Elvis Presley (1935 to 1977) was an American singer and actor known as the King of Rock and Roll. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, he recorded his first single for Sun Records in 1954 and was world-famous by 1956. His music mixed blues, country and gospel. More than one billion of his records have been sold, and he made 31 feature films.
Elvis Presley quick facts
- Elvis was born on 8 January 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
- His first guitar cost $12.95.
- More than one billion Elvis records have been sold.
- All three of his Grammy Awards were for gospel music.
- Outside the USA, he performed only in Canada.
Who was Elvis Presley?
Elvis Presley was an American singer and actor who became one of the most famous entertainers who ever lived. People still call him the “King of Rock and Roll”.
Graceland, the official Elvis Presley home and museum, says more than one billion of his records have been sold around the world. He also starred in 31 feature films and was one of the first people chosen for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Elvis grew up poor in the southern United States. Graceland says that by 1956, when he was 21, he was famous around the world.
| Elvis Presley at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 January 1935, Tupelo, Mississippi |
| Died | 16 August 1977, Graceland, Memphis, aged 42 |
| Known as | the King of Rock and Roll |
| First single | “That’s All Right”, 1954 |
| Records sold | more than 1 billion |
| Films | 31 feature films and 2 concert films |
| Grammy Awards | 3, all for gospel music |
Growing up in Tupelo
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on 8 January 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His parents were Vernon and Gladys Presley.
Elvis was born a twin. Graceland says his twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, which means he died before he was born. So Elvis grew up as an only child.
The family lived in a small, two-room house that his father built with help from relatives. The Elvis Presley Birthplace says his father, grandfather and uncle built it together.
Music was part of Elvis’s life from the start. The family went to an Assembly of God church, where gospel music filled the services. The Birthplace says a minister there, Brother Frank Smith, taught Elvis his first guitar chords.
A guitar instead of a bicycle
For his 11th birthday, in January 1946, Elvis wanted a bicycle. Graceland says his parents could not afford one. Instead, they bought him a guitar at the Tupelo Hardware Company for $12.95.
A few months before that, on 3 October 1945, 10-year-old Elvis sang at a talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. He came fifth and won $5 in tickets for the fair rides.
Moving to Memphis
On 6 November 1948, the Presleys moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to look for better work. Elvis finished at Humes High School in Memphis in 1953.
That same year, Elvis paid to record a disc at the Memphis Recording Service. Graceland says it was said to be a present for his mother. A note written about the young singer read: “Good ballad singer. Hold.”
The first records
On 5 July 1954, Elvis recorded “That’s All Right” for Sam Phillips’s Sun Records in Memphis.
Soon he was singing on the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Tennessee Encyclopedia says that by the end of 1955, he was one of the biggest names in country music.
In late 1955, his recording contract was sold to a bigger company, RCA Victor. His manager was a man known as Colonel Tom Parker.
In 1956, Elvis became a star everywhere. “Heartbreak Hotel” became his first gold record, and he appeared on TV shows across the country, most famously The Ed Sullivan Show.
A brand-new sound
Why was Elvis so exciting? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says his music blended blues, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, bluegrass and pop. That mix helped bring rock and roll to a huge audience.
He inspired many musicians who came after him. The Hall of Fame quotes John Lennon of the Beatles: “Without Elvis, there would be no Beatles.”
The Tennessee Encyclopedia says that by 1958, Elvis had already earned the title King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis the film star
Elvis was a film star too. His first film was Love Me Tender, released in 1956.
Graceland says he made 31 feature films and two concert documentaries, 33 films in all. Among the best known are G.I. Blues and Flaming Star, both from 1960, and Blue Hawaii from 1961.
His last feature film was Change of Habit, released on 11 November 1969. He starred in it with Mary Tyler Moore.
Elvis in the army
In 1958, at the height of his fame, Elvis joined the US Army. Graceland says he was sworn in on 24 March 1958 in Memphis. His army serial number was 53310761.
He had his famous army haircut at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and did his basic training at Fort Hood, Texas. On 1 October 1958 he arrived in Germany, where he served for 18 months at Friedberg, in what was then West Germany.
It was a sad time for Elvis. His mother, Gladys, died on 14 August 1958, aged just 46.
But it was in Germany that he met Priscilla Beaulieu, on 13 September 1959. Elvis was promoted to sergeant in January 1960 and left active duty on 5 March 1960. Graceland says he served six years in all: two on active duty and four in the reserves.
Back home, Elvis gave a special concert in Hawaii on 25 March 1961. Graceland says it raised about $62,000 for the USS Arizona Memorial.
Graceland
In 1957, when he was just 22, Elvis bought a large house in Memphis called Graceland. The Tennessee Encyclopedia says he paid $102,500 for it.
The mansion had been built in 1939 on 14 acres of land south of Memphis. It took its name from an old family farm.
Graceland was Elvis’s home for the rest of his life. It opened to the public in 1982.
Family life
Elvis married Priscilla on 1 May 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Their only child, Lisa Marie, was born on 1 February 1968, nine months to the day after the wedding.
Elvis and Priscilla divorced on 9 October 1973.
The comeback
By the late 1960s, Elvis had spent years making films. In June 1968, he taped a TV special called Elvis, now known as the ’68 Comeback Special. It was shown on NBC on 3 December 1968.
The show reminded everyone what a great live performer he was. In 1969, “Suspicious Minds” became his last number-one pop single in the United States.
From 31 July to 28 August 1969, Elvis played 57 shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Graceland says he broke the city’s attendance records. That was the same summer astronauts first walked on the Moon; read about one of them in our Neil Armstrong facts.
On 21 December 1970, Elvis met President Richard Nixon at the White House. Graceland says photos of that meeting are among the most requested items at the US National Archives.
In June 1972, he played four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Aloha from Hawaii
On 14 January 1973, Elvis gave a concert in Honolulu, Hawaii, called Aloha from Hawaii. Graceland says it was broadcast live by satellite to about 40 countries, and an estimated 1 to 1.5 billion people watched.
Graceland says it was the first entertainment special by a solo artist to be shown live around the world. The concert raised $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, three times its goal of $25,000.
Surprisingly, Elvis almost never performed outside the United States. Graceland says the only other country he played in was Canada, in the cities of Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
Records and awards
Elvis’s success is hard to match. Graceland says he had a record 114 Top 40 hits, and more than 150 of his albums and singles have gone gold, platinum or multi-platinum.
He won three Grammy Awards from 14 nominations. All three were for gospel music, the music he grew up with in church. He also received a lifetime achievement award at the age of 36.
Elvis is in five halls of fame: for rock and roll, country, gospel, rockabilly, and rhythm and blues. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says he was one of the first people chosen for it, in 1986.
Elvis’s death
Elvis died at Graceland on 16 August 1977, aged 42. The Tennessee Encyclopedia says the cause was heart failure, with complications from drug use.
Within weeks, he was reburied in the Meditation Garden at Graceland.
Remembering Elvis today
Elvis’s birthplace in Tupelo is now a museum site. The Elvis Presley Birthplace says it covers 15 acres, with his first home, a museum, a memorial chapel and a park. It welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year.
The church where Elvis worshipped as a boy has been moved to the site too. In August 2002, a bronze statue called Elvis at 13 was unveiled there. It shows him as a young teenager in baggy overalls.
Three things people get wrong
Elvis was not born an only child. He had a twin brother, Jessie Garon, who was stillborn.
Elvis’s Grammys were not for rock and roll. All three were for gospel music.
Elvis did not tour the world. Outside the USA, he performed only in Canada.
Did you know? Elvis wanted a bicycle for his 11th birthday, but his parents bought him a guitar instead.
Try it
Listen to a gospel song and a blues song with an adult. Can you hear sounds that Elvis mixed into rock and roll?
Knowledge check
What did Elvis get for his 11th birthday?
Show answer
A guitar, bought for $12.95.
What kind of music were all his Grammys for?
Show answer
Gospel music.
Frequently asked questions
Where was Elvis Presley born?
Elvis was born on 8 January 1935 in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Why is Elvis called the King of Rock and Roll?
His mix of blues, country, gospel and pop helped bring rock and roll to a huge audience, and he had earned the title by 1958.
Did Elvis have a brother?
Yes. Elvis had a twin brother, Jessie Garon, who was stillborn, so Elvis grew up as an only child.
How many records did Elvis sell?
Graceland says more than one billion Elvis records have been sold around the world.
What is Graceland?
Graceland is the mansion in Memphis that Elvis bought in 1957 for $102,500. It opened to the public in 1982.
When did Elvis die?
Elvis died at Graceland, his home in Memphis, on 16 August 1977, aged 42. He was later buried in the Meditation Garden there.
Sources
- Elvis Presley’s Graceland: biography — life story, sales, Grammys, films and death; Graceland’s early childhood, 1958 to 1961, 1966 to 1969 and 1970 to 1973 pages and its Aloha from Hawaii article were also used
- Elvis Presley’s Graceland: quick facts — first guitar, first records, films, army service, records, awards, halls of fame and Canada
- Elvis Presley Birthplace, Tupelo — the birth house, the church, the museum site and the statue
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Elvis Presley — induction in 1986, his musical mix and influence
- Tennessee Encyclopedia: Elvis A. Presley — Louisiana Hayride, RCA, TV shows, the 1968 special, the King title and his death
- Tennessee Encyclopedia: Graceland — the mansion’s history, purchase price, opening and the Meditation Garden
