That these debates played out against a backdrop of racial discrimination, segregation in the south and the national movement for civil rights only fuelled resentment towards Elvis. In , Elvis was drafted for military service , a major event for fans and media. After basic training, he joined the 3rd Armoured Division and was stationed in Germany for two years.
During the s, Elvis also starred in several prescribed Hollywood movies , usually musical comedies that were accompanied by a soundtrack album. Sadly, after years of prescription drug misuse and in failing health, Elvis passed away on August 16, , after suffering a sudden heart attack in his Graceland home. From a shy young boy to global superstar, the icon of the 20th century that was Elvis Presley is still as enigmatic today as when he was alive. Presley was buried on the Graceland property, near the gravesites of his mother, Gladys, father Vernon and grandmother Minnie Mae Hood Presley.
Throughout his amazing career, Presley helped popularize rock 'n' roll music in America. He also won three Grammy Awards for his gospel recordings. A major musical force, Presley had 18 No.
He was one of the first performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame But Presley has been recognized for his contributions to several musical genres, most notably rock, country and gospel. Presley's Memphis home, Graceland, is open to the public, and numerous fans from around the world visit the legendary residence annually, especially around Presley's birthday and the anniversary of his death.
Thousands of fans traveled to Graceland on August 16, — the 35th anniversary of Presley's death — for a special vigil in honor of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. During the gathering, fans held lit candles and stood outside of Presley's home. Though the Presley family holds a tribute event each year to mark the anniversary of Presley's death, the gathering was unique: Presley's estranged wife, Priscilla, and daughter Lisa Marie appeared together for the first time at the annual event.
It's amazing," Priscilla said during the event, according to the Washington Post. It's truly a sight to behold This is something that Elvis would never, ever have believed could have taken place here. Over the years, several documentaries and films have explored the enigmatic performer, including a television miniseries starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Elvis.
In , a two-part documentary, Elvis Presley: The Searcher , was released and explores his early life, rise to fame and his myriad musical influences. That year, the online auction site IronPlanet announced that a private jet once owned by Presley and his father was on the market. The red Lockheed Jetstar, which has sat idle on a New Mexico runway for decades, features an interior with gold-tone woodwork and red velvet seats but has no engine. Another auction, held at the Guest House at Graceland and online, featured more than keepsakes from third-party collectors which were all once owned, used and signed by the King himself.
We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! It was the age of the GI Bill and Brown v.
Board of Education, suburbs and television, interstate highways and fast food. Families whose forebears had struggled on the fringes of farming and of debilitating manufacturing work suddenly had more money and more things, ranging from TVs to washing machines than they could have imagined two decades before, in the depths of an economic crash that seemed to go on forever.
It was called the Dark Ages, and it lasted years. Teenagers were able to consume the product that Presley was offering. A key element of that product: overt sexuality. Presley was something much different. Beyond his husky, unique voice, the artist, with his gyrating hips and hooded eyes, seemed to embody desire more than any other popular male performer of his time.
Edgar Hoover—described a La Crosse, Wis. A white man singing traditionally black music; a young performer with sexual heat; a Southern kid going national: little wonder Presley struck so many as so refreshing in the mids.
His second turn on the show was also a blockbuster, and by the time Presley sang for Sullivan on a third occasion—when CBS directed the cameras to show Presley only from the waist up—the buttoned-down host had been won over. Religiosity also helped Presley win broader acceptance. As with so many Southern men, he could seem equally at home in church as he did in juke joints.
Americans are familiar with the type: we had one for President for two terms at the close of the 20th century. Presley was a model compartmentalizer, creating music that celebrated a freer attitude toward sex while simultaneously releasing gospel tracks. As has often been remarked of charismatic figures such as the fictional James Bond and the real-life Presley, women wanted to be with him; men just wanted to be him.
Presley took that potent formula for success to Hollywood as soon as he could. Kennedy; and, in November, the election of Richard Nixon. To watch the show is to see a master performer at the top of his game. Not long afterward the last chapter began. He had married Priscilla Beaulieu in and divorced her six years later; they had one daughter, Lisa Marie, born in By the time Elvis attempted a comeback in the 70s, music had moved on.
The rawness had gone. With TV sets, those images left a lasting impression. Over recent years there have been various embarrassing attempts to repackage the Elvis brand, the low point being a hologram duet with Celine Dion. But dig deeper through the Elvis catalogue and there are undeniable gems waiting to be rediscovered.
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