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Elvis biography - an american legend
His name will forever be associated with one of the best in American music.
You do not even have to say his last name for people to understand who your talking
about. Elvis.
On the night of January 8th, 1935, inside a two room house in Tupelo, Mississippi,
Gladys Presley gave birth to an American legend. Elvis Aaron Presley. His twin,
Jessie Garon, was stillborn, so Elvis grew up as an only child. His first claim
to fame came at the age of ten. Standing on a chair, Elvis sang "Old Shep"
in a youth talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. That
song earned him the second prize of $5 and free admission to all of the rides,
but it also kicked off his singing career. In 1948, his parents moved to Memphis,
Tennessee, where the “King” would live for the rest of his life.
Times were tough for the Presleys. After graduating from high school Elvis did
not go to college, but started working at a machinists shop for money. But despite
his new job, his heart was always in music. That summer, he made a demo tape for
a cost of about $4… a tape that went to his mom for a birthday present. A
year later he made a second demo tape, this time with a band. The band started
out with small performances around town, then an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry,
and another on the TV show, “Louisiana Hayride.” That last appearance
led to regular appearances on the show, where he met up with the man who would
later become his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
The tours continued, until 1955, when Elvis signed his first contract. An unprecedented
$45,000 with RCA records. Two days after his 21st birthday, Elvis stepped into
a recording studio for the first time as a member of RCA Records. It was in that
recording session where he recorded “Heartbreak Hotel.” Two weeks later,
RCA released “Heartbreak Hotel”, which sold 300,000 copies in the first
three weeks. As “Heartbreak Hotel” climbed the charts, the entire record
was released, where it would soon hit number one, and stay there for ten weeks.
From that moment, a star was born… not just in the recording industry, but
in Hollywood as well. Elvis made 33 films and picked up 14 Grammy nominations
over his career. But his good looks, talent and humor made him a household name
to millions of adoring fans. He died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August
16th, 1977. Even to this day, thousands flock to Graceland, on the anniversary
of his death to remember one of the most popular figures in recent history.
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