So far we've not posted any tribute/ memoriam to any International (rock and pop artists), and there can be no better way to begin this than one to a cultural icon and single-handed catalyst for the musical revolution that took place in the early 60s that was responsible for changing the landscape of music the world over.
Yes, we're talking of none other than the King of Rock n Roll - Elvis Presley and today, Jan 8 would have been his 89th Birthday.
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935 and eventually moving to Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis grew up in a dirt poor family. His early musical influences were largely to be found through the Assembly of God church that he attended and the radio where the music of various Black artists captured his imagination. His childhood was miserable, his father did several odd jobs and ended up in prison for forging a cheque. Elvis was bullied in school and was said to be painfully shy with a bad case of stage-fright. It was only in high-school that he began to stand out having styled himself to grow long sideburns and wearing flashy clothes. He had been dismissed as a failure by his elementary school teachers, but by the time he got out of high school he was competent enough to participate in music competitions.
Elvis was always very close to his mother, often teased as 'mama's boy' and it was in 1953 that he walked into Sam Phillips' independent recording service (before it became Sun Records) to cut an acetate for her. That one went unnoticed, but Sam Phillips was always on the lookout for new talent who could popularize the music of Black musicians. Music those days was highly racially divided and the Southern US states were largely leaning into "White" country and hillbilly music while the Black musicians' blues were confined to Black radio stations. Sam invited Elvis to sing Jimmy Sweeney's 'Without you' and got two local musicians, Scotty Moore and Bill Black - to play for him. Elvis' couldn't manage that song very well, but he began fooling around with Arthur Crudup's 'That's Alright, Mama,' changing it around and imbibing it with an energy that the original lacked. Sam saw promise in it & got him to record the acetate with 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' on the B side.
Elvis initially did not find airplay on radio on country music stations because Country Music DJs thought he sounded too 'Black', while the R & B stations thought he sounded too 'hillbilly'.
In 1955 he won Most promising male Artist at a Country music convention and Colonel Tom Parker took over as his manager, striking a deal with RCA records. This was followed in 1956 by his first big hit 'Heartbreak Hotel'. His live shows began catching on and so did the frenzy. His natural shyness and nervousness that had led to him shaking his legs during a performance to quell his anxiety, now turned into confident, sexually provocative hip gyrations which earned him the dubious nickname, The Pelvis and created a huge controversy. That must have been fueled by how crazy women would go during his stage shows. Elvis himself never understood his appeal and is said to have remained largely humble, dismissing the popular epithet of King of Rock n Roll bestowed on him and saying Fats Domino rightly deserved it.
He was drafted into military service in 1958 and served for two years, came back to record several hits and do a score of movies. Though he rarely wrote any of his own songs, he is credited as collaborator on several & was a huge influence for future influential songwriters and artists such as Dylan, Lennon & Springsteen. I cannot see the 60s rock and roll movement happening without his figure looming large over these artists. His appeal lay in the way he put his own spin around classic blues and R & B, infusing it with a unique blend of country and blues (Rockabilly) and put his own stamp on it.
I'm posting 3 of my favorite Elvis songs, but I have dozens - All Shook up, Hound Dog, Devil in Disguise, That's Alright, Mama, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Jailhouse Rock, Always on my mind, Can't help falling in love, Love me tender, Don't be cruel ... oh so many.
What are yours?
Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
Songwriters: Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT7gcUEX_Dc
In the Ghetto (1969) (A lot of this song reflects Elvis' own poverty ridden childhood)
Songwriter: Mac Davis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfypRsWPuVM
Suspicious minds (1968)
Songwriter: Mark James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxOBOhRECoo
Edited by LizzieBennet - 1 years ago
Arjun
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