Elvis Presley
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| - | {{Infobox Musique (artiste) | + | {{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}} |
| - | |charte couleur = vocal | + | {{Redirect|Elvis}} |
| - | |NomArtiste =Elvis Presley | + | {{Otheruses4|the singer}} |
| - | |NomRéel =Elvis Aaron Presley | + | {{Infobox musical artist |
| - | |Image =[[Image:Elvis presley.jpg|200px]] | + | | Name = Elvis Presley |
| - | |Légende = | + | | Img = Elvis Presley 1970.jpg |
| - | |Naissance ={{date|8|janvier|1935}}, [[Tupelo]], [[États-Unis]] | + | | Img_capt = Elvis in 1970 |
| - | |Mort ={{date|16|août|1977}}, [[Memphis (Tennessee)|Memphis]], [[États-Unis]] | + | | Img_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> |
| - | |MétiersExercés ='''[[chanteur]]''', [[acteur]] | + | | Landscape = |
| - | |Activité =[[1953]] - [[1977]] | + | | Background = solo_singer |
| - | |Nationalité ={{USA}} | + | | Birth_name = Elvis Aaron Presley<ref name="Aaron"/> |
| - | |GenreMusical =[[Rock'n'roll]], [[Blues]], [[Country]], [[Gospel]], [[Ballade]] | + | | Alias = Elvis |
| - | |Label = | + | | Born = {{birth date|1935|1|8|mf=y}}<br><small>[[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]], [[Mississippi]]<small> |
| - | |GroupesAssociés = | + | | Height = {{Height|feet=6}} |
| - | |ArtistesAssociés = | + | | Origin = [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]] |
| - | |SiteOfficiel = | + | | Died = {{Death date and age|1977|08|16|1935|01|08}}<br><small>[[Memphis, Tennessee]]</small> |
| + | | Genre = [[Rockabilly]], [[Rock and Roll]], [[Gospel Music|Gospel]], [[blues music|Blues]], [[Country Music|Country]] | ||
| + | | Occupation = [[Singer]], [[Actor]] | ||
| + | | Instrument = [[singer|Vocals]], [[Guitar]], [[Piano]] | ||
| + | | Years_active = 1954–1977 | ||
| + | | Label = [[Sun Records|Sun]], [[RCA Records|RCA]] | ||
| + | | URL = [http://www.Elvis.com Elvis.com] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| - | '''Elvis Aaron Presley''', surnommé « The King », ([[8 janvier]] [[1935]] à [[Tupelo (Mississippi)|Tupelo]], [[Mississippi (État)|Mississippi]] - [[16 août]] [[1977]] à [[Memphis (Tennessee)|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]]) était un [[chanteur]] et un [[acteur]] [[États-Unis|américain]]. Son influence sur la culture musicale est mondiale. | + | <!--Editors: Please DO NOT change the spelling of 'Aaron' to 'Aron'. 'Aaron' is the spelling Presley's estate has designated as the official spelling when the middle name is used today. If you dispute this, please first state your reasons on the talk page for discussion.--> |
| + | '''Elvis Aaron Presley'''<ref name="Aaron">([[May 9]] [[2002]]). "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A702839 Elvis Presley - the Singer]". ''[[bbc.co.uk]]''. Retrieved [[2007-10-12]].</ref><ref>"[http://www.elvis.com/elvisology/faq/faq.asp?qid=11 FAQ: Elvis' middle name, is it Aron or Aaron?]" ''Elvis.com''. Retrieved [[2007-10-22]].</ref>{{fn|a}} ([[January 8]], [[1935]]–[[August 16]], [[1977]]), was an [[United States|American]] [[singer]], [[musician]] and [[actor]]. He is a [[cultural icon]], often known as "'''The King of Rock 'n' Roll'''", or simply "'''The King'''". | ||
| - | De son vivant, Elvis a vendu environ 700 millions de disques, a joué dans 31 films, donné 1 054 concerts aux États-Unis et trois au Canada, donné 525 spectacles à [[Las Vegas]]<ref>[http://www.elvis.com/elvisology/]</ref>. Il a été le premier artiste à donner un concert par satellite. Le concert eut lieu le 14 janvier 1973 à Hawaii et il fut regardé simultanément par un milliard de téléspectateurs dans 43 pays. Il est apparu dans sept émissions de télévision. À sa mort, sa fortune personnelle représentait 100 millions [[USD]]. | + | Presley began his career as one of the first performers of [[rockabilly]], an [[uptempo]] fusion of [[country music|country]] and [[rhythm and blues]] with a strong [[back beat]]. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "[[black people|black]]" and "[[White (people)|white]]" sounds, made him popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the [[rock and roll]] genre, with tracks like "[[Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog]]" and "[[Jailhouse Rock (song)|Jailhouse Rock]]" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music [[Hall of Fame|halls of fame]]. |
| - | Il est sans doute l'artiste solo qui a vendu le plus de disques dans le monde de son vivant mais également après sa mort car rien que de sa disparition en 1977 jusqu'à 1980, il s'est vendu 400 millions de disques d'Elvis. Pendant ces quatre années consécutives, il a été l'artiste décédé qui a rapporté le plus d'argent. | + | In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three movies—mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a [[television special]] and thereafter performed across the U.S., notably in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health problems plagued Presley in later life which, coupled with a punishing tour schedule and addiction to prescription medication, led to his premature death at age 42. |
| - | D'après le magazine américain ''[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]'', en 2007, Elvis arrive en tête des personnalités décédées les plus riches du monde avec 49 millions de dollars, soit 34 millions d'euros, devant [[John Lennon]] et [[Charles Monroe Schulz|Charles Schultz]], dessinateur américain. Il avait déjà atteint cette place en 2005. | + | ==Biography== |
| + | ===Early life=== | ||
| + | Presley's father, Vernon ([[April 10]], [[1916]]–[[June 26]], [[1979]]), had several low-paying jobs, including [[sharecropper]] and truck driver. His mother, Gladys Love Smith ([[April 25]], [[1912]]–[[August 14]], [[1958]]) worked as a [[sewing machine]] operator. They met in [[Tupelo, Mississippi]], and eloped to [[Pontotoc County, Mississippi|Pontotoc County]] where they married on [[June 17]], [[1933]].<ref>[http://www.elvispresleynews.com/ScottishElvis.html Elvis Presley's Family Tree]. ''ElvisPresleyNews.com''. Retrieved [[August 15]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>Presley's ancestry is discussed at the following sites: | ||
| + | *Rossacher, Hannes ([[August 16]] [[2007]]). Austrian and French TV documentary: "[http://www.arte.tv/de/kunst-musik/Elvis-O-Rama-/Programm/1647442.html Elvis-O-Rama]". ''ARTE''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]]. | ||
| + | *([[August 11]] [[2007]]). "Die wahre Wiege des Rock ’n’ Roll." [[Ludwigshafen]]: ''Die Rheinpfalz''. | ||
| + | *"[http://www.germanheritage.com/biographies/mtoz/presley.html Biography: Presley, Elvis]". ''German Heritage.com''. Retrieved [[October 12]] [[2007]]. | ||
| + | *([[23 March]] [[2004]]). "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3559331.stm Elvis roots 'lead to Scotland']". ''[[BBC News Online]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]]. | ||
| + | *"[http://www.elvispresleynews.com/ScottishElvis.html Elvis Presley's Family Tree]". ''ElvisPresleyNews.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]]. | ||
| + | *"[http://www.fife.50megs.com/elvis-scotland.htm Elvis Presley's Roots]". ''fife.50megs.com''. Retrieved [[October 12]] [[2007]]. | ||
| + | *"[http://www.elvispresleynews.com/JewishElvis.html Elvis' Jewish Heritage]". ''ElvisPresleyNews.com''. Retrieved [[October 12]] [[2007]]. | ||
| + | *"[http://www.wolflodge.org/visibiliti/metis/theking.htm Elvis Was a Metis: Cherokee-Scots-Irish (Celt)]". ''WolfLodge.org''. Retrieved [[October 12]] [[2007]].</ref> | ||
| - | == Enfance == | + | Presley was born in a two room house, built by his father, in East Tupelo. He was the second of [[identical twin]]s—his brother was [[stillbirth|stillborn]] and given the name Jesse Garon. He grew up as an [[only child]] and "was, everyone agreed, unusually close to his mother."<ref name="Guralnick-13">Guralnick 1994, p.13</ref> The family lived just above the poverty line and attended the [[Assembly of God]] church.<ref name=Guralnick-1994-29>Guralnick 1994, p.29</ref>{{fn|b}} Vernon has been described as "a malingerer, always averse to work and responsibility."<ref>Goldman, p.16</ref> In 1938, he was jailed for an eight dollar check forgery. During his absence, his wife, described as "voluble, lively, full of spunk",<ref name="Guralnick-12">Guralnick 1994, p.12</ref> lost the family home.<ref name=BirthPlace>[http://www.elvis-presley-biography.com/ElvisBirthPlace.htm Elvis Presley Home]. ''Elvis-Presley-Biography.com''. Retrieved [[July 15]] [[2007]].</ref> [[Priscilla Presley]] recalls her as "a surreptitious drinker and alcoholic."<ref>Presley, p.172</ref> |
| - | [[Image:Elvis by Bottelho.jpg|thumb|230px|Elvis Presley par [[w:Bottelho|Bottelho]]]] Né dans une famille pauvre de [[Tupelo]] dans le [[Mississippi (État)|Mississippi]], Elvis Aaron <ref>La famille Presley, y compris Elvis, écrivait son nom central « Aron ». Le certificat de naissance d'Elvis et son certificat de décès indiquent « Aaron ».</ref> Presley est le fils unique de [[Gladys Love Smith]] et de [[Vernon Elvis Presley]]. Il a un frère jumeau mort-né, [[Jesse Garon Presley]]. Il grandit à Tupelo jusqu'à l'âge de treize ans. Ses parents, sans travail et en grande difficulté financière, déménagent à [[Memphis (Tennessee)|Memphis]], grande ville dans le [[Tennessee]]. Vivant dans un deux-pièces social, Gladys fait des ménages et travaille la nuit dans un hôpital, Vernon travaille ici et là. Très vite, Elvis travaille également : il tond des pelouses, lave des voitures et vend des cornets de glaces en dehors de l'école. Après l'école secondaire, il trouve très vite un travail dans une société d'outillage, mais rêvant de conduire un camion, il trouve finalement un emploi à la Crown Electric Compagny comme chauffeur-livreur, un travail qui lui convient. | + | |
| - | Amateur de [[musique noire]], ainsi que de [[gospel]] et de [[blues]], Elvis décide de s'essayer à cette musique et, pendant l'été [[1953]], pousse la porte d'un petit [[studio d'enregistrement]] spécialisé dans la musique noire, le Studio [[Sun Records]] à Memphis. Reçu par la secrétaire Marion Keisker, il enregistre à ses frais deux enregistrements, ''My Happiness'' et ''That's When Your Heartaches Begin'' et repart avec le disque sous le bras pour l'offrir à sa mère, sa seule motivation pour cet enregistrement. Keisker, qui sait que son patron [[Sam Phillips]] est à la recherche de jeunes chanteurs, note le numéro de téléphone du jeune Elvis. Bien qu'elle lui trouve un style bizarre, elle lui reconnaît une certaine belle voix. Elle note sur sa fiche « EP : voix à écouter, bon chanteur de [[ballade]] ». | + | Presley was bullied at school; classmates threw "things at him—rotten fruit and stuff—because he was different... quiet and he stuttered and he was a mama's boy."<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.36<br>Referring to an account by singer [[Barbara Pittman]] in Humphries, Patrick ([[April 1]], [[2003]]). "[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0740738038 Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics]" Andrews McMeel Publishing, p.117. [[Special:Booksources/0740738038|ISBN 0740738038]].</ref> |
| - | Lorsqu'elle en parle à Phillips, celui-ci recontacte Elvis pour un essai. Le téléphone à peine raccroché, Elvis est dans le studio devant Phillips. Après plusieurs essais peu concluants, Sam Phillips est néanmoins impressionné par la grande mémoire du jeune homme « à la queue de canard », il dira plus tard à ce sujet {{citation|C'était incroyable, Elvis connaissait par cœur toutes les chansons dont je lui parlais. Si sa voix n'était pas souvent juste, par contre je dois dire qu'elle avait un rythme assez particulier. Hélas, je n'avais pas le temps de lui apprendre à placer sa voix, mais Elvis était tenace et je lui permettais de revenir le lendemain.}} | + | At age ten, he made his first public performance in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, the young Presley had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone and sang [[Red Foley]]'s "Old Shep." He won second prize.<ref>''Elvis Australia'' ([[Jan 7]], [[2004]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/biography/elvis_presley_biography_1935_1954.shtml Elvis Presley 1935-54]." ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved [[2007-10-14]].</ref> |
| - | Phillips a demandé à un groupe musical d'être présent à une nouvelle audition afin de soutenir Elvis musicalement : [[:en:Scotty Moore|Scotty Moore ]] à la guitare et [[:en:Bill Black|Bill Black]] à la [[contrebasse]]. Si Moore est plus ou moins impressionné, Black l’est encore moins<small><ref>Selon les sources, l’histoire change. Les auteurs Jerry Hopkins et Dave Marsh affirment qu’il y a eu quelques semaines de pratique entre la première audition de Presley avec Moore et Black, et le premier enregistrement du trio. Peter Guralnick semble dire qu’ils se sont rencontrés une première fois le 4 juillet, veille de l’enregistrement.</ref></small>. Le 5 juillet, ils sont en studio. Alors que rien de convenable ne sort, et que Phillips, très déçu, s'apprête à fermer le studio, Elvis commence à entamer les premières notes d'une ancienne chanson, ''[[That's All Right Mama]]''. Voici le commentaire de Phillips : {{début citation}}Ce que venait de faire Elvis avec ''That's All Right'' me donna immédiatement la chair de poule. Je savais qu'on tenait quelque chose. Ce n'était pas la chanson à proprement parler, mais ce qu'en faisait Elvis, la chanson était à l'origine un [[blues]], Elvis l'a transformée en [[rock and roll]]. Je peux vous dire que pour moi c'était un choc. Je décidais qu'il devait l'enregistrer. Ce fut son premier vrai succès à Memphis.{{fin citation}} | + | In 1946, Presley got his first guitar.<ref>([[October 14]] [[2001]]). "[http://www.tupelohardware.com/html/the_guitar.html Elvis Presley's First Guitar]". Tupelo Hardware. Retrieved [[2007-10-14]].</ref> In November 1948, the family moved to [[Memphis, Tennessee]], allegedly because Vernon—in addition to needing work—had to escape the law for transporting bootleg liquor.<ref name="BirthPlace"/><ref>Escott, p.420</ref> In 1949, they lived at Lauderdale Courts, a public housing development in one of Memphis' poorer sections. Presley practiced playing guitar in the laundry room and also played in a five-piece band with other tenants.<ref name=Guralnick-50/> Another resident, [[Johnny Burnette]], recalled, "Wherever Elvis went he'd have his guitar slung across his back... [H]e'd go in to one of the cafes or bars... Then some folks would say: 'Let's hear you sing, boy.'"<ref name=Carr-10>Carr and Farren, p.10</ref> Presley attended L. C. Humes High School, but fellow students apparently viewed the young singer's performing unfavorably: One recalled that he was "a sad, shy, not especially attractive boy" whose guitar playing was not likely to win any prizes. Many of the other children made fun of him as a 'trashy' kind of boy playing 'trashy' hillbilly music."<ref>Guralnick, ''Last Train to Memphis'', chapter 1.</ref> |
