Artist, icon, sex symbol and myth, Elvis Presley was the first rock star ever, leaving behind an archetype for artists to use ever since his final performance. From the most humble of beginnings as a child he rose to become one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, an enduring symbol of Americana. Elvis dominated record sales while he was active as a performer, and even to this day Graceland- the holy land for Elvis fans- continues to be a popular tourist destination for those who would like to remember what it was like to be The King. The early life of Elvis Presley was startlingly unremarkable, as he was born to a Mississippi family that lived just barely above the poverty line. Despite a fondness for music and the arts, his economic situation afforded little chance to receive much in the way of early formal training with singing and music, though he did receive a guitar at age 11, and played whenever he could. His musical influences came from a gospel church, the local sounds of African American rhythm and blues and hillbilly music in and around Memphis, where his family moved when he was roughly 13 years of age. Elvis never learned to read music, but instead played by ear. After he was old enough to find work, he mostly drove trucks to make ends meet. Elvis got his big break in 1954 when Sam Phillips, the owner of the record label Sun, was looking specifically for a white singer who could play African American-style music. When Elvis sang Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right Mama,” a blues song, he nailed it, and Phillips immediately started recording. Such was the beginning of Elvis’ long career, which debuted with a successful release of the single “That’s All Right Mamma” under the Sun label. After a few more singles gained wider and wider appeal, it was clear that Elvis was on to something big. Large record labels took a keen interest in Presley, and he eventually signed with RCA in 1955. Under the giant label of RCA, Elvis went to work, recording numerous singles and albums without delay. His self-titled debut album reached No. 1 in 1956, as did the next, Elvis and the next, Love Me Tender, both released that same year. Elvis’s deep voice won over the airwaves and broke record after record in terms of sales. But while he was performing songs like “Heartbreak Hotel,” Don‘t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog” and “All Shook Up,” he was both inventing and perfecting what it meant to be a rock star. With pouty lips snarling out the notes, thick jet-black hair always getting mussed, sideburns for days and dangerously amorous hip shaking downstairs, Elvis became more than simply a music artist. Elvis was a sensation who insured that there would forever be a link between African American and white music, between sex appeal and rock and roll.
