75th Birthday Anniversary of Elvis Presley
On January 8, 1935 , Elvis Aaron Presley was 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 up-tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues.
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.
The Gambia Post issued this stamp on 15 April 2011
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.Presley’s rise to national attention in 1956 transformed the field of popular music and had a huge effect on the broader scope of popular culture. As the catalyst for the cultural revolution that was rock and roll, he was central not only to defining it as a musical genre but in making it a touchstone of youth culture and rebellious attitude.
The St. Kitts Post issued this stamp on 14 July 2011
With its racially mixed origins—repeatedly affirmed by Presley—rock and roll’s occupation of a central position in mainstream American culture facilitated a new acceptance and appreciation of black culture.In this regard, Elvis Presley as an integrator and opened the door for black music . Elvis was a blessing for American music.
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, Elvis Presley 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, Elvis Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, seen by approximately 1.5 billion viewers.
Elvis Presley heralded the vastly expanded reach of celebrity in the era of mass communication: at the age of 21, within a year of his first appearance on American network television, he was one of the most famous people in the world.
Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42. Even, he have died, the sound of his voice and image could not be neglected in the history of the music development .
Presley’s name, image, and voice are instantly recognizable around the globe.He has inspired a legion of impersonators. In polls and surveys, he is recognized as one of the most important popular music artists and influential Americans.
