Overview
Elvis Aaron Presley[a] (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His energized 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, led him to both great success and initial controversy.
B.B. King recalled that he had known Presley before he was popular when they both used to frequent Beale Street.[46] By the time he graduated from high school in June 1953, Presley had already singled out music as his future.[47][48]
On March 24, 1958, Presley was drafted into the United States Army at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. His arrival was a major media event. Hundreds of people descended on Presley as he stepped from the bus; photographers then accompanied him into the installation.[161] Presley announced that he was looking forward to his military stint, saying that he did not want to be treated any differently from anyone else: "The Army can do anything it wants with me."[162]
Presley returned to the United States on March 2, 1960, and was honorably discharged three days later with the rank of sergeant.[177]
Presley returned to television on May 12 as a guest on The Frank Sinatra Timex Special—ironic for both stars, given Sinatra's earlier excoriation of rock and roll. Also known as Welcome Home Elvis, the show had been taped in late March, the only time all year Presley performed in front of an audience. Secured an unheard-of $125,000 fee for eight minutes of singing. The broadcast drew an enormous viewership.[184]
G.I. Blues, the soundtrack to Presley's first film since his return, was a number-one album in October.
Among the 27 films he made during the 1960s, there were a few further exceptions.[189] His films were almost universally panned; critic Andrew Caine dismissed them as a "pantheon of bad taste".[190] Nonetheless, they were virtually all profitable. Hal Wallis, who produced nine of them, declared, "A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood."[191]
Shortly before Christmas 1966, more than seven years since they first met, Presley proposed to Priscilla Beaulieu. They were married on May 1, 1967, in a brief ceremony in their suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.[199] The flow of formulaic films and assembly-line soundtracks rolled on. It was not until October 1967, when the Clambake soundtrack LP registered record low sales for a new Presley album, that RCA executives recognized a problem.
Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, was born on February 1, 1968.
He ( maneuvered a deal with NBC that committed the network to both finance a theatrical feature and broadcast a Christmas special.[205]
Years of prescription drug abuse and unhealthy eating habits severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42.