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His
family moved to Memphis when he was thirteen. After working
as a movie theater usher and a truck driver he began singing
locally as 'The Hillbilly Cat', then signed with a local
recording company, then in 1955 with RCA.
He
did much to establish early rock and roll music, bringing
black blues singing into the white, teenage mainstream.
Teenagers became hysterical over his sexual gesturing and
particularly his 'Elvis the Pelvis' gyrations (TV cameras
were not permitted to film below his waist).
When
he died he had sold over 600,000,000 singles and albums.
The first of his 33 films was 'Love Me Tender' (1956); none
were critical successes, but they did very well at the box-office
earning upwards of $150,000,000. Military service and the
British invasion of the 1960s reduced his concerts, though
not his movie/recording income. He made a comeback in the
1970s, but increasing weight and intense dependence upon
stimulants and depressants took their toll. Since his death
his Memphis home Graceland has become a shrine for followers,
with impersonation and purported sightings have become stock
subjects for humorists - does he work in a chip shop in
Scotland, has he been spotted in Tesco's, was he abducted
by aliens??? The conspiracy theories keep coming!
He is without doubt the greatest singer of his time, with
his music forever changing the path of music in our history.
The next biggest 'music celebrity' was The Beatles during
the last 60's and 70's, and there has yet to be any group
or individual that has influenced the industry in such a
massive way as they did.
We have many presentations available - go on have a look!
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