Elvis \n 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong \n Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 \n Elvis for Everyone! \n Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4 \n You'll Never Walk Alone \n Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1 \n Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2 \n The Sun Sessions \n Welcome to My World \n He Walks Beside Me \n Mahalo from Elvis \n Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 3 \n Greatest Hits Volume 1 \n Elvis' Gold Records Volume 5 \n Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances \n Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II \n Elvis 56 \n Greatest Jukebox Hits \n Tiger Man \n Memories: The '68 Comeback Special \n Sunrise \n Suspicious Minds: The Memphis 1969 Anthology \n The 50 Greatest Hits \n ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits \n 2nd to None \n Elvis at Sun \n Hitstory \n Elvis Inspirational \n Elvis Rock \n Elvis Christmas \n The Essential Elvis Presley \n Christmas Duets \n If I Can Dream \n Way Down in the Jungle Room \n The Wonder of You \n Where No One Stands Alone \n
Box sets	\n Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1 \n The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters \n From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters \n Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters \n Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings \n Live in Las Vegas \n Today, Tomorrow, and Forever \n Elvis the King \n The Complete '68 Comeback Special \n The Complete Elvis Presley Masters \n
Biographical media	\n Elvis (1979 film) \n Elvis and Me (miniseries) \n Elvis (1990 series) \n Elvis Meets Nixon \n Elvis (2005 miniseries) \n Elvis & Nixon \n Elvis (2022 film) \n Agent Elvis (2023 series) \n Priscilla \n
Documentaries	\n The Pied Piper of Cleveland \n Elvis: That's the Way It Is \n Elvis on Tour \n This Is Elvis \n The New Gladiators \n Elvis Presley: The Searcher \n Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley \n
TV specials	\n The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis \n Elvis ('68 Comeback Special) \n Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite \n Elvis in Concert \n
Stage shows	\n Cooking with Elvis \n All Shook Up \n Elvis. The Musical \n Elvis: The Concert \n Viva Elvis \n The Elvis Dead \n
Related people	\n Lisa Marie Presley (daughter) \n Riley Keough (granddaughter) \n Priscilla Presley (ex-wife) \n Brandon Presley (second cousin) \n Sam Phillips \n The Blue Moon Boys \n The Jordanaires \n The Imperials \n The Sweet Inspirations \n TCB Band \n J. D. Sumner \n Stephen H. Sholes \n June Juanico \n Memphis Mafia \n Colonel Tom Parker \n George C. Nichopoulos \n Judy Spreckels \n Linda Thompson \n Ginger Alden \n Larry Geller \n
Related articles	\n Graceland \n Audubon Street House \n Impersonators \n Elvis and Gladys \n Elvis and Me \n Elvis: What Happened? \n Elvis-A-Rama Museum \n Sun recordings \n Million Dollar Quartet \n Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley \n Songs about Elvis \n Elvis Presley Enterprises \n Elvis Presley Lake \n \"Elvis has left the building\" \n Elvis Radio \n FBI files on Elvis Presley \n Military service \n Eight Elvises \n Triple Elvis \n Elvis Presley's Pink Cadillac \n Elvis Presley's guitars \n Elvis Presley single \n Elvis Presley Forever stamp \n Elvis sightings \n Elvis sandwich \n Fool's Gold Loaf \n Elvis' Greatest Shit \n List of memorials \n
\n $\"\"$ Category \n

Authority control databases $\"Edit$
International	ISNI 2 VIAF FAST 2 WorldCat
National	Germany United States France BnF data Japan Italy Australia Czech Republic Russia Spain Netherlands Norway Latvia Croatia Chile Greece Argentina Korea Sweden Poland Israel Finland Catalonia Belgium
Academics	CiNii
Artists	MusicBrainz Grammy Awards FID
People	BMLO Trove Deutsche Biographie Deutsche Synchronkartei DDB
Other	IdRef NARA SNAC 2 RISM

Life and career

1935\u20131953: early years

1953\u20131956: first recordings

Sam Phillips and Sun Records

Early live performances and RCA Victor contract

Louisiana Hayride, radio commercial, and first television performances

1956\u20131958: commercial breakout and controversy

First national TV appearances and debut album

Milton Berle Show and \"Hound Dog\"

Steve Allen Show and first Sullivan appearance

Crazed crowds and film debut

Leiber and Stoller collaboration and draft notice

1958\u20131960: military service and mother's death

1960\u20131968: focus on films

Elvis Is Back

Lost in Hollywood

1968\u20131973: Comeback

Elvis: the '68 Comeback Special

From Elvis in Memphis and the International

Back on tour and meeting Nixon

Marriage breakdown and Aloha from Hawaii

1973\u20131977: health deterioration and death

Medical crises and last studio sessions

Final months and death

Cause of death

1977\u2013present: posthumous developments

Artistry

Influences

Musicianship

Musical styles and genres

Vocal style and range

Public image

Relationship with the African-American community

Sex symbol

Legacy

Achievements

Discography

Filmography

See also

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General sources

Further reading

External links

Elvis Presley

Media collections