rock & roll: the 1950’s elvis presley, chuck berry, little richard, buddy holly, carl perkins, jerry lee lewis, fats domino, the everly bros., james brown elvis presley, chuck berry, little richard, buddy holly, carl perkins, jerry lee lewis, fats domino, the everly bros., james brown

elvis presley ( ) Born in Tupelo, MI on Jan. 8th, 1935 & died in Memphis, TN on Aug. 16th He was called the King of Rock & Roll.

Elvis grew up in a poor family and lived in a small house in Tupelo, MI until 1948, when they moved to Memphis. In high school, Elvis was considered an outsider and was known for wearing colorful and outlandish clothes and playing guitar at lunchtime. Elvis’ House in Tupelo

In August of 1953, he walked into Sun Records in Memphis and recorded two songs for his mother. The owner, Sam Phillips, had once said, “If I could find a white man who could sing like a black man, I could make a billion dollars.” Sun Studios. Memphis, TN

At the insistence of Sun receptionist Marion Keisker, Sam Phillips listened the demo that Elvis recorded and hooked Elvis up with two backing musicians, guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. Sam Phillips Scotty MooreBill Black

After months of rehearsal, in early July of 1954, Elvis and the boys recorded “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, considered one of the first rock & roll singles ever made. Elvis’ first single That’s All Right Blue Moon Of Kentucky

Within weeks, the single sold huge amounts in the South after being played on the radio and word of Elvis’ wild stage shows spread. Elvis recorded 4 more singles for the Sun label over the next year. Each 45 featured one R&B or blues song backed with a country song. This was intended as a way of blending ‘black’ music with ‘white’ music. Elvis on stage driving the fans wild!

Elvis eventually signed to RCA Records for $30,000. After recording his first album in early 1956 at RCA Studios, his television appearances caused a national scandal and his album became the first rock & roll album to top the Billboard Album Charts.

Elvis’ first single for RCA Records was ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ which immediately rocketed to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop and country singles charts, and hit No. 5 on the R&B chart. It sold over one million copies and was the top selling single of Rock & Roll had arrived. The first RCA single

As with the Sun singles, Elvis’ first album was a mixture of rock & roll, R&B, bluegrass and country songs and by artists Carl Perkins, Ray Charles, Bill Monroe, Little Richard and The Drifters. Elvis soon became the biggest selling artist in all of music. Blue Suede ShoesI Got A WomanBlue MoonTutti FruttiMoney Honey

When Elvis appeared on television, he was filmed from the shoulders up. His dance moves were considered obscene. His concert appearances sold out across the country. Hollywood quickly came calling and Elvis began to star in films. The first being “Love Me Tender” released in 1956.

He recorded, toured and filmed consistently until early 1958 when he was drafted into the army. He served for two years at Fort Hood and at a military base in Germany. During his two year army stint, RCA released a steady stream of unreleased material to keep Elvis in the public’s eye and on the Billboard charts. Reconsider Baby

After leaving the army, he resumed recording and concentrated on a career in the movies. Elvis’ influence is considered immeasurable. He influenced his contemporaries and every musical generation afterwards. His success opened the doors for rock & roll musicians of the 1950’s once the music industry realized how much money could be made. He is estimated to have sold over one billion records worldwide. More than any other single artist ever. He holds the record for the most Top 10 singles ever.