Elvis Aaron (or Arona) Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th

century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or

simply "the King".

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in

1954 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, eager to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience, saw in Presley

the means to realize his ambition. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the

originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in

a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak

Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll

with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from

African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956,

he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.

Conscripted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most

commercially successful work. He staged few concerts, however, and, guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to

making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he

returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special that led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a

string of profitable tours. In 1973, Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, seen by

approximately 1.5 billion viewers. Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the

age of 42.

Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually

wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in

the history of popular music. Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement

Award at age 36. He has been inducted into four music halls of fame.

Commercial breakout and controversy (1956–58)
First national TV appearances and debut album
On January 10, 1956, Presley made his first recordings for RCA in Nashville. Extending the singer's by now customary backup of

Moore, Black, and Fontana, RCA enlisted pianist Floyd Cramer, guitarist Chet Atkins, and three background singers, including

Gordon Stoker of the popular Jordanaires quartet, to fill out the sound. The session produced the moody, unusual "Heartbreak

Hotel", released as a single on January 27.Parker finally brought Presley to national television, booking him on CBS's Stage Show

for six appearances over two months. The program, produced in New York, was hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and

brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. After his first appearance, on January 28, Presley stayed in town to record at RCA's New York

studio. The sessions yielded eight songs, including a cover of Carl Perkins' rockabilly anthem "Blue Suede Shoes". In February,

Presley's "I Forgot to Remember to Forget", a Sun recording initially released the previous August, reached the top of the

Billboard country chart.Neal's contract was terminated and, on March 2, Parker became Presley's manager.
RCA Victor released Presley's self-titled debut album on March 23. Joined by five previously unreleased Sun recordings, its seven

recently recorded tracks were of a broad variety. There were two country songs and a bouncy pop tune. The others would centrally

define the evolving sound of rock and roll: "Blue Suede Shoes"—"an improvement over Perkins' in almost every way", according to

critic Robert Hilburn—and three R&B numbers that had been part of Presley's stage repertoire for some time, covers of Little

Richard, Ray Charles, and The Drifters. As described by Hilburn, these "were the most revealing of all. Unlike many white artists

... who watered down the gritty edges of the original R&B versions of songs in the '50s, Presley reshaped them. He not only

injected the tunes with his own vocal character but also made guitar, not piano, the lead instrument in all

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