| - | == Carrière musicale == | + | Presley occasionally worked evenings to boost the family income.<ref>Lichter, p.10</ref> He began to grow his sideburns and dress in the wild, flashy clothes of Lansky Brothers on [[Beale Street]].<ref>Lichter, p.9</ref> He stood out, especially in the conservative [[Deep South]] of the 1950s, and was mocked and bullied for it.<ref name=Guralnick-50>Guralnick 1994, p.50</ref> Despite his unpopularity, he was a contestant in his school's 1952 "Annual Minstrel Show"<ref name=Guralnick-50 /> and won by receiving the most applause and thus an encore (he sang "Cold Cold Icy Fingers" and "Till I Waltz Again With You").<ref name=Carr-10 /> |
| - | [[Image:Elvis Presley 1970.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Elvis en 1970]] | + | |
| - | Elvis enregistre cinq 45 tours pour Sun Records et Phillips l'envoie en tournée dans le sud des États-Unis. Les débuts sur scène du futur « King » du rock and roll sont assez maladroits, mais certainement pas timides. Les coups brusques de bassin du jeune homme, une innovation provocante pour l'époque, lui valent le surnom de « [[Pelvis]] » et amplifient sa notoriété. | + | |
| - | Si les jeunes reconnaissent immédiatement en Elvis un des leurs, il n'en va pas de même pour leurs parents qui, scandalisés devant les déhanchements de plus en plus suggestifs d'Elvis, cherchent à le faire interdire. En conséquence, certains de ses concerts seront purement et simplement annulés et ses disques brûlés en public. Elvis ne laisse personne indifférent : s'il agace l'Américain [[puritain]], il devient une idole pour des millions de jeunes adolescents. En Floride, alors que la jeune vedette s'apprête à monter sur scène devant 22 000 admirateurs en délire, on le prévient que la police est présente dans la salle pour filmer ses fameux déhanchements. Elvis décide alors de ne bouger que son petit doigt pendant toute la durée du concert, et l'hystérie est à son comble. Le dernier de ses cinq 45 tours, ''I Forgot to Remember to Forget'', accompagné de ''Mystery Train'', atteint la première place au classement des ventes de « [[single (musique)|single]]s ». | + | After graduation, Presley was still rather shy, a "kid who had spent scarcely a night away from home".<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.149</ref> His third job was driving a truck for the Crown Electric Company. He began wearing his hair longer with a "ducktail"—the style of truck drivers at that time.<ref>(1996). "[http://www.history-of-rock.com/elvis_presley.htm Elvis Presley]". ''history-of-rock.com''. Retrieved [[2007-10-14]].</ref> |
| - | À cette époque, Elvis ne cesse de se produire dans le sud et le sud-ouest. Il est notamment présent à 50 reprises à l'émission régionale ''Louisiana Hayride''. Le fondateur et producteur d’''Hayride'', Horace Logan, a en effet la bonne idée de faire signer Elvis pour une apparition hebdomadaire, alors que celui-ci est encore peu connu. Lors de la dernière participation d'Elvis à cette émission, Logan annonce qu'Elvis a quitté le bâtiment afin de calmer les adolescentes qui essaient d'apercevoir la vedette après l'émission. Il ne sait pas que cette phrase va devenir un rituel célèbre à la fin de chaque concert : {{citation|''Elvis has left the building.''}} (La célèbre phrase sera reprise par Al Dvorin dans les années 1970.). | + | ===Musical influences=== |
| + | Initial influences came through his family's attendance at the [[Assembly of God]], a Pentecostal Holiness church.<ref name="Guralnick-13"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' wrote: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days."<ref name="RS">George-Warren, Holly; Patricia Romanowski, Jon Pareles (2001). ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll''. Fireside. [[Special:Booksources/0743201205|ISBN 0-7432-0120-5]]. Excerpt in "[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/elvispresley/biography Elvis Presley biography]". ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> During breaks at recording sessions or after concerts, Presley often joined in private with others for informal gospel music sessions.<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.461</ref> | ||
| - | Elvis, qui est alors célèbre dans le sud et sud-ouest des États-Unis, rencontre à la fin d'un concert un homme qui est vaguement [[impresario]], mais plus connu en tant qu'aboyeur de cirque. [[Thomas Andrew Parker]], dit « le colonel », est un homme à qui rien ne fait peur. Il fut un temps impresario du jeune chanteur [[:en:Eddy Arnold|Eddy Arnold]], mais c'est avec Elvis qu'il va se hisser au sommet de sa profession dans le « show business ». Il signe en [[1955]] un contrat d'exclusivité avec Elvis sur vingt ans, avec à la clé 15 % de tous les revenus de Presley. (Dans les années 1970, ce pourcentage est porté à 50 %). Le « colonel » impressionne Elvis, c'est un homme autoritaire et à qui rien n'échappe. N'a-t-il pas dit à Elvis pour l'approcher : {{citation|Jeune homme, pour l'instant vous valez un million de dollars, bientôt vous les aurez comptant}} ? Ce sont ces phrases qui impressionnent le jeune Elvis qui rêve de réussite et de dollars tout autant que Parker lui-même. Ce duo atypique change le monde du show business. Elvis, avec son look de jeune premier qui deviendra le plus grand sex symbol de l'histoire, sait comment attirer les foules sur scène avec sa voix, ses mimiques, ses pas de danse osés et son sens de l'humour. Quant à Parker, il a le sens des affaires et organise la carrière du King comme un véritable show commercial: tubes, films à succès, produits dérivés,posters, photos... Le monde de la musique en est ainsi à jamais transformé car beaucoup de ses techniques ont été reprises par d'autres artistes.Cependant, même si leur collaboration est très fructueuse, Elvis ne porte pas le colonel dans son coeur et se met bientôt à le détester. Son manager abuse de sa confiance, profite de sa popularité pour s'enrichir. Il ne lui propose que des films commerciaux, mal faits ou des comédies musicales sans grand intérêt alors que le rêve d'Elvis est de devenir un grand acteur et d'incarner des rôles dramatiques. De plus, Elvis ne digèrera jamais le fait que Parker fit tout pour l'envoyer au service militaire alors qu'il savait très bien que cela mettrait un frein à sa carrière. Cet évènement le pertuba profondément d'autant plus que sa mère mourut quelque temps plus tard. | + | The young Presley frequently listened to local radio; his first musical hero was family friend [[Mississippi Slim]], a hillbilly singer with a radio show on Tupelo’s WELO. Presley performed occasionally on Slim’s Saturday morning show, ''Singin’ and Pickin’ Hillbilly''. "He was crazy about music... That’s all he talked about," recalls his sixth grade friend, James Ausborn, Slim’s younger brother.<ref name=1994-21>Guralnick 1994, p.21</ref> Before he was a teenager, music was already Presley’s "consuming passion".<ref name=1994-21 /> J. R. Snow, son of 1940s country superstar [[Hank Snow]], recalls that even as a young man Presley knew all of Hank Snow’s songs, "even the most obscure".<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.171</ref> |
| - | Lorsque le contrat entre en vigueur, Parker offre trois cadeaux à Presley. Le premier est un contrat avec la plus puissante maison de disques au monde, la [[Radio Corporation of America|RCA]]. C'est elle qui va miser sur Elvis et lui avancer les millions de dollars nécessaires à un essor planétaire. Le deuxième est un premier disque d'or avec ''[[Heartbreak Hotel]]'' ; Elvis a tout juste vingt ans. Le troisième et dernier cadeau au jeune chanteur est son arrivée sur le petit écran de millions de téléspectateurs. Ce soir-là, l'émission atteint une audience record de plus de cinquante millions de téléspectateurs, ce qui représente plus de 80 % de part d'audience. Lors de sa deuxième apparition au ''[[Ed Sullivan]] Show'' (le [[28 octobre]] de la même année), il se teint les cheveux en noir, alors qu'ils étaient jusque-là Brun clair. Le « King du rock and roll » vient de naître. | + | In Memphis, Presley went to record stores that had [[jukebox]]es and listening booths, playing old records and new releases for hours. He was an audience member at the all-night black and white "gospel sings" downtown.<ref name=GoodRockin-54>([[August 18]], [[1997]]). "Good Rockin'". ''Newsweek'', pp.54-5</ref> Memphis [[Symphony]] Orchestra concerts at [[Overton Park]] were another Presley favorite, along with the Metropolitan [[Opera]]. His small record collection included [[Mario Lanza]] and [[Dean Martin]]. Presley later said, "I just loved music. Music period."<ref name=1994-21 /> |
| - | Si ces apparitions télévisées enchantent les jeunes, les adultes, eux, réprimandent et condamnent la tenue du « King ». Ses déhanchements lascifs et/ou brusques choquent l'Amérique, les moralistes et bien-pensants veulent faire interdire Elvis à la télévision. En conséquence, si Elvis ne sera jamais interdit d'antenne, par contre les réalisateurs ont ordre de ne filmer la star qu'au-dessus de la ceinture. C'est ainsi qu'Elvis interprète ses plus grands succès du milieu des années 1950 : ''[[Heartbreak Hotel]]'', ''[[Blue Suede Shoes]]'', ''[[I Want You, I Need You, I Love You]]'', ''[[Don't Be Cruel]]'', et le très suggestif ''[[Hound Dog]]'' (c'est-à-dire « chien de chasse »). | + | Memphis had a strong tradition of blues music and Presley went to blues as well as hillbilly venues. Many of his future recordings were inspired by local African American composers and recording artists, including [[Arthur Crudup]], [[Rufus Thomas]] and [[B.B. King]].<ref>Guralnick, Peter ([[August 11]], [[2007]]). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/11/opinion/11guralnick.html?_r=1&oref=slogin How Did Elvis Get Turned Into a Racist?]" ''[[New York Times]]''. Retrieved [[August 15]] [[2007]].</ref> King says that he "knew Elvis before he was popular. He used to come around and be around us a lot ... on [[Beale Street]]."<ref>Szatmary, p.35</ref> |
| - | Parallèlement à la télévision, Elvis poursuit ses tournées de concerts qui deviennent très vite une sorte de [[kermesse]], une foire dangereusement incontrôlable. La vedette se produit devant des foules immenses, arrivant en [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] rose et surprotégé par une nuée de policiers, l'Amérique veut voir et toucher ce jeune chanteur devenu en moins d'un an une idole pour ses enfants. L'année 1956 se termine en beauté, Elvis décroche son 48{{e}} disque d'or de l'année, il fait l'objet d'une véritable vénération hystérique et déclare au fisc pas moins de 22 millions [[USD]] en revenus. | + | Presley "was an untrained musician who played entirely by ear. 'I don't read music,' he confessed, 'but I know what I like.' ... Because he was not a songwriter, Presley rarely had material prepared for recording sessions..." When he, as a young singer, "ventured into the recording studio he was heavily influenced by the songs he had heard on the jukebox and radio."<ref>Bertrand, p.205</ref> |
| - | Poursuivi jour et nuit par ses admirateurs, Elvis finit par se réfugier derrière les murs d'une forteresse. Il s'offre le 19 mars [[1957]] pour 120 500 USD une grande maison sur le ''Highway 51'' dans Memphis Sud (nom de boulevard changée le 19 janvier 1972 en ''Elvis-Presley Boulevard''). Baptisée ''[[Graceland]]'', elle possède vingt-quatre pièces sur un terrain de treize hectares. Immédiatement, Elvis y investit un demi-million USD en travaux pour faire de Graceland son royaume et y installe sa mère, son père, ses oncles et ses tantes, ses cousins et tout un groupe d'amis ou d'anciens camarades d'école qui deviennent jardiniers, chauffeurs ou comptables pour la vedette. À cette époque, il est considéré comme la plus grande vedette du rock and roll. | + | ===First recordings at Sun Studios=== |
| + | {{main|Elvis Presley's Sun recordings}} | ||
| + | On [[July 18]], [[1953]], Presley went to Sun Records' [[Memphis Recording Service]] to record "My Happiness" with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", supposedly a present for his mother.<ref>"[http://elvis.com/elvisology/bio/elvis_1935_1957_2.asp Elvis biography: 1935 - 1957]". ''elvis.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> On [[January 4]], [[1954]], he cut a second [[Acetate disc|acetate]]. Sun Records boss [[Sam Phillips]] was on the lookout for someone who could deliver a blend of black blues and [[boogie-woogie]] music; he thought it would be very popular among white people.<ref>Miller, p.71</ref> Assistant [[Marion Keisker]] called Presley on [[June 26]], [[1954]]. After an inauspicious session, Phillips invited local musicians [[Scotty Moore|Winfield "Scotty" Moore]] and [[Bill Black]] to audition Presley. Though not overly impressed, a studio session was planned.<ref>"[http://www.history-of-rock.com/sam_phillips_sun_records_two.htm Sam Phillips Sun Records Two]". ''history-of-rock.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> | ||
| - | Le [[20 janvier]] [[1958]], Presley reçoit un courrier de l'[[United States Army|US Army]] qui lui signifie qu'il doit accomplir son [[service militaire]] pendant deux ans. Il est affecté en [[Allemagne]], où il conduira une jeep pour le sergent Ira Jones (qui relatera leur relation dans un livre). Son service est suspendu le [[5 mars]] [[1960]].Il habite à [[Bad Nauheim]] pendant son service militaire qui est fait au Ray Barracks à [[Friedberg]]. Depuis, beaucoup se sont questionnés sur la légitimité de cette mobilisation, alors que l'on était en temps de paix et qu'Elvis était le seul appui de ses parents et de sa grand-mère. Certains pensent que le but de cette action était de préserver la jeunesse américaine de l'influence du chanteur. | + | During a recording break, Presley began "acting the fool" first with Arthur Crudup's "[[That's All Right (Mama)]]".<ref>Guralnick, Peter (1992). ''The Complete 50's Masters'' (CD booklet notes).</ref> Phillips got them all to restart and began taping. This was the sound he had been looking for.<ref>Jorgensen, p.13</ref> The group recorded other songs, including [[Bill Monroe]]'s "[[Blue Moon of Kentucky]]". "That's All Right" was aired on [[July 8]], [[1954]], by [[DJ]] [[Dewey Phillips]].<ref name=Carr-6>Carr and Farren, p.6</ref>{{fn|d}} After its release, both sides of "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky" began to chart across the South.<ref>EPE ([[July 21]], [[2004]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presley_sun_recordings.shtml Elvis Presley Sun Recordings]". ''elvis.co.au''. Retrieved on [[August 17]] [[2007]].</ref> |
