Elvis Presley
American singer and actor
Who was Elvis Presley?
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi; his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. Presley's energetic and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a mixture of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy. He began his music career in 1954 at Sun Records with the producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. In 1955, the drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who managed him for the rest of his career.
Historical significance
Often referred to as the "'King of Rock and Roll or simply "The King"'", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century. Presley, on guitar and accompanied by the guitarist Scotty Moore on lead and the bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century.
