|
Home
Search the Garden |
|
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. |
Elvis PresleyThe King |
|||
 Elvis charted more songs on Billboard's Hot 100 than any other artist. (149) Elvis spent more weeks at the top of the charts than any other artist. (80) Elvis had the greatest number of consecutive #1 hits. (10) Elvis is second only to the Beatles of course in total of #1 hits. (17) |
These links will open in another window so your visit to The Garden will remain uninterrupted.
|
||
| You would never have thought, in 1953, when a truck
driver for Crown Electric in Memphis, TN wandered into Sun Records on his
lunch hour to record two songs as a birthday present for his mother, that
he would become a legend. Even Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records,
was unimpressed.
In July 1954, Elvis was in the studio singing That's Alright Mama. Phillips, finally recognizing the potential, knew he had the breakthrough star he had been searching for. Specifically, Phillips had found an attractive white young man who had the sound and feel of the black R&B artists he had been recording. Elvis joined Sun Records and what would come to be called Sun's "Million Dollar Quartet" - the foursome of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Presley. By 1955 Elvis had recorded 5 songs for Sun Records and gained some popularity in the South. He also acquired as manager, Col. Tom Parker. Givng Parker his due - the man knew how to market new stars. Parker launched a campaign aimed at garnishing national exposure for Elvis.  |
(words & music by Arthur Crudup) Well, that's all right, mama
Mama she done told me,
I'm leaving town, baby
|
| Elvis first appeared on CBS' Dorsey
Brothers Stage Show. Then on to The Steve Allen Show, where he sang Hound
Dog to a hound dog. From his performance on Milton Berle's Texaco Star
Theatre he got the nickname Elvis the Pelvis - which concerned
the host of Elvis' next performance, Ed Sullivan. Sullivan insisted
that the cameras only film Presley from the waist up yet it is estimated
that one of these Sullivan performances was viewed by 52 million people
- one out of every three Americans.
Parker soon wanted to move Elvis away from Sun and he began negotiations. According to the rumors, Parker hawked the contract to Decca, Mercury, Columbia and Atlantic - pitting them against one another to get progressively higher bids. Ultimately, RCA bought Elvis' contract for $40,000, a huge sum for that time. Because he was under 21 and therefore, still a minor, Elvis' father, Vernon signed the contract. In February of 1956 Elvis recorded his first five songs for RCA. Among these was Heartbreak Hotel, which quickly rose to the top of the charts to become Elvis' first Number 1 hit. The second half of the fifties treated Elvis well. Amazingly, eight of his lifetime Top Ten songs are from the Fifties. This in spite of the fact that from 1958 thru 1959, Elvis was in the U.S. Army. With the advantage of hindsight, we all know what the future would hold for Elvis Presley. Circumstances would catapult Elvis into a stardom unknown before or since by any single artist. And, the road would wind into a sad and tragic end. It would be the last time that we felt we could touch The King. |
![[ELVIS]](Rock/elvises2.jpg)
Ed Sullivan talking about Elvis (Wav)(120K) Heartbreak Hotel (words & music by Mae B. Axton - Tommy Durden - Elvis Presley) Well, since my baby left me,
You make me so lonely baby,
And although it's always crowded,
You make me so lonely baby,
Well, the Bell hop's tears keep flowin',
You make me so lonely baby,
Hey now, if your baby leaves you,
|
| Back to the 50's |
Send us your comments and suggestions!
First Published: December 15, 1994 Revised: December 3, 1998 |