| - | C'est peu avant son départ pour l'Allemagne, alors qu'il est encore au Texas pour y faire ses classes, que sa mère meurt subitement à 46 ans. Elvis, qui adorait sa mère, ne va jamais vraiment s'en remettre. Bien plus tard, [[John Lennon]] devait dire : {{citation|Elvis est mort le jour où il est entré à l'armée}}, mais on peut également dire ceci : Elvis est mort le jour où sa mère est morte. Le jeune homme ne sera plus jamais le même, et la joie qui l'accompagnait va le quitter. | + | ===First public performances=== |
| + | Moore and Black began playing regularly with Presley. They gave a few performances in July [[1954]] to promote the Sun single at the Bon Air, a rowdy music club where the band was not well-received.<ref name=EarlyGigs>EPE. "[http://www.elvispresley.com.au/elvis/presley/elvis_first_record.shtml Elvis Presley's First Record & Early Gigs]". ''ElvisPresley.com.au''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> On [[July 30]] the trio, billed as The Blue Moon Boys, made their first appearance at the Overton Park Shell, with [[Slim Whitman]] headlining.<ref>Burnett, Brown (ed.) ([[August 2]] [[2004]]). "[http://www.redclock.com/buzzards/memphis.htm Overton Park Shell 50th Anniversary, Elvis’ 1st live show]". ''Memphis Mojo Newspaper''. Reprinted in "The Buzzards". ''RedClock.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> A nervous Presley's legs were said to have shaken uncontrollably during this show: his wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing females in the audience to go "crazy".<ref>Naylor and Halliday, p.43</ref><ref name=Clayton-61>Clayton and Heard, p.61</ref>{{fn|e}} Presley consciously incorporated similar movements into future shows.<ref>''Elvis Presley Classic Albums'' (DVD). Eagle Eye Media, EE19007 NTSC.</ref> | ||
| - | Les années à l'armée sont des années sombres pour Elvis. Dans un pays étranger, loin de ses amis et de ses admirateurs, Elvis déprime. Bien qu'il soit aussi célèbre que dans son pays, il ne sort pratiquement jamais. C'est au cours d'une soirée chez son capitaine qu'il fait la connaissance d'une toute jeune fille de 14 ans, [[Priscilla Beaulieu]]. Il en tombe amoureux et décide même de l'accueillir à Graceland à partir de [[1962]]. Finalement, Elvis l'épouse à [[Las Vegas]] en 1967. Ils ont tous les deux les yeux verts. C'est aussi en Allemagne que son père, venu le rejoindre, rencontre sa future deuxième épouse, Dee Stanley. | + | DJ and promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager (replacing Scotty Moore). Moore and Black left their band, the Starlite Wranglers and, from August through October 1954, appeared with Presley at The Eagle's Nest.<ref name=EarlyGigs /> Presley debuted at the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' in [[Nashville]] on [[October 2]]; Hank Snow introduced Presley on stage. He performed "Blue Moon of Kentucky" but received only a polite response. Afterwards, the singer was allegedly told: "Boy, you’d better keep driving that truck."<ref name=Naylor-43>Naylor and Halliday, pp.43-6</ref>{{fn|f}}<ref name=Clayton-69>Clayton and Heard, p.69</ref>{{fn|g}}<ref name=Guralnick-1994-11>Guralnick 1994, p.11</ref>{{fn|h}} |
| - | Lorsqu'il est démobilisé, le « show business » l'attend et Elvis reprend le cours de sa carrière.:p | + | Country music promoter and manager [[Tillman Franks]] booked Presley for the ''[[Louisiana Hayride]]'' on [[October 16]]. Before Franks saw Presley, he referred to him as "that new black singer with the funny name".<ref>Naylor and Halliday, p.46</ref> During Presley's first set, the reaction was muted; for the second, Franks advised Presley to "Let it all go!" As house drummer [[D.J. Fontana]] (who had worked in strip clubs) complemented Presley's movements with accented beats and Bill Black engaged in his usual stage antics, the crowd was more responsive.<ref>Naylor and Halliday, p.52</ref><ref name=Clayton-73>Clayton and Heard, p.73</ref>{{fn|i}} According to one source, "Audiences had never before heard [such] music... [or] seen anyone who performed like Presley either. The shy, polite, mumbling boy gained self-confidence with every appearance... People watching the show were astounded and shocked, both by the ferocity of his performance, and the crowd’s reaction to it... [[Roy Orbison]] saw Presley for the first time in Odessa, Texas: 'His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing... I just didn’t know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it.'"<ref>Cook, p.50</ref> Sam Phillips said Presley "put every ounce of emotion ... into every song, almost as if he was incapable of holding back."<ref>Guralnick 1994</ref> |
| - | Presley est très religieux et il enregistre de nombreux albums de [[gospel]]. Les trois [[Grammy Award]]s qu'il reçoit lui sont tous décernés pour des morceaux de gospel. Il n'aime pas le titre "The King", car selon lui, le seul "King" sur terre c'est Jésus. | + | ===Breakthrough year: 1956=== |
| + | [[Image:Elvispresleydebutalbum.jpeg|thumb|The iconic cover of Elvis Presley's debut RCA album. Photo taken on [[January 31]], [[1955]]]] | ||
| + | Presley's sound proved hard to categorize; he was billed or labeled in the media as "The King of Western Bop", "The [[Hillbilly#Music | Hillbilly]] Cat" and "The Memphis Flash". | ||
| - | == Carrière au cinéma == | + | On [[August 15]], [[1955]], [[Colonel Tom Parker|"Colonel" Tom Parker]] became Presley's manager. By August 1955, Sun Studios had released ten sides credited to "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill", all typical of the developing Presley style. Several major record labels had shown interest in signing Presley. On [[November 21]], [[1955]], Parker and Phillips negotiated a deal with [[RCA Victor]] Records to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $35,000.<ref>Carr and Farren, p.21</ref><ref>Escott, p.421</ref> |
| - | Dès [[1956]], [[Hollywood]] s'intéresse à lui. Sa première apparition sur écran en tant qu'acteur est surprenante. Au début, il ne devait pas y avoir de chanson, mais les producteurs en rajoutent quatre et ''The Reno Brother's'' (titre original) est rebaptisé ''Love Me Tender'', titre de son dernier succès. Le film parle de la [[guerre de Sécession]] et est mal perçu par les admirateurs d'Elvis qui s'indignent de voir leur idole du rock dans un pâle [[western]]. | + | To increase the singer's exposure, Parker finally brought Presley to television (In March 1955, Presley had failed an audition for ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]''). He booked six [[Dorsey Brothers]]' ''Stage Show'' appearances (CBS), beginning [[January 28]], [[1956]], when Presley was introduced by [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] DJ [[Bill Randle]]. Parker also obtained a lucrative two-show deal with [[Milton Berle]] (NBC). |
| - | Néanmoins, le film fait un tabac. Le film suivant, fait sur mesure pour Elvis, est ''Loving You'', titre de son dernier succès. L'idole joue pratiquement son propre rôle, celui d'un petit chanteur qui devient une superstar grâce au travail et à un manager affairiste. ''Loving You'' obtient un immense succès et Elvis devient une vedette du cinéma. Son troisième film est l'archétype du film violent. Elvis y joue un employé qui aime chanter. Mais, suite à une bagarre, il tue un gars et est envoyé en prison. Là, il se met à chanter et devient la coqueluche de ses co-détenus. Libéré, il devient une vedette avant de connaître les affres de la célébrité. Le film s'appelle ''Jailhouse Rock'', également le titre de son dernier succès. ''Jailhouse Rock'' manque de profondeur, et montre un personnage superficiel, mais remporte un succès retentissant auprès des jeunes. | + | On [[January 27]], Presley's first RCA single, "[[Heartbreak Hotel]]," was released. By April it hit number one in the U.S., and sold one million copies. On [[March 23]], RCA released ''[[Elvis Presley (album)|Elvis Presley]]'', his first album. Like the Sun recordings, the majority of the tracks were country songs.<ref>Hilburn, Robert ([[2005-02-11]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/reviews/cd_review_elvis_presley.shtml Review: Elvis Presley CD]". ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> |
| - | Son dernier film tourné avant qu'il parte pour l'armée sera considéré comme son meilleur. Il s'agit de ''King Creole''. Le scénario était prévu pour [[James Dean]] et le personnage passe du boxeur au chanteur. Une fois de plus, Elvis interprète un garçon simple qui s'en sort grâce à la chanson. | + | From [[April 23]], he had two weeks at the New Frontier Hotel, [[Las Vegas]]—billed this time as "the Atomic Powered Singer". His shows were badly received, by critics and the conservative guests. Presley saw [[Freddie Bell and the Bellboys]] live in Vegas, and liked their version of [[Leiber and Stoller]]'s "[[Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog]]". By [[May 16]], he had added the song to his own act.<ref>Butler, Peter. "[http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillBlack1.html Blackie]". ''RockabillyHall.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> |
| - | À partir de 1960, dès son retour de l'armée, Elvis abandonne sa carrière de chanteur et se retire de la scène pour se consacrer à Hollywood. De ces longues années (neuf ans), seuls quelques films sur 27 méritent d'être cités : ''Flaming Star'' (1960), ''Blue Hawaii'' (1961), ''Fun in Acapulco'' (1962) avec [[Ursula Andress]], ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964) avec [[Ann-Margret]] et ''Charro'' (1969). | + | A few days after an [[April 3]] appearance for ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]'' in [[San Diego]], a near-fatal flight taking Presley's band to Nashville for a recording session left all three badly shaken.<ref>Jorgensen, p.45</ref> After more hectic touring, Presley returned to ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]'' on [[June 5]] and performed "Hound Dog" (without his guitar). Singing it uptempo, he then began a slower version. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle around the microphone stand stirred the audience—as did his vigorous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat. Presley's "gyrations" created a storm of controversy—even eclipsing the '[[communist]] threat' headlines prevalent at the time.<ref name="Jorgensen-49">Jorgensen, p.49</ref> The press described his performance as "vulgar" and "obscene".<ref name="Jorgensen-49"/><ref>An example of press criticism can be found at Gould, Jack ([[June 6]] [[1956]]). "[http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/archives/elvis-presley-on-milton-berle-show-06-06-1956.pdf TV: New Phenomenon]" (PDF). ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> Presley was obliged to explain himself on the local [[New York City]] TV show ''[[Hy Gardner]] Calling'': "Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it."<ref name=Elvis56 /> |
| - | Toutes ces productions n'ont qu'un seul but : distribuer Elvis dans le monde entier sans que la vedette n'ait besoin de se déplacer. Le succès est phénoménal, mais au fil des années, la magie se perd et les films d'Elvis deviennent des [[caricature]]s. Ses disques tirés uniquement des bandes sonores des films connaissent également une chute et Elvis ne rencontre plus le succès qu'il avait avant. Le monde a changé et de nouveaux chanteurs et groupes ont fait leur apparition, et pour faire bonne figure, Elvis accepte de rencontrer les [[Beatles]] chez lui, le 27 août 1965, dans sa maison de Bel Air en Californie. | + | The Berle shows drew such huge ratings that [[Steve Allen]] ([[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]]), not a fan of rock and roll, booked him for one appearance in [[New York]]. Allen wanted "to do a show the whole family can watch" and introduced a "new Elvis" in white bow tie and black tails. Presley sang "Hound Dog" for less than a minute to a [[Basset Hound]] in a [[top hat]]. According to one author, "Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition..."<ref>Austen, p.13</ref><ref name=Beebe>Beebe, Fulbrook and Saunders, p.97</ref> The day after ([[July 2]]), the single "Hound Dog" was recorded and Scotty Moore said they were "all angry about their treatment the previous night".<ref name=Beebe /> (Presley often referred to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career.<ref name=Elvis56>Raymond, Susan (Director) (1987, Re-released 2000). ''Elvis '56 - In the Beginning'' (DVD). Warner Vision.</ref>) A few days later, Presley made a "triumphant" outdoor appearance in Memphis at which he announced: "You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight."<ref>Jorgensen, p.51</ref> |
| - | Plus que jamais isolé dans des maisons pour milliardaires de [[Beverly Hills]], Elvis n'a plus aucun contact avec le monde extérieur. Entouré jour et nuit par les mêmes gens depuis ses débuts (la "Memphis Mafia"), il semble ne plus être en mesure de juger sa carrière. La carrière si époustouflante du « King » sombre dans le désastre et l'image d'Elvis en devient ridicule. | + | Country vocalists [[The Jordanaires]] accompanied Presley on ''The Steve Allen Show'' and their first recording session together produced "[[Any Way You Want Me]]", "[[Don't Be Cruel]]" and "Hound Dog". The Jordanaires would work with the singer through the 1960s. |
