Home

Presley Elvis 1935 - 1977 (42)

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.


QUOTES



Elvis Presley (1935 – 1977) , was an American singer who has been called King of Rock and Roll; he was also an actor. He was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo Mississippi, a few minutes after his dead twin brother. In his childhood they changed several towns as his parents were looking for job as workers. Eventually they settled in Memphis where Elvis came into contact with music through gospels in church congregations. At 12, his mother bought him a used guitar and he began to scratch it incessantly. He finished school in 1953 and got a job as a truck driver, with his first money he recorded a song which gave to his mother for her birthday. After a few months he recorded a second song and he was noticed from the owner of the studio who liked his voice. They recorded some songs together and one was satisfying enough to release it as a single. The same year they recorded another song that had very good sales although some critics opposed to his music. In 1956 he became known all over the country through a musical TV series (Stage show) in which he made eight appearances. At that time he had taken control of his career an astute agent, Tom Parker, who was arranging nonstop appearances on television, in movies, performances and musicals. Under his guidance, he released his first singles that had more than a million sales (heartbreak hotel).

In late 1957 and while his career had taken off, he was inducted into the U.S. Army. In March 1958 he joined his division in Friedberg, Germany. In Germany he met the 14 year old Priscilla who later would marry. He returned to America in 1960 and in 1961 he gave a live performance for the armed forces at Pearl Harbor. The following years he focused his career on television and cinema. In 1968 he returned to music with a series of live concerts throughout America which became a huge success. After 1969 he released dozens of songs and albums and sold millions of copies. In 1973 he got divorced and the following years he was becoming increasingly unwell. He was hospitalized a few times for overdosed on barbiturates and others in semicomatose condition from the effects of Demerol addiction. On August 16th, 1977, in Memphis, Tennessee, he was found dead by his fiancée. Doctors announced that his death was caused by a high dose of drugs. Presley had released 75 albums and is estimated that he has sold up to day, more than 1 billion copies.