December 3, 1968—one of the sublime moments of pop broadcasting history—The Elvis TV Special was networked across the States and showed Presley at his finest.
During his lifetime, Elvis Presley was undoubtedly the most celebrated rock’n’roll star of his generation. In death, however, Presley has assumed cult status, and has become one of the key cultural icons of the 20th century.
He was born Elvis Aaron Presley on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, the son of a truck driver and a seamstress. His earliest musical influences were the gospel songs and psalms he heard at his Pentecostal church, but he also had a good grounding in country and blues—a combination that would create his groundbreaking musical identity. His early life was unremarkable and, like his father, he drove a truck for the Crown Electric Company of Memphis.
Presley’s career started when he cut a record as a birthday present for his mother, and the studio manager contacted Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records. Phillips recognised that this white boy who sang in an African-American style had an astonishingly original talent. In 1954, Presley’s Sun Records single “That’s All Right (Mama)” electrified the Deep South thanks to the radio station WHBQ. A few other singles followed: “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Milkcow Blues Boogie,” and “Baby Let’s Play House,” which led to Presley performing on the Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride radio programmes.
In 1955, a series of live dates took Presley to clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, where the audience reacted enthusiastically to Presley’s stage presence and suggestive semi-erotic gyrations, which earned him the nickname “Elvis the Pelvis.” His last Sun single, a soaring and pulsating version of Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train,” confirmed his massive potential and heralded the next phase of his career.
In late 1955, Colonel Tom Parker, a former fairground huckster, took over Presley’s career. He replaced DJ Bob Neal as Presley’s manager and convinced Sun Records to release Elvis so he could sign with RCA. RCA paid $35,000 to gain Presley’s release—an incredible figure at the time. “Heartbreak Hotel,” released on January 27, 1956, was Presley’s first RCA recording and his first American No. 1 single. There followed, in remarkably short order, seven more No. 1 hit singles. One of these, the double-sided “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel,” stayed at No. 1 for a remarkable 11 weeks, and was to be the most successful double-sided single in pop history. The diversity of Presley’s musical influences and his ability as an interpreter of vocal material allowed him to cross over from rhythm and blues (R&B) into the mainstream. Along the way he changed pop music forever and lived every cliché of superstardom.
Presley’s next venture was making Hollywood films. Amazingly, he completed three major motion pictures—Love Me Tender, Loving You, and Jailhouse Rock—in the next two-and-a-half years, and all of the films spawned No. 1 hit songs. In 1958, Presley starred in what was arguably his greatest film, King Creole, but that same year, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. From 1958–1960, he served mainly in Germany. During his absence, Colonel Parker’s business acumen ensured that his money-maker was not forgotten by the public. When Presley returned, he secured a series of U.S. No. 1 hits in the early 1960s, such as “It’s Now or Never,” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight.” He also resumed his film career with GI Blues, which boasted the popular chart hit “Wooden Heart.”
December 3, 1968—one of the sublime moments of pop broadcasting history—The Elvis TV Special was networked across the States and showed Presley at his finest.
The mid-1960s, however, were difficult years. With the advent of the Beatles, Presley seemed to have been forgotten. His recordings were dated and his films—he made around 30 in all—seemed increasingly pointless. Even his capacity to make instant hits from mediocre material was beginning to wear thin.
Presley’s fallow period was short-lived, however. In 1968, two songs—“Guitar Man” and “U.S. Male”— marked an amazing return to form. During the same year, Presley recorded a live television special, The Elvis TV Special, one of the most celebrated shows in pop broadcasting history, in which he appeared dressed in black leather. The success of this show personally re-invigorated Presley and the subsequent albums, including From Elvis in Memphis, and singles such as “Suspicious Minds,” were critically acclaimed and hugely successful. Concerts followed in Las Vegas hotels and he seemed to have a new lease on life. The movie Elvis on Tour (1972) demonstrated his magnetism and showed his power as a performer.
Although Presley continued to perform, his creative inspiration again ran out and the albums started to become increasingly patchy. Presley turned into a Vegas caricature of his previous self. His personal life was fraught with difficulties: the tragedy of his stillborn twin brother caused his mother to feel protective toward him, and in turn, he felt responsible for her. Meanwhile, the dissolution in 1973 of his six-year marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu further speeded his decline. He suffered an astonishing personal deterioration, gaining vast amounts of weight and becoming addicted to prescription drugs.
When not filming in Hollywood Presley performed in Las Vegas. But by this time his behaviour was becoming unpredictable and he was said at some point to have stormed out of a television studio in a fit of anger. Graceland, his relatively small but eccentric mansion on the south side of Memphis, provided him with his only refuge, and he cloistered himself there along with the same band of old Memphis buddies who had followed him since the mid-1950s.
Presley still continued to appear live, dressing in brightly coloured jumpsuits and rhinestone-studded belts in a desperate attempt to disguise his obesity. He twice collapsed on stage and finally his abuse of drugs and overeating caught up with him. He died, burnt-out, on August 16, 1977. Doctors stated that he died of a heart attack, probably induced by his long flirtation with barbiturates. The world mourned and President Carter proclaimed that a part of America had died with Elvis Presley.
Despite his greatness, many feel that Presley’s talent was wasted. There is also regret over his wilderness years and his untimely death. His huge talents were never fully realised, largely because neither he nor anyone else knew how to exploit them.
Colonel Tom Parker has been criticised for influencing Presley’s career misdirection, but it must be recognised that without Parker’s intervention at a critical time, Presley may not have achieved his enormous success.
Joseph Goldberg
SEE ALSO:
FILM MUSICALS; HALEY, BILL; LEIBER & STOLLER; LITTLE RICHARD; ROCK MUSIC; ROCK’N’ROLL.
FURTHER READING
Brown, Peter Harry, and Pat H. Broeske. Down at the End of Lonely Street (New York: Dutton, 1997);
Escott, Peter. Good Rockin Tonight (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991);
Guralnick, Peter. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (London: Abacus, 1994);
Hardinge, Melissa. Elvis Presley (Bristol: Parragon, 1995).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
Elvis’ Golden Records; Elvis! His Greatest Hits; Essential Elvis: The First Movies; L Was the One; King Creole; The Legend Begins; The Sun Sessions.