| - | Dès 1966, sa production cinématographique accouche de [[navet]]s, tous plus insalubres les uns que les autres, au point que même les plus fidèles admirateurs se détournent de leur idole. Chaque nouveau film est alors accueilli dans une indifférence glaciale et les recettes ne sont plus remarquables. La période de 1963 à 1968 est marque une profonde crise dans la carrière d'Elvis mais également dans sa vie personnelle. Bien qu'il eut toujours pris des médicaments tels que des amphétamines pour supporter la pression et être au top sur scène, il augmente alors sa consommation régulière de cachets et se met à prendre des cachets qui ne sont prescrits que dans des cas extrêmes: amytal, quaalude, dexedrine, biphétamine, percodan, dilaudid... Toutes ces drogues provoquent des hallucinations, des paranoïas, des troubles de la vision, de la parole, de la concentration... Elvis en consommait alors 2 à 3 fois par semaine. Cette addiction aux drogues s'explique sûrement par le fait que le King était au plus bas de sa carrière. Il détestait profondément les films qu'on l'obligeait à tourner pensant que les scénaristes n'exploitaient pas tous ses talents de jeu. Ses disques également qui étaient directement tirés de ses films ne correspondaient plus à ce qu'il voulait faire. Bien qu'entourés d'une foule d'amis, personne ne pouvait comprendre ce qu'il ressentait: un artiste jadis adulé par des millions de gens dans le monde entier mais qui était maintenant "has been". Il se mit à douter de ses propres capacités de chanteur et se tourna bientôt vers le spiritualime pour trouver des réponses à ses questions. En effet, en 1964, il eut une véritable révélation lorsqu'il rencontra Larry Geller, un coiffeur,qui lui fit lire des livres sur la philosophie, religion:'... Larry, I don't believe it. I mean, what you're talking about is what I secretly think about all the time... there has to be a purpose... there's got to be a reason... why I was chosen to be Elvis Presley.'"[112], "Larry, je n'arrive pas à le croire. Je veux dire, tout ce que ce que tu me dis là, c'est à quoi je pense tout le temps en secret. Il doit y avoir un but. Il doit y avoir une raison pour laquelle j'ai été choisi pour être Elvis Presley". Très anxieux, il lut des tonnes de livres sur le sens de la vie tels que ''The Voice of Silence'', ''Tibetan Book of the Dead'', ''The Wisdom of the Overself'' et ''The Impersonal Life'' qu'il emmenait partout et considérait comme son livre de chevet. Geller devient alors son seul véritable confident et la star lui raconta tous ses déboires: "I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get and how empty I really feel."[113]"Je jure devant Dieu que personne ne sait combien je suis seul et combien je me sens vide". | + | Though Presley had been unhappy, Allen's show had, for the first time, beaten ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in the ratings, causing a critical Sullivan ([[CBS]]) to book Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.<ref>For more on the TV host rivalries of the period, see "[http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/steveallens/steveallens.htm The Steve Allen Show (And Various Related Programs)]". ''The Museum of Broadcast Communications''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> |
| - | Il eut également des visions et pensait pouvoir guérir les malades.D'ailleurs, il voulait devenir médecin. Mais ses visions venaient sûrement de son abus de médicaments. | + | Presley's first ''Ed Sullivan'' appearance ([[September 9]], [[1956]]) was seen by some 55–60 million viewers. "Compared to moments on the Dorsey shows and on the Berle show, it was ice cream."<ref>[[Greil Marcus|Marcus, Greil]], "Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows." "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/dvd/dvd_ed_sullivan_shows_set.shtml Official Press Release]". ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-22]].</ref> On the third Sullivan show, Presley sang only slow paced ballads and a gospel song.<ref>{{cite video |people=Paul Mavis (Director) |title=Elvis Presley - Ed Sullivan Shows |medium=DVD |publisher=Image Entertainment |date=2006}}</ref> The fact that Presley was only shown from the waist up and "stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha, if not a harem girl" during this last broadcast has led to claims that Sullivan had "censored" or even "buried" the singer,<ref>Marcus, "Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows."</ref> or that Colonel Parker had orchestrated the episode to generate publicity.<ref>Clayton and Heard, pp.117-8</ref><ref name=EdSullivan>Gibson, Christine ([[December 6]] [[2005]]). "[http://www.americanheritage.com/entertainment/articles/web/20050909-elvis-presley-ed-sullivan-show-steve-allen-milton-berle-charles-laughton.shtml Elvis on Ed Sullivan: The Real Story]". ''[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage Magazine]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-22]].</ref> In spite of any misgivings about the controversial nature of his performing style, Sullivan declared at the end of the third appearance that Presley was "a real decent, fine boy" and that they had never had "a pleasanter experience" on the show.<ref name=EdSullivan /> |
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| + | ===Controversial king=== | ||
| + | {{main|Elvis Presley's cultural impact}} | ||
| + | When "That's All Right" was played, many listeners were sure Presley must be black, and most white disc-jockeys wouldn't play his Sun singles. However, black disc-jockeys didn't want anything to do with a record made by a white man.<ref>Carr and Farren, pp.11, 16</ref> To some, Presley had undoubtedly "stolen" or at least "derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s."<ref>Bayles, p.22</ref> Some black entertainers, notably [[Jackie Wilson]], countered, "A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis."<ref name=Blank>Blank, Christopher ([[July 15]] [[2006]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_not_racist.shtml Elvis & Racism - Elvis Presley Legacy is cloudy through lens of race]". ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref>{{fn|j}} | ||
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| + | [[Image:Elvis-MississippiAlabamaFair1956.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Crowd frenzy at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, 1956.]] | ||
| + | By the spring of 1956, Presley was becoming popular nationwide and teenagers flocked to his concerts. Scotty Moore recalled: "He’d start out, 'You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog,' and they’d just go to pieces. They’d always react the same way. There’d be a riot every time."<ref>Moore and Dickerson, p.175</ref> Bob Neal wrote: "It was almost frightening, the reaction... from teenage boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him." In [[Lubbock, Texas]], a teenage gang fire-bombed Presley's car.<ref>Carr and Farren, p.12</ref> Some performers became resentful (or resigned to the fact) that Presley going on stage before them would "kill" their own act; he thus rose quickly to top billing.<ref>Carr and Farren, p.12</ref> At the two concerts he performed at the 1956 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, one hundred [[United States National Guard|National Guardsmen]] were on hand to prevent crowd trouble.<ref>"[http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/10/people/main3155031.shtml Elvis Rock 'n' Roll History]". ''showbuzz.CBSnews.com''. Retrieved [[2007-10-14]].</ref> | ||
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| + | To many adults, the singer was "the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. ... they did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-Negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex."<ref>Billboard writer Arnold Shaw, cited in Denisoff, p.22.</ref> In 1956, a critic for the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley" and the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] denounced him in its weekly magazine, ''[[America (magazine)|America]]''.<ref> "[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/music/elvis.html Elvis Presley - 1956]". ''[[PBS]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> Even [[Frank Sinatra]] opined: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."<ref>Khurana, Simran. "[http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley3.htm Quotes About Elvis Presley]". ''about.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> | ||
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| + | Presley was even seen as a "definite danger to the security of the United States." His actions and motions were called "a [[Striptease|strip-tease]] with clothes on" or "sexual self-gratification on stage." They were compared with "[[masturbation]] or riding a microphone." Some saw the singer as a sexual [[perversion|pervert]], and psychologists feared that teenaged girls and boys could easily be "aroused to sexual indulgence and perversion by certain types of motions and [[hysteria]]—the type that was exhibited at the Presley show."<ref>See Fensch, Thomas. ''The FBI Files on Elvis Presley'', pp.15-17.</ref> In August 1956, a [[Florida]] judge called Presley a "savage" and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]. The judge declared that Presley's music was undermining the youth of America. Throughout the performance (which was filmed by police), he kept still as ordered, except for wiggling a finger in mockery at the ruling.<ref name=Marino>Marino, Rick. "[http://www.ladyluckmusic.com/radio/guest/ Elvis and Jacksonville, Florida]". ''LadyLuckMusic.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref>{{fn|k}} (Presley recalls this incident during the [['68 Comeback Special]].) | ||
| + | [[Image:Elvis presley.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Presley in a promotional photo for ''[[Jailhouse Rock (1957 film)|Jailhouse Rock]]'' released by MGM on [[November 8]], [[1957]].]] | ||
| + | In 1957, Presley was alleged to have said: "The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes." The singer always denied saying, or ever wanting to say, such a racist remark. ''[[Jet magazine|Jet]]'' magazine, run by and for African Americans, subsequently investigated the story and found no basis to the claim. However, the ''Jet'' journalist did find plenty of testimony that Presley judged people "regardless of race, color or creed".<ref>Davis, Natalie ([[August 17]] [[2003]]). "[http://gratefuldread.net/archives/cat/000733.html The 'King' Has Left the Building]". ''GratefulDread.net''.Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> | ||
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| + | His parents moved home in Memphis, but the singer lived there briefly. With increased concerns over privacy and security, ''[[Graceland]]'' was bought in 1957, a mansion with several acres of land. This was Presley's primary residence until his death. | ||
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| + | Presley's record sales grew quickly throughout the late 1950s, with hits like "[[All Shook Up]]", "[[Teddy Bear (song)|(Let me Be Your) Teddy Bear]]" and "[[Too Much]]". | ||
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| + | ===Military service and mother's death=== | ||
| + | On [[December 20]], [[1957]], Presley received his [[Conscription in the United States|draft notice]]. [[Hal Wallis]] and [[Paramount Pictures]] had already spent $350,000 on the film ''[[King Creole]]'', and did not want to suspend or cancel the project. The Memphis Draft Board granted Presley a deferment to finish it. On [[March 24]], [[1958]], he was inducted and completed basic training at [[Fort Hood]], [[Texas]], before being posted to [[Friedberg, Hesse|Friedberg]], [[Germany]] with the 3rd Armored Division.<ref>Elder, Daniel K. "[http://ncohistory.com/files/RemarkableSgts.pdf Remarkable Sergeants: Ten Vignettes of Noteworthy NCOs]". ''ncohistory.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-11-13]].</ref> | ||
| - | Lorsque son contrat cinématographique prend fin en 1969, Elvis, fatigué et critiqué, décide de mettre un terme à sa carrière à Hollywood. | + | Presley had chosen not to join 'Special Services', which would have allowed him to avoid certain duties and maintain his public profile.<ref>Lichter, p.51</ref> He continued to receive massive media coverage, with much speculation echoing Presley's own concerns about his enforced absence damaging his career. However, early in 1958, RCA producer Steve Sholes and Hill and Range "song searcher" Freddy Bienstock had both pushed for recording sessions and strong song material, the aim being to release regular hit singles during Presley's two-year hiatus.<ref>Jorgensen, p.107</ref> The hit singles—and six albums—duly followed during that period. |
| - | == Le ''come back'' de 1968 == | + | In Germany, "[a] sergeant had introduced [Presley] to [[amphetamines]] when they were on maneuvers at [[Grafenwöhr]]... it seemed like half the guys in the company were taking them." Friends around Presley also began taking them, "if only to keep up with Elvis, who was practically evangelical about their benefits."<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.21</ref> |
| - | [[Image:Elvis-nixon.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Elvis rencontrant Richard Nixon]] | + | |
| - | Suite au désastre hollywoodien, Elvis n'est plus considéré comme une valeur sûre. De plus, la musique a considérablement changé, la scène aussi, le public ne se contente plus de ces petits spectacles sans fastes, les [[Beatles]], les [[Rolling Stones]] et surtout [[Doors]] ont su apporter du sang neuf au rock. Elvis reste toutefois celui qui a lancé le rock, mais n'est plus qu'une référence. Les professionnels lui conseillent de faire encore quelques films, puis de se retirer. Pourtant, Elvis est encore jeune, plus beau que jamais et il faudrait peu de chose pour le remettre en selle. Le 1{{er}} mai 1967, il épousa Priscilla Beaulieu à Las Vegas et neuf mois plus tard la naissance de sa fille [[Lisa-Marie Presley|Lisa-Marie]] suivra le 1{{er}} février 1968. | + | |
| - | Le colonel Parker fera signer un contrat qui fera relancer la carrière musicale d'Elvis. Celui-ci réapparaît à la télévision après sept ans d'absence. Sa dernière apparition date de son retour de l'armée et n'avait duré que six minutes aux côtés d'un [[Frank Sinatra]] ravi d'avoir Elvis dans son émission. Cette fois, il est seul devant la caméra, dans une sorte de « one-man show » où il interprète ses anciens succès, mais également des nouveaux. L'émission, appelée ''Elvis, '68 NBC Special'', est annoncée à grands frais. Elle sera diffusée le 3 décembre 1968 sur le réseau NBC. Exit l'acteur des comédies musicales à l'eau de rose, Elvis revient en pleine possession de ses moyens face à ses anciens musiciens, habillé tout de cuir, le sourire en coin et le bassin intact. Il enflamme littéralement la télévision. Jamais une [[émission de variétés]] ne connaîtra un succès comparable{{référence nécessaire}}. | + | The army also introduced Presley to [[karate]]—something which he studied seriously, even including it in his later live performances.<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.71</ref>{{fn|l}} |
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| + | As Presley's fame grew, his mother continued to drink excessively and began to gain weight. She had wanted her son to succeed, "but... [the] hysteria of the crowd frightened her."<ref>Rodriguez, p.87</ref> Doctors had diagnosed [[hepatitis]] and her condition worsened. Presley was granted emergency leave to visit her in August 1958, but shortly afterwards his mother died, aged forty-six. Presley was distraught, "grieving almost constantly" for days.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.480</ref> | ||
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| + | Presley returned to the U.S. on [[March 2]], [[1960]], and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant on [[March 5]].<ref>"[http://www.army.mil/CMH/faq/elvis.htm What is the history of Elvis Presley's military career?]". ''Army.mil''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-19]].</ref> Recording sessions in March and April yielded some of his best-selling songs—including "[[It's Now or Never]]". Although some tracks were uptempo, none could be described as "rock and roll". Most found their way on to an album—''[[Elvis is Back!]]''—described by one critic as "a triumph on every level... It was as if Elvis had... broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved".<ref>Jorgensen, p.128</ref> The album was also notable because of Homer [[Boots Randolph]]'s acclaimed saxophone solo during the blues standard "[[Reconsider Baby]]". | ||
| - | L'Amérique retrouve celui qu'elle n'aurait jamais dû perdre, l'Elvis sauvage, beau, ravageur et [[rocker]]. Ce retour a un tel retentissement, que son manager n'a aucun mal à remettre Elvis sur une scène. | + | ===Hollywood years=== |
| + | {{see also|Elvis Presley filmography}} | ||
| - | == Les années 1970 == | + | In 1956, Presley launched his career as a film actor, beginning with the musical western, ''[[Love Me Tender (1956 film)|Love Me Tender]]''. It was panned by the critics but did well at the box office.<ref>Harbinson, p.62</ref> |
| - | [[Image:Elvis mugshot2.jpg|thumb|180px|right|Elvis en 1970]] | + | The original title—''The Reno Brothers''—was changed because of the advanced sales of the song "Love Me Tender". The majority of Presley's films were musical comedies made to "sell records and produce high revenues."<ref>Falk and Falk, p.52</ref> He also appeared in more dramatic films, like ''[[Jailhouse Rock (1957 film)|Jailhouse Rock]]'' and ''[[King Creole]]''. To maintain box office success, he even "shifted into [[beefcake]] formula comedy mode for a few years."<ref>"[http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9708/elvis/alive/elvis.hollywood/index.html Elvis goes Hollywood: Fun in the sun, and not much else]". ''[[CNN.com]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-19]].</ref> He also made one non-musical western, ''[[Charro!]]''. |
| - | Les années 1970 sont celles du triomphe. Mais aussi celles de la chute, du désespoir, de la déchéance et de la mort. Le monde s'efface devant cette superstar devenue [[charisme|charismatique]]. En 1969, il signera un contrat pour une série de spectacles au Hilton International Hotel de Las Vegas. La première a lieu le 31 juillet. Il donnera 57 concerts en 4 semaines et il s'y produira jusqu'en 1976, tout en faisant des tournées dans les grandes villes américaines. Le colonel Parker voulait un spectacle à grand déploiement et il voulait qu'Elvis puisse être accompagné d'un orchestre et de plusieurs vocalistes sur scène. Malheureusement, Scotty Moore et D.J Fontana seront remplacés par le TCB Band qui sera accompagné sur scène de plusieurs groupes de vocalistes dont The Jordanaires (1956-1970), The Sweet Inspirations, The Imperials Quartet, J.D Sumner & The Stamps, ainsi que la soprano Kathy Westmoreland (1970-1977). | + | |
| - | Elvis et Priscilla se séparent en février 1972 et ils divorceront officiellement en octobre 1973. Ils auront la garde partagée de leur fille Lisa-Marie qui ira vivre avec sa mère à Los Angeles. Elvis devient l'[[icône]] de l'Amérique profonde, la vedette qui n'hésite pas à faire entrer à Las Vegas, au milieu des machines à sous, le rock, le vrai, en y mélangeant des gospels, des trompettes et des tambours : du jamais vu. En 1972, il donnera une série de concert les 9-10-11 juin au célèbre Madison Square Garden de New York. Ce fut un grand retour à New York après 15 ans d'absence. Sa dernière visite fut lors de son passage à l'émission "The Ed Sullivan Show" en 1957. Par la suite, il donnera le premier concert par satellite de l'histoire à Hawaii. Ce grand événement eu lieu le 14 janvier 1973 au International Center Arena d'Honolulu. | + | In the Army, Presley said on many occasions that "more than anything, he wanted to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.50</ref> His manager, with an eye on long-term earnings, negotiated a multi-picture seven-year contract with [[Hal Wallis]].<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.27</ref> |
| - | L'Amérique se retrouve en lui et Elvis retrouve son pays, chacun va se confondre. Las Vegas devient une deuxième maison pour le « King », où il y donne quelques 600 spectacles tout en délaissant les séances d'enregistrements. Il parcourt aussi le pays dans tous les sens, à bord d'un gigantesque avion personnel où, dans chaque ville, il est fêté comme un [[surhomme]]. De 1969 à sa mort, il aura donné 1 500 concerts à travers les États-Unis. D'ailleurs, il est devenu un surhomme, Elvis n'est plus que l'image de l'Amérique, la vitrine d'un pays riche, et devant des foules immenses qui crient son prénom, il arrive sur scène vêtu d'un costume nommé "jumpsuit" et d'une cape garnie de [[rubis]] et de [[diamant]]s (il aura plusieurs "jumpsuits") au son d'un impressionnant ''[[Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra (Richard Strauss)|Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra]]'' de [[Richard Strauss]]. Cette pièce d'entrée était un thème d'ouverture qui était suivi par "That's All Right Mama" et le célèbre "[[C.C. Rider|See See Rider]]". | + | The singer withdrew from performing, except for ''[[The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis]]'' (1960) and three charity concerts (two in Memphis and one in Pearl Harbor, 1961).<ref>Guralnick 1999, pp.89-91</ref> Although Presley was praised by directors, like [[Michael Curtiz]], as polite and hardworking (and as having an exceptional memory), "he was definitely not the most talented actor around."<ref>Verswijver, p.129</ref> The Presley vehicles and the [[American International Pictures|AIP]] beach movies (mainly made for an early sixties teenage audience) were generally criticized as a "pantheon of bad taste."<ref>Caine, p.21</ref> The scripts of his movies "were all the same, the songs progressively worse."<ref>Kirchberg and Hendricks, p.67</ref> ''[[Sight and Sound]]'' wrote that in his movies "Elvis Presley, aggressively [[bisexual]] in appeal, knowingly [[eroticism|erotic]], [was] acting like a [[crucifixion|crucified]] houri and singing with a kind of machine-made [[surrealism]]."<ref>''Sight and Sound'', The British Film Institute, British Institute of Adult Education (1992), p.30.</ref> Others noted that the songs seemed to be "written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll."<ref>Hopkins, p.32</ref> For ''[[Blue Hawaii]]'', "fourteen songs were cut in just three days."<ref>Hopkins, p.31</ref> Julie Parrish, who appeared in ''[[Paradise, Hawaiian Style]]'', says that Presley hated such songs and that he "couldn't stop laughing while he was recording" one of them.<ref>Lisanti 2000, pp.19, 136</ref> Critics would later claim that "No major star suffered through more bad movies than Elvis Presley."<ref>Lyon, p.511</ref> |
| - | Personne avant lui ne l'a fait. Après lui, personne n'osera. Son succès sur scène est immense, même si ses apparitions ne sont plus qu'un rituel au cours desquels la star se laisse fêter, même si désormais il interprète ses chansons avec détachement et sans plus beaucoup de peine. Parfois, il redevient grand, ose bousculer son personnage que l'Amérique lui a fabriqué et qu'il semble accepter, et se met à chanter d'une façon bouleversante ses chansons qui sont devenues des [[hymne]]s et que les foules écoutent religieusement. | + | [[Image:Viva Las Vegas.jpg|thumb|left|Presley and [[Ann Margret]] in a promotional shot for ''[[Viva Las Vegas]]'' released by [[MGM]] on [[May 20]], [[1964]].]] |
| + | Presley movies were nevertheless popular, and he "became a film genre of his own."<ref>Lisanti 2000, p.18</ref> Elvis on celluloid was the only chance to see him in the absence of live appearances, especially outside of the U.S. (the only time he toured outside of the U.S. was in Canada in 1957). His ''Blue Hawaii'' even "boosted the new state's tourism. Some of his most enduring and popular songs came from those [kind of] movies," like "[[Can't Help Falling in Love]]," "[[Return to Sender]]" and "[[Viva Las Vegas (song)|Viva Las Vegas]]."<ref>Hopkins, vii</ref> His 1960s films and soundtracks grossed some $280 million.<ref>Alagna, ''Elvis Presley''</ref> | ||
| - | Il ne sera plus jamais aussi grand, il ne s'en donnera plus la peine. Il est devenu un personnage trop compliqué et trop éloigné du réel pour cela {{référence nécessaire}}. S'il ne se déplace jamais en dehors des États-Unis, Elvis chante à Las Vegas devant un public international, car depuis de nombreuses années. c'est le monde entier qui vient à lui et non le contraire. On vient voir une icône, une image, presque un [[saint]]. Voilà ce qu'est devenu Elvis. Même si les dernières années sont extrêmement pénibles, Elvis s'offre aux foules tel qu'il est devenu, il ne cache rien. Au contraire, il montre son visage bouffi, ses mains gonflées et son corps meurtri, il ne cache ni ses nombreux trous de mémoire ni ses [[illumination]]s ; il montre ce qu'est devenu son pays. L'Amérique est fière de son garçon. | + | In 1964, [[Richard Burton]] and [[Peter O'Toole]] had starred in Hal Wallis' ''[[Becket (film)|Becket]]''. Wallis admitted to the press that the financing of such quality productions was only possible by making a series of profitable B-movies starring Presley. He branded Wallis "a double-dealing sonofabitch" (and he thought little better of Tom Parker), realizing there had never been any intention to let him develop into a serious actor.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.171</ref> |
| - | Psychologiquement et mentalement miné, (entre autres par le départ de son épouse Priscilla et la mort de sa mere dont il se remettra toujours avec peine) Elvis a du mal à vivre, il a des accès de paranoïa, de schizophrénie, souffre de boulimie alimentaire et médicamenteuse. Entouré jour et nuit par une cohorte de gens prêts à assouvir ses moindres désirs, il ne sait plus où est le bien et où est le mal, il ne sait plus ce qu'est la vie. D'ailleurs, il a déjà dépassé la vie, vivant la nuit, mangeant la nuit caché derrière les hauts murs de [[Graceland]], Elvis finit par confondre rêve et réalité. | + | Presley was one of the highest paid actors during the 1960s, but times were changing. "[The] Elvis Presley film was becoming passé. Young people were tuning in, dropping out and doing acid. Musical acts like [[Jefferson Airplane]], [[Grateful Dead]], [[The Doors]], [[Janis Joplin]] and many others were dominating the airwaves. Elvis Presley was not considered cool as he once was."<ref>Lisanti 2000, p.9</ref> Priscilla Presley recalls: "He blamed his fading popularity on his humdrum movies" and "... loathed their stock plots and short shooting schedules." She also notes: "He could have demanded better, more substantial scripts, but he didn't."<ref>Presley, p.188</ref> |
| - | Le 26 juin 1977, il donne un concert à l'auditorium de [[Indianapolis]], devant 18 000 personnes. La foule tremble d'émotion quand le « King » arrive devant elle sur l'immense scène. Son physique, qui n'a cessé de se dégrader depuis des mois, est terrible. Son visage est enflé au point que l'on aperçoit à peine ses yeux, son corps lourd, trop lourd souffre. Puis il a des trous de mémoire qu'il cache avec de l'humour. Mais si tout cela est pathétique, terrible, sa voix ne l'a pas quitté, plus puissante que jamais, elle a l'air de sortir d'une tombe. Le public lui, est toujours là, peut-être plus fidèle encore. C'est du délire encore et toujours. | + | Presley's final movie role was in ''[[Change of Habit]]'' (1969). His last two films were concert documentaries in the early 1970s, though Presley was keen to consider dramatic movie roles.<ref name=George-Warren>George-Warren, Romanowski and Pareles, ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll''. Excerpt in "[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/elvispresley/biography Elvis Presley biography]". ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref>{{fn|m}} |
| - | C'est le « King », c'est Elvis Presley à 42 ans, six semaines avant sa mort. | + | As well as the formulaic movie songs of the 1960s, Presley did make noteworthy studio recordings, including "[[Suspicion]]," "[[(You're The) Devil in Disguise]]" and "[[It Hurts Me]]." In 1966 he recorded a cover of [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[Tomorrow is a Long Time]]" (which RCA relegated to a bonus track on the soundtrack album for ''[[Spinout]]''). He also produced two gospel albums: ''[[His Hand in Mine]]'' (1960) and ''[[How Great Thou Art (album)|How Great Thou Art]]'' (1966). In 1967, he recorded some well-received singles in collaboration with songwriter/guitar player [[Jerry Reed]], including Reed's "[[Guitar Man]]." However, "during the Beatles era (1963-70), only six Elvis singles reached number ten or better. 'Suspicious Minds' was the lone number one."<ref>Kirchberg, Connie and Marc Hendricks 1999, p.66.</ref> |
| - | == Disparition == | + | ===Sex symbol=== |
| - | [[Image:Elvis' tomb.jpg|thumb|left|La tombe d'Elvis Presley]] | + | {{main|Relationships of Elvis Presley}} |
| + | Presley's sexual attraction and photogenic looks have been acknowledged: [[Steve Binder]] recalled from the [[Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special|'68 Comeback Special]]: "I'm straight as an arrow and I got to tell you, you stop, whether you're male or female, to look at him. He was that good looking. And if you never knew he was a superstar, it wouldn't make any difference; if he'd walked in the room, you'd know somebody special was in your presence."<ref name="Binder"/> | ||
| - | Son décès, alors qu'il pesait 102 kilos, est dû à un abus de médicaments (cortisonne, somnifères puissants le soir d'où les énergisants le matin). Elvis se savait condamné, il était atteint d'une maladie rare et incurable : [[Lupus érythémateux disséminé|Lupus Erythémateux]]. | + | Accounts of Presley's numerous sexual conquests may be exaggerated<ref>Kirchberg and Hendricks, p.62</ref><ref>Curtin, Curtin and Ginter, p.119</ref> [[Cybill Shepherd]] reveals that Presley kissed her all over her naked body - but refused to have oral sex with her.<ref>See [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001732/news "Hollywood Actress Reveals Her Elvis Sex Secrets"]. ''WENN'', April 25, 2000.</ref>. Byron Raphael and [[Alanna Nash]] have stated that the star "would never put himself inside one of these girls..."<ref name=Raphael>Raphael, Byron; [[Alanna Nash]] (November 2005). "In Bed with Elvis". ''Playboy'', '''52''' (11): pp.64-8, 76, 140.</ref>{{fn|p}} Girlfriends [[Judy Spreckels]] and [[June Juanico]] had no sexual relationships with Presley. [[Cassandra Peterson]] ("Elvira") says she knew Presley for only one night, but all they did was talk.<ref>Stein, Ruthe [[August 3]], [[1997]]. ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''.</ref> [[Peggy Lipton]] claims that he was "virtually impotent" with her (She attributed this to his boyishness and drug misuse).<ref name=Lipton>Lipton, Dalton and Dalton, p.172</ref>{{fn|q}} Guralnick concurs with others, "he wasn't really interested", preferring to lie in bed, watch television and talk.<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.415</ref> |
| - | Le 15 août 1977, Elvis loua pour la soirée le théâtre Ridgeway de Memphis. Le dernier film qu'Elvis a regardé fut ''MacArthur''. Quelques heures plus tard, il se rendit chez le dentiste Lester Hofman, car il avait un rendez-vous pour 22 h 30. (On a laissé entendre que celui-ci lui fournit une dose dangereuse d'analgésiques). Il revint à Graceland vers 00 h 30, le 16 août. C'est à ce moment que la dernière photo d'Elvis vivant fut prise, par monsieur Robert Call, de Pierceton, Indiana, au moyen d'une caméra Instamatic. Le 16 août 1977 à 1 h 30, Elvis a appelé Dick Grob, le chef de la sécurité de Graceland afin qu'il prépare des partitions musicales, pour une insertion éventuelle dans sa nouvelle tournée. Par la suite, Elvis a appelé son infirmière favorite, Marian Cocke, afin de la saluer avant son départ en tournée. Durant la nuit, Elvis joua au [[racquetball]] (dans un bâtiment situé sur le terrain de Graceland) avec Billy Smith, sa femme Jo, ainsi que sa fiancée Ginger Alden. Lors de sa dernière nuit, Elvis joua du piano devant Ginger Alden, près du court de raquette, et il chanta la chanson ''Blue Eyes Crying in the rain'' de [[Willie Nelson]]. Ce fut la dernière interprétation de son existence. Après avoir absorbé une importante quantité de somnifères (selon sa compagne Ginger Alden, il se coucha très tard, autour de 6 ou 7 heures le matin du 16 août), au milieu de l'après-midi, Elvis fut trouvé inanimé dans sa salle de bains par Ginger Alden et Elle Al Strada, lequel contacta à son tour Joe Esposito. Ces derniers, de même que tante Delta Mae Presley, auraient pratiqué le bouche à bouche sur Elvis afin d'essayer de le ranimer. Sa fille Lisa Marie, alors âgée de huit ans, et qui ce jour-là séjournait chez lui, sera témoin de la scène. Appelés sur les lieux, deux ambulanciers de Memphis qui viendront 40 minutes plus tard à son secours reconnaîtront à peine Elvis en cet homme de 102 kilos. Il est trop tard, Elvis est mort d'une crise d'[[arythmie]]. Il avait plusieurs problèmes de santé au milieu des années 1970. Il souffrait notamment d'un problème de poids, de [[glaucome]], d'un problème aux intestins (constipation chronique) et d'une grave dépendance aux médicaments que son médecin lui prescrit personnel, le docteur Nicopoulos, et sera soupçonné de faute professionnelle grave en ayant favorisé par abus de prescriptions les nombreuses surdoses de médicaments dont il fut victime durant les dix dernières années de sa vie, et qui laisseront présumer d'une dernière overdose fatale. Il est radié de l'ordre des médecins. Certaines personnes de son entourage, dont la soprano Kathy Westmoreland, persistent à dire qu'il aurait eu un cancer des os. La thèse était aussi supporté par son ami Charlie Hodge. Cependant, rien n'est officielcar aucune autopsie n'a été faite. Et cette possible maladie ne saurait justifier son decès. Il semble que son problème cardiaque ait pu être génétique. Son père Vernon et son oncle Vester sont décédés d'une crise cardiaque. | + | [[Ann-Margret]] (Presley's co-star in ''[[Viva Las Vegas]]'') refers to Presley as her "soulmate" but has revealed little else.<ref>Margret, ''Ann-Margret: My Story''</ref> A publicity campaign about Presley and Margret's romance was launched during the filming of ''Viva Las Vegas'',<ref>Presley, p.175</ref> which helped to increase Margret's popularity.<ref name=Gamson-46>Gamson, p.46</ref>{{fn|s}}<ref>Harrington and Bielby, p.273</ref> Indeed, Presley dated many female co-stars for publicity purposes.<ref>Stein, Ruthe ([[August 3]], [[1997]]). "Girls! Girls! Girls! From small-town women to movie stars". ''San Francisco Chronicle''.</ref> [[Lori Williams]] dated him for a while in 1964. She says their "courtship was not some bizarre story. It was very sweet and Elvis was the perfect gentleman."<ref>Lisanti 2003, p.207</ref> |
| - | L'une des théories recentes les plus intéressantes concernant le peu d'attention qu'Elvis prêta à sa santé physique durant les dix dernières années de sa vie, outre le rythme infernal de tournées que lui faisait subir son agent, l'insatiable colonel Tom Parker, toujours en manque d'argent de par sa dépendance au jeu, est que son -guru- et maître spirituel Gerry Schilling (auteur de: Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley, publié en 2005) le convainquit peu à peu de sa quasi-immortalité ou du moins qu'il possédait une essence divine que son existence dissolue ne pouvait en rien affecter. Elvis en manque de spiritualité et s'interrogeant sur le sens de son existence (il s'interrogea même sur sa possible ascendance juive) en serait venu à prendre pour acquises les théories bouddhistes et spiritualistes de penseurs tel que Khalil Gibran, Krishnamurti, Helena Blavatsky, Berkeley, pronant que seul l'esprit existe, et que la vraie réalité est immatérielle. C'est du moins ce qu'avance toujours Peter Guralnick dans un chapitre complet de son incontournable biographie du King pour expliquer une partie de sa décrepitude et de sa négligence physique. | + | ===Wife and daughter=== |
| + | :''Main articles:'' [[Priscilla Presley]] and [[Lisa Marie Presley]] | ||
| - | La plus grande voix d'Amérique (selon [[John Lennon]]) est morte, et sa mort prématurée fera l'effet d'une bombe d'abord aux États-Unis, puis dans le monde entier. On parlera d'[[overdose]], d'assassinat, de mort déguisée et même de fausse mort après l'avoir honoré lors d'obsèques dignes d'un chef d'État, après avoir montré son corps étonnamment rajeuni aux foules, et enfin après avoir promené sa dépouille royale dans un [[corbillard]] argenté flanqué de six motards de la garde républicaine le long de son boulevard, le ''Elvis-Presley Boulevard'' de [[Memphis (Tennessee)|Memphis]]. Il devait entamer une nouvelle tournée de 14 concerts à guichets fermés qui devait débuter le 17 août 1977, à Hartford au Connecticut. | + | Priscilla Beaulieu Presley had stayed with Presley during the 1960s (they had first met in Germany, when she was only fourteen). They married on [[May 1]], [[1967]], in Las Vegas. A daughter, [[Lisa Marie Presley|Lisa Marie]], was born nine months later. Even Priscilla has claimed that the singer was not overly active sexually during their five-year marriage.<ref>Presley, ''Elvis and Me''.</ref> |
| - | Le « King » repose à [[Graceland]] au milieu des siens, de sa mère Gladys morte en 1958, de son père Vernon mort en 1979 et de sa grand-mère Minnie-Ma décédée la dernière en 1980, et est visité par plus de 600 000 personnes chaque année {{référence nécessaire}}. | + | ===Influence of Colonel Parker and others=== |
| + | :''Main articles:'' [[Colonel Tom Parker]], [[Memphis Mafia]] | ||
| - | Comment inhumer un dieu vivant ? Comment la plus grande voix d'Amérique pouvait-elle simplement disparaître ? Parmi les mythes fondateurs de l'Amérique contemporaine la mort d'Elvis s'inscrira rapidement parmi les théories de la conspiration, comme celle de [[John Kennedy]] et de [[Marilyn Monroe]]. Statistiquement, en 2005, 24 % des Américains interrogés sur la question dans un sondage du USA Today estimaient qu'Elvis n'était possiblement pas mort. L'immense culte de la personnalité qui s'ensuivra et sa persistante influence sur la musique des années 2000 prouveront en quelque sorte son immortalité. Cette sacralisation, gérée par son ex-épouse Priscilla, rapporte désormais d'immenses dividendes ; Elvis Presley Entertainement qui administre, parmi des dizaines de produits dérivés, le mausolée pittoresque qu'est devenu Graceland a declaré en 2007 les revenus posthumes les plus importants (près de 280 millions US) attribués à un artiste depuis sa disparition. Et Graceland demeure, entre le Capitole, le Grand Canyon et la Statue de la Liberté, une des attractions touristiques les plus fréquentées d'Amérique, le monument historique le plus visité après la maison blanche. Au-delà de la mort le King reste toujours ... le King. | + | By 1967, Colonel Tom Parker had negotiated a contract that gave him 50% of Presley's earnings. Much has been written about the suspect nature of Parker's business practices. His dubious origins and gambling addictions in particular—and the subsequent need to keep Presley 'commercial'—may well have adversely affected the course of Presley's career.{{fn|t}} It has been claimed that Presley's original band was fired because Parker wanted to isolate the singer from anyone who might offer him a better management deal.<ref>Dickerson, ''Colonel Tom Parker: The Curious Life of Elvis Presley's Eccentric Manager''</ref> |
| - | == Influence mondiale == | + | Marty Lacker, one of a coterie of Presley's trusted friends known as the "[[Memphis Mafia]]", regarded Colonel Parker as a "hustler and scam artist" who abused Presley's trust, but Lacker acknowledged that Parker was a master promoter.<ref>Nash, Lacker, Fike and Smith, ''Elvis Aron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia''</ref> Priscilla Presley noted that "Elvis detested the business side of his career. He would sign a contract without even reading it."<ref>Presley, ''Elvis and Me''</ref> |
| - | [[Image:Graceland front.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Graceland]] | + | |
| - | Elvis Presley est largement considéré comme la personnification du [[rock and roll]] : sa voix, sa musique, sa gestuelle provocatrice, ses habitudes vestimentaires excentriques, ainsi que son parcours (célébrité fulgurante, descente aux enfers et mort prématurée) contribuent à forger l'icône d'Elvis à la fois [[idole]] populaire et symbole d'une certaine [[rébellion]] adolescente. Elvis peut être considéré comme le principal acteur de la popularisation du rock and roll auprès du grand public blanc américain puis européen. En effet, si le [[jazz]] avait déjà associé étroitement musique et sexualité, et si plusieurs interprètes blancs étaient aux côtés d'Elvis dans son rôle de pionnier du rock (par exemple, [[Bill Haley]]), Presley est le premier blanc à associer le [[sex appeal]] (un physique avantageux, des [[inflexion]]s de voix et des mouvements du bassin très suggestifs) à la nouvelle forme de musique, tout en y ajoutant un son plus dynamique et plus percutant issu des studios Sun de Memphis. Bien que considéré comme choquant par la frange conservatrice américaine, il contribue à rendre acceptable le genre musical et ouvre ainsi la voix de la reconnaissance à de nombreux artistes noirs, tels [[Chuck Berry]] et [[Little Richard]], ainsi qu'aux rockers blancs, tels [[Buddy Holly]] et [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]. | + | Presley's father distrusted the members of the "Memphis Mafia"; he thought they collectively exercised an unhealthy influence over his son.<ref>Humphries, p.79</ref> "[I]t was no wonder" that as the singer "slid into addiction and torpor, no one raised the alarm: to them, Elvis was the bank, and it had to remain open."<ref>Harris, John ([[March 27]], [[2006]]). "Talking about Graceland". ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref> Musician Tony Brown noted the urgent need to reverse Presley's declining health as the singer toured in the mid-1970s. "But we all knew it was hopeless because Elvis was surrounded by that little circle of people... all those so-called friends and... bodyguards."<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.339</ref> |
| - | Sa popularité, en particulier auprès des adolescentes, atteint des sommets inédits et ses concerts et ses apparitions en public donnent lieu à des mouvements de foule. Le succès d'Elvis auprès des jeunes, dont le pouvoir d'achat est grandissant, dicte la mode non seulement musicale, mais également capillaire ou vestimentaire. C'est un véritable phénomène de société. | + | Larry Geller became Presley's hairdresser in 1964. Unlike Presley's generally down-to-earth buddies, Geller was interested in 'spiritual studies'.<ref name=Guralnick-1999-173>Guralnick 1999, p.173</ref> From their first conversation, Geller recalls how Presley revealed his secret thoughts and anxieties, how "there's got to be a reason... why I was chosen to be Elvis Presley.'"<ref name=Guralnick-1999-173/> He then poured out his heart in "an almost painful rush of words and emotions," telling Geller about his mother and the hollowness of his Hollywood life, things he could not share with anyone around him. Thereafter, Presley voraciously read books Geller supplied, on religion and mysticism. Perhaps most tellingly, he revealed to Geller: "I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get and how empty I really feel."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.174 and in passim</ref> Presley would be preoccupied by such matters for much of his life, taking trunkloads of books with him on tour.<ref name=DrFeelgood/> |
| - | C'est principalement grâce à Elvis Presley que l'[[Europe]] découvre le rock, même derrière le [[rideau de fer]]. En [[France]], [[Dick Rivers]]<ref>Son pseudonyme s'inspire du nom du personnage ''Deke Rivers'' joué par Elvis dans le film ''Loving You''</ref> copie Presley, mais c'est surtout [[Johnny Hallyday]] qui popularise cette musique venue d'outre-Atlantique, devenant la vedette qu'il est encore aujourd'hui. Presley ouvre la voie à de nombreux rockers américains qui vendent leurs disques en Europe et y font des tournées. Les adolescents du monde entier commencent à copier la coiffure d'Elvis et la demande pour les [[transistor]]s augmente énormément, permettant ainsi à [[Sony]] de passer du statut de petit fabricant japonais de radio à celui de multinationale{{référence nécessaire}}. | + | In 1969, record producer [[Chips Moman]] of [[American Studios]], Memphis, was particularly critical of the song choices and staff of Hill and Range, Presley's main music publisher. Moman could only get the best out of Presley when he got the "aggravating" publishing personnel out of the studio.<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.265</ref> RCA executive Joan Deary was later full of praise for the superior results of Moman's work but despite this, no producer was to override Hill and Range's control again.<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.267</ref> |
| - | Aujourd'hui, 30 ans après la mort du rocker, il demeure une icône du {{XXe}} siècle. D'innombrables artistes de la seconde moitié du siècle se définissent par rapport à son influence, soit en revendiquant son héritage, soit pour le rejeter comme symbole d'une musique dépassée (en particulier à partir du mouvement [[punk]]). L'artiste [[Elvis Costello]] a, par exemple, emprunté le prénom Elvis pour faire décoller sa carrière. Le crooner pop Chris Isaac en est aussi la directe personnification. En France, le chanteur rockabilly Jesse Garon emprunta son nom de scène a celui du frère décédé d'Elvis et le rockeur australien Nick Cave consacra l'une de ses plus puissantes chansons (Tupelo) à la mythification d'Elvis. Le King déclencha aussi dans plusieurs pays, et en particulier dans la francophonie, une avalanche de clones plus ou moins crédibles dont parmi ceux qui lui survécurent ou en furent influencés profondément : [[Johnny Hallyday]], [[Dick Rivers]], [[Eddy Mitchell]] bien sûr, et [[Johnny Farago]] (au Québec), parmi des centaines d'imitateurs, n'en sont pas les moindres. Le [[Théâtre du Capitole de Québec]] présenta, sous licence, durant sept ans et avec un succès considérable une -musical- estivale sophistiquée à laquelle assistèrent des centaines de milliers de personnes, venues de partout. Au Québec toujours où, chez certains, Elvis personnifie la déliquescence et l'excès du mythe américain face aux revendications nationalistes et culturelles, le cinéaste [[Pierre Falardeau]] consacrera à la légende une trilogie humoristique intitulée ''Elvis Graton'' qui s'avérera d'abord un succès d'estime en court métrage et vingt ans plus tard, en 2005, un vaste succès public en salle. Mentionnons aussi que le groupe californien [[Dread Zeppelin]] avec son leader Greg Tortell (alias Tortelvis) personnifiant et parodiant Elvis jusqu'au ridicule (distribuant foulards et colliers hawaiiens dans la foule lors des concerts), connut une fructueuse carrière durant les [[Années 1980|années 80]]. Enfin, remarquable hommage, le méga-groupe U2 endisqua sur The Unforgettable Fire, en 1984, la très belle chanson: Elvis Presley And America. | + | ===1968 comeback=== |
| + | {{main|Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special}} | ||
| + | [[Image:ElvisPresley-OneNight.jpg|thumb|150 px|Elvis Presley in his [[Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special|'68 Comeback Special]], airing on [[NBC]], [[December 3]], [[1968]].]] | ||
| + | By mid-1968, Presley's recording career was floundering; he had become deeply unhappy with his career.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.171</ref> In the summer, he made a Christmas telecast on [[NBC]]. Later dubbed the '''68 Comeback Special'', and airing on [[December 3]], [[1968]], the show featured lavishly staged productions, but also saw Elvis clad in black leather, performing live in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his rock and roll days. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' called it "a performance of emotional grandeur and historical resonance."<ref name="RS"/> Its success was helped by director and co-producer, Steve Binder, who worked hard to reassure the nervous singer<ref name="Binder">Binder, Steve ([[2005-07-08]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_steve_binder.shtml Interview with Steve Binder, director of Elvis' 68 Comeback Special]". ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-19]].</ref>{{fn|n}} and to produce a show that was not just an hour of Christmas songs, as Col. Parker had originally planned.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.293</ref><ref name=Binder2>Binder, Steve (Aired: [[August 14]], [[2007]]). "Comeback Special". ''[[BBC]] Radio Two''.</ref>{{fn|w}} | ||
| - | Elvis connaît aussi un regain de popularité lors de la [[coupe du monde de football]] de [[2002]] lorsque [[Nike]] utilise un [[remix]] de sa chanson ''A Little Less Conversation'' comme fond sonore d'une publicité mettant en scène des vedettes internationales de [[football]]. Ce morceau devient numéro 1 dans plus de 20 pays, y compris aux [[États-Unis]]. À peu près au même moment sort une compilation qui se terminera en deux volets, des plus grands tubes d'Elvis : ''Elv1s 30 #1 Hits''. Le remix est ajouté à l'album comme 31{{e}} morceau, juste avant la sortie du CD en octobre [[2002]]. 25 ans après sa mort, l'album qui regroupe ses tubes et dont la restauration sonore est rien moins que phénoménale, atteint la première place des classements. | + | Buoyed by the experience, Presley engaged in the prolific series of recording sessions at American Studios, which lead to the acclaimed ''[[From Elvis in Memphis]]'' (Chips Moman was its uncredited producer).<ref>Jorgensen, p.281</ref> It was followed by ''[[From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis]]'', a double-album. |
| - | Parmi ses nombreuses réussites, Elvis est l'un des deux chanteurs, avec [[Roy Orbison]], à avoir eu simultanément deux albums dans le top 5 des classements de ventes d'albums. Il fait partie du ''[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'', du ''[[Country Music Hall of Fame]]'' et du ''[[Gospel Music Hall of Fame]]''. | + | The same sessions lead to the hit singles "[[In the Ghetto]]", "[[Suspicious Minds]]", "[[Kentucky Rain]]" and "[[Don't Cry Daddy]]". |
| - | Le tout premier concert virtuel qui lui est consacré a tourné pendant dix ans dans le monde entier. | + | ===Return to live performances=== |
| + | In 1969, Presley made record-breaking appearances in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]].<ref name=Cook-39>Cook, p.39</ref>{{fn|x}} He then toured across the U.S. up to his death, with many of the 1,145 concerts setting venue attendance records. He also had hit singles in many countries. Presley's song repertoire was criticized, indicating he was still distant from trends within contemporary music.<ref>(Aired: [[August 7]], [[2002]]). "How Big Was The King? Elvis Presley's Legacy, 25 Years After His Death." ''CBS News''.</ref> | ||
| - | == Citations d'Elvis== | + | [[Image:ElvisPresleyAlohafromHawaii.jpg|thumb|left|Elvis Presley, in ''[[Aloha From Hawaii]]'' television broadcast via satellite on [[January 14]], [[1973]].]] |
| - | {{pour Wikiquote}} | + | On [[December 21]], [[1970]], Presley met with President [[Richard Nixon]] at the [[White House]] (Presley arrived with a gift—a handgun. It was accepted but not presented for security reasons). Presley was somewhat bizarrely wanting to express his patriotism, his contempt for the [[hippie]] [[drug culture]] and his wish to be appointed a "Federal Agent at Large". He also wished to obtain a [[Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs]] badge to add to similar items he had begun collecting. He offered to "infiltrate hippie groups" and claimed that [[The Beatles]] had "made their money, then gone back to England where they fomented anti-American feeling."<ref name="Guralnick-420">Guralnick 1999, p.420</ref> Nixon was uncertain and bemused by their encounter, and twice expressed concern that Presley needed to "retain his credibility."<ref name="Guralnick-420"/><ref name="Guralnick-passim">Guralnick 1999, in passim</ref> |
| - | * "''When you're not in love, you're not alive.''"<br />(Quand vous n'êtes pas amoureux, vous n'êtes pas vivant) | + | |
| - | * "''If I slept with every woman the weekly magazines say I have, I would have been dead a long time ago."''<br /> (Si j'avais eu toutes les aventures que me prêtent les magazines, je serais mort depuis longtemps) | + | |
| - | * "''I wasn't exactly a James Bond in Movies, but then noone ever asked Sean Connery to sing a song while dodging bullets.''"<br />(Je n'étais pas vraiment James bond dans mes films mais bon personne n'a jamais demandé à Sean Connery de chanter une chanson en esquivant des balles) | + | |
| - | * "''I knew by heart all the dialogues of James Dean's films ; I could watch ''Rebel Without a Cause'' a hundred times over.''"<br />(Je connaissais tous les dialogues de tous les films de James Dean, je pouvais regarder ''la fureur de vivre'' 100 fois de suite) | + | |
| - | * “''Money is meant to be spread around, the more happiness it helps create, the more it's worth.''"<br />(L'argent sert à être dépensé, et plus il nous rend heureux, plus il a de la valeur) | + | |
| - | * "''Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine''"<br />(L'ambition, c'est un rêve avec un moteur V8) | + | |
| - | * "''I don't know anything about music. In my line, you don't have to.''"<br />(Je ne connais rien à la musique. De là où je viens, t'es pas obligé) | + | |
| - | * "''The image is one thing and the human being is another... It’s very hard to live up to an image.''"<br />(L'image est une chose et l'homme en est une autre. C'est très dur d'être à la hauteur de son image), en 1972, pendant une conférence de presse | + | |
| - | == Citations autour d'Elvis== | + | [[MGM]] filmed him in Las Vegas for a 1970 documentary: ''Elvis: That’s The Way It Is''. As he toured, more gold record awards followed. MGM filmed other shows for ''Elvis On Tour'', which won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary, 1972. A fourteen-date tour started with an unprecedented four consecutive sold-out shows at [[Madison Square Garden]], New York. After the tour, Presley released the 1972 single "[[Burning Love]]"—his last top ten hit in the U.S. charts. |
| - | {{pour Wikiquote}} | + | |
| - | *"'''Elvis has left the building'''" (Elvis est parti/ a quitté l'immeuble) | + | In 1973, Presley had two January shows in Hawaii. The second was broadcast live, globally. The "[[Aloha from Hawaii]]" concert was the first satellite broadcast, reaching at least a billion viewers. The show's album went to number one and spent a year in the charts. |
| - | Horace Lee Logan, producteur. Il a prononcé cette phrase lors d'un concert d'Elvis en 1956 lorsque ses fans se précipitèrent sur scène et voulurent pénétrer dans les coulisses pour toucher la star. Il voulaient ainsi les "canaliser". Cette expression est maintenant passée dans le langage courant et est utilisé de manière ironique. Elle pourrait se traduire par "circuler, ya rien à voir". Cela veut dire que le spectacle est terminé, qu'il n'y a plus rien à attendre, que maintenant il faut partir. | + | |
| - | *"'''Before Elvis, there was nothing'''" (Avant Elvis, il n'y avait rien) | + | Off stage, Presley had continuing problems. In spite of his own infidelity, Presley was furious that Priscilla was having an affair with a mutual acquaintance—Mike Stone, a karate instructor. He raged obsessively: "There's too much pain in me... Stone [must] die."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.489</ref> A bodyguard, [[Red West]], felt compelled to get a price for a contract killing and was relieved when Presley decided: "Aw hell... Maybe it's a bit heavy..."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.490</ref> The Presleys separated on [[February 23]], [[1972]], agreeing to share custody of their daughter. |
| - | John Lennon | + | |
| - | *“'''You have no idea how great he is, really you don’t. You have no comprehension - it’s absolutely impossible. I can’t tell you why he’s so great, but he is. He’s sensational'''.”(Vous ne pouvez pas vous imaginez combien il était extraordinaire. Vraiment, vous ne pouvez pas. C'est absolument impossible. Je ne peux pas vous dire pourquoi il est extraordinaire mais il l'est. Il est sensationnel) | + | [[Image:Elvis-nixon.jpg|thumb|right|Elvis meets [[U.S. President]] [[Richard Nixon]] in the [[White House]] [[Oval Office]], December 21, 1970]] |
| - | Phil Spector | + | After his divorce in 1973, Presley became increasingly isolated and overweight, with prescription drugs affecting his health, mood and his stage act.<ref name=DrFeelgood>([[August 11]] [[2002]]). "[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,772041,00.html Elvis Special: Doctor Feelgood]". ''[[The Observer]]''. Reprinted in ''[[Guardian Unlimited]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]].</ref>{{fn|v}} Despite this, his "thundering" live version of "[[How Great Thou Art]]" won him a Grammy award in 1974<ref>Jorgensen, p.381</ref> and he continued to play to sell-out crowds. A 1975 tour ended with a concert in [[Michigan]], attended by over 62,000 fans. |
| - | *" '''Every time I felt low I just put on an Elvis record and I’d feel great'''" (Chaque fois que je me sens deprimé, j'écoute un disque d'Elvis et je me sens super bien) | + | By now Presley had "no motivation to lose his extra poundage... he became self-conscious... his self-confidence before the audience declined. Headlines such as 'Elvis Battles Middle Age' and 'Time Makes Listless Machine of Elvis' were not uncommon."<ref>Roy, p.70</ref> According to Marjorie Garber, when Presley made his later appearances in Las Vegas, he appeared "heavier, in pancake makeup... with an elaborate jeweled belt and cape, crooning pop songs to a microphone ... [He] had become [[Liberace]]. Even his fans were now middle-aged matrons and blue-haired grandmothers, who praised him as a good son who loved his mother; [[Mother's Day]] became a special holiday for Elvis' fans."<ref>Garber, ''Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing & Cultural Anxiety'' (1992), p.380</ref> |
| - | Paul McCartney | + | |
| - | *"'''Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been the Beatles'''.” (Rien ne me touchait vraiment avant que j'entende Elvis. S'il n'y avait pas eu Elvis, il n'y aurait pas eu les Beatles) | + | Almost throughout the 1970s, RCA had been increasingly concerned about making money from Presley material: they often had to rely on live recordings because of problems getting him to attend studio sessions. RCA's mobile studio was occasionally sent to ''Graceland'' in the hope of capturing an inspired vocal performance. Once in a studio, he could lack interest or be easily distracted; often this was linked to his health and drug problems.<ref name="Guralnick-passim"/> |
| - | John Lennon | + | |
| - | *"'''A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood'''.” (Un film d'Elvis est la seule chose sûre à Hollywood) | + | ===Final year=== |
| - | Hal Wallis, producteur des films dans lesquels Elvis a joué. | + | Presley's decline continued. A journalist recalled: "Elvis Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self... he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts."<ref>Scherman, T. ([[August 16]] [[2006]]). "Elvis Dies". ''American Heritage''.</ref> In [[Alexandria, Louisiana]], the singer was on stage for less than an hour and "was impossible to understand."<ref name=Guralnick-628>Guralnick 1999, p.628</ref> In [[Baton Rouge]], Presley failed to appear. He was unable to get out of his hotel bed, and the rest of the tour was cancelled.<ref name=Guralnick-628/> |
| - | *"'''There have been a lotta tough guys. There have been pretenders. And there have been contenders. But there is only one king'''" (Il y a eu des gars durs. Il y a eu des prétendants. Il y a eu des rivaux. Mais il n'y a qu'un seul King) | + | According to Guralnick, fans "were becoming increasingly voluble about their disappointment, but it all seemed to go right past Elvis, whose world was now confined almost entirely to his room and his [spiritualism] books."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.634</ref> In [[Knoxville, Tennessee]] on [[May 20]], "there was no longer any pretense of keeping up appearances... The idea was simply to get Elvis out on stage and keep him upright for the hour he was scheduled to perform."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.634</ref> Thereafter, Presley struggled through every show. Despite his obvious problems, shows in [[Omaha, Nebraska]] and [[Rapid City, South Dakota]] were recorded for an album and a CBS-TV special: ''[[Elvis In Concert]]''.<ref>Guralnick 1999, pp.637-8</ref> |
| - | Bruce Springsteen | + | |
| - | *“'''He was a unique artist - an original in an area of imitators'''.” (C'était un artiste unique- un original parmi une foule d'imitateurs) | + | In Rapid City, "he was so nervous on stage that he could hardly talk... He was undoubtedly painfully aware of how he looked, and he knew that in his condition, he could not perform any significant movement. He looked, moved, and gestured like an overweight old man with crippling arthritis."<ref>Roy, p.71</ref> A cousin, Billy Smith, recalled how Presley would sit in his room and chat, recounting things like his favourite [[Monty Python]] sketches and past japes, but "mostly there was a grim obsessiveness... a paranoia about people, germs... future events," that reminded Smith of [[Howard Hughes]].<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.642</ref> |
| - | Mick Jagger | + | |
| - | *"'''This boy had everything. He had the looks, the moves, the manager, and the talent. And he didn’t look like Mr. Ed like a lot of the rest of us did. In the way he looked, way he talked, way he acted - he really was different'''" (Elvis avait tout. Il avait le look, les déhanchements, le manager et le talent. Il ne ressemblait pas à M. Dupont comme nous autres. Avec son physique, la manière dont il parlait, dont il bougeait, il était vraiment différent) | + | [[Image:Elvis' tomb.jpg|thumb|230px|Elvis Presley's final resting place at ''[[Graceland]]''.]] |
| - | Carl Perkins, compositeur, musicien, chanteur | + | |
| - | *"'''I wasn’t just a fan, I was his brother. He said I was good and I said he was good; we never argued about that. Elvis was a hard worker, dedicated, and God loved him. Last time I saw him was at Graceland. We sang Old Blind Barnabus together, a gospel song. I love him and hope to see him in heaven. There’ll never be another like that soul brother'''(Je n'étais pas simplement un fan, j'étais son frère. Il m'a dit que j'étais bon et je lui ai dit dit qu'il était bon. Elvis travaillait énormément, il était dévoué et Dieu l'aimait. La dernière fois que je l'ai vu, c'était à Graceland. On a chanté ''Old Blind Barnabus '' ensemble, une chanson de gospel. Je l'aime et j'espère que je le reverrai au paradis. Il n'y en aura jamais un autre comme lui). | + | A book was published—the first exposé to detail Presley's years of drug misuse.<ref>West, West and Hebler, ''Elvis: What Happened''</ref> Written with input from three of Presley's "Memphis Mafia," the book was the authors' revenge for them being sacked and a plea to get Presley to face up to reality.<ref>[http://www.elvispresleynews.com/ElvisAutopsy.html Review of Medical Report]. ''ElvisPresleyNews.com''. Retrieved [[2007-10-12]].</ref> The singer "was devastated by the book. Here were his close friends who had written serious stuff that would affect his life. He felt betrayed."<ref>Patterson, Nigel ([[2003-01-30]]). [http://www.elvisinfonet.com/stanley.html David Stanley interview]. ''Elvis Information Network (EIN)''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]].</ref> |
| - | James Brown | + | |
| - | *"'''That’s my idol, Elvis Presley. If you went to my house, you’d see pictures all over of Elvis. He’s just the greatest entertainer that ever lived. And I think it’s because he had such presence. When Elvis walked into a room, Elvis Presley was in the f---ing room. I don’t give a f--- who was in the room with him, Bogart, Marilyn Monroe'''" (Elvis Presley, c'est mon idole. Si vous venez chez moi, vous verrez des photos d'Elvis de partout. C'est juste le plus grand show man de tous les temps. Et je pense que c'était parce qu'il avait une telle présence. Quand Elvis entrait dans une pièce, il ''était'' dans la p***ain de pièce. Je me fous de qui était dans la pièce avec lui, Bogart ou Marilyn Monroe) | + | Presley's final performance was in [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]] at the [[Market Square Arena]], on [[June 26]], [[1977]]. |
| - | Eddy Murphy | + | |
| - | *"'''A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis'''." (Beaucoup de gens ont accusé Elvis d'avoir volé la musique des Noirs mais en fait, presque tous les chanteurs noirs ont copié ce qu'Elvis faisait sur scène) | + | Another tour was scheduled to begin [[August 17]], [[1977]], but at ''Graceland'' the day before, Presley was found on the floor of his bathroom by fiancée, [[Ginger Alden]]. According to the medical investigator, Presley had "stumbled or crawled several feet before he died."<ref name=Guralnick-1999-651>Guralnick 1999, p.651</ref>{{fn|y}} He was officially pronounced dead at 3:30 pm at the Baptist Memorial Hospital. |
| - | Jackie Wilson | + | |
| - | *"'''It’s always been my dream to come to Madison Square Garden and be the warm-up act for Elvis'''” (J'ai toujours rêvé de venir au Madison Square Garden et de faire la première partie d'Elvis Presley) | + | At his funeral, hundreds of thousands of fans, the press and celebrities line the streets and many hoped to see the open casket in ''Graceland''. Among the mourners were Ann-Margret (who had remained close to Presley) and his ex-wife.<ref name=Clayton-394>Clayton and Heard, p.394.</ref>{{fn|z}} [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Jimmy Carter]] issued a statement.<ref>Woolley, John T.; Gerhard Peters. "[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=7969 Jimmy Carter: Death of Elvis Presley Statement by the President]". ''The American Presidency Project''. Santa Barbara, CA:University of California (Hosted). Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]].</ref> |
| - | Al Gore | + | |
| - | *"'''If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead'''." (Si la vie était juste, Elvis serait toujours vivant et tous ses imitateurs seraient morts) | + | Presley was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, next to his mother. After an attempt to steal the body, his—and his mother's—remains were reburied at ''Graceland'' in the Meditation Gardens. |
| - | Johnny Carson, comédien et présentateur américain. | + | |
| - | *"'''You know, Bush is always comparing me to Elvis in sort of unflattering ways. I don’t think Bush would have liked Elvis very much, and that’s just another thing that’s wrong with him'''.” (Vous savez, Bush me compare toujours à Elvis avec des termes peu flatteurs. Je ne pense pas que Bush aime beaucoup Elvis et c'est encore une raison de plus pour montrer qu'il y a quelque chose qui cloche avec lui) | + | ===Post mortem=== |
| - | Bill Clinton, pendant la campagne présidentielle de 1992 | + | Presley had developed many health problems, some of them chronic. "Elvis had an enlarged heart for a long time. That, together with his drug habit, caused his death. But he was difficult to diagnose; it was a judgment call."<ref>Baden and Hennessee, p.35</ref> |
| - | *"'''Elvis was a giant and influenced everyone in the business'''." (Elvis était un géant et a influencé tout le monde dans le métier) | + | Presley first took drugs in the army, taking amphetamines to stay awake, though there are claims that pills of some form were first given to him by Memphis DJ [[Dewey Phillips]].<ref>Goldman, Albert, ''Elvis: The Last 24 Hours,'' p. 9</ref> In ''[[Elvis and Me]]'', Priscilla Presley writes that by 1962, he was taking [[placidyl]]s to combat severe [[insomnia]] in ever-increasing doses and later took [[Dexedrine]] to counter the sleeping pills' after-effects. She later saw "problems in Elvis' life, all magnified by taking prescribed drugs." Presley's physician, Dr. [[George C. Nichopoulos]], has said: "[Elvis] felt that by getting [pills] from a doctor, he wasn't the common everyday junkie getting something off the street. He... thought that as far as medications and drugs went, there was something for everything."<ref name=DrFeelgood/> |
| - | Isaac Hayes | + | |
| - | *"'''I learned music listening to Elvis' records. His measurable effect on culture and music was even greater in England than in the States'''." (J'ai appris la musique en écoutant les disques d'Elvis. L'impact immense qu'il a eu était encore plus grand en Grande Bretagne qu'aux Etats-Unis) | + | According to Guralnick: "[D]rug use was heavily implicated... no one ruled out the possibility of [[anaphylactic shock]] brought on by the [[codeine]] pills...to which he was known to have had a mild allergy." In two lab reports filed two months later, each indicated "a strong belief that the primary cause of death was [[polypharmacy]]," with one report "indicating the detection of fourteen drugs in Elvis' system, ten in significant quantity."<ref>Guralnick, p.652</ref> |
| - | Mick Fleetwood | + | |
| - | *"'''It’s rare when an artist’s talent can touch an entire generation of people. It’s even rarer when that same influence affects several generations. Elvis made an imprint on the world of pop music unequaled by any other single performer'''." (Il est rare que le talent d'un artiste puisse toucher une génération entière. C'est encore plus rare cette influence s'étende à d'autres générations. L'empreinte qu'Elvis a laissée dans le monde de la musique pop n'a été égalée par aucun autre chanteur) | + | The medical profession has been seriously questioned. Medical Examiner Dr. Jerry Francisco had offered a cause of death while the autopsy was still being performed and before toxicology results were known. Dr. Francisco dubiously stated that [[cardiac arrhythmia]] was the cause of death, a condition that can only be determined in a living person—not post mortem.<ref name=CourtTV>"[http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/cyril_wecht/4.html Coverup for a King]". ''[[Court TV]] Crime Library''. Retrieved [[2007-10-12]].</ref> Many doctors had been flattered to be associated with Presley (or had been bribed with gifts) and supplied him with pills which simply fed his addictions.<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.336</ref> The singer allegedly spent at least $1 million per year on drugs and doctors' fees or inducements.<ref>Goldman, Albert, ''Elvis: The Last 24 Hours,'' p. 56</ref> Although Dr. Nichopoulos was exonerated with regard to Presley's death, "In the first eight months of 1977 alone, he had [prescribed] more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics: all in Elvis' name. On [[January 20]] [[1980]], the board found [against] him... but decided that he was not unethical [because he claimed he'd been trying to wean the singer off the drugs]." His license was suspended. In July 1995, it was permanently revoked after it was found he had improperly dispensed drugs to several patients.<ref name=DrFeelgood/> |
| - | Dick Clark | + | |
| - | *'''...''''''If any individual of our time can be said to have changed the world, Elvis Presley is the one. In his wake more than music is different. Nothing and no one looks or sounds the same. His music was the most liberating event of our era because it taught us new possibilities of feeling and perception, new modes of action and appearance, and because it reminded us not only of his greatness, but of our own potential'''.” (Si on peut dire d'un homme qu'il a changé le monde dans lequel nous vivons, c'est bien Elvis Presley. Il n'y pas que la musique qui a changé grâce à lui. Rien n'est plus pareil et personne ne parle plus de la même façon. Sa musique a été l'évènement le plus libérateur de notre époque car elle nous a ouvert de nouvelles manières de sentir et de percevoir les choses, de nouveaux modes d'actions, une nouvelle manière de se montrer et parce qu'elle nous rappelle la grandeur d'Elvis mais aussi notre propre potentiel) | + | In 1994, the autopsy into Presley's death was re-opened. Coroner Dr. Joseph Davis declared: "There is nothing in any of the data that supports a death from drugs [i.e. drug overdose]. In fact, everything points to a sudden, violent heart attack."<ref name=DrFeelgood/> However, there is little doubt that long-term drug misuse caused his premature death.<ref name=CourtTV/> |
| - | Greil Marcus | + | |
| - | *"'''So what it boils down to was Elvis produced his own records. He came to the session, picked the songs, and if something in the arrangement was changed, he was the one to change it. Everything was worked out spontaneously. Nothing was really rehearsed. Many of the important decisions normally made previous to a recording session were made during the session. What it was was a look to the future. Today everybody makes records this way. Back then Elvis was the only one. He was the forerunner of everything that’s record production these days. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone imitated him. People started doing what Elvis did'''.” (Tout le talent d'Elvis réside dans le fait qu'il faisait ses propres disques. Il venait au studio d'enregistrement, choisissait les chansons qu'il aimait et s'il y avait un arrangement à faire, c'est lui qui le faisait. Tout était fait de manière spontanée. Rien n'était vraiment répété. Beaucoup de décisions importantes que les artistes prenaient avant même de venir enregistrer, lui les a prise en même temps qu'il enregistrait. C'était un bond vers le futur. Aujourd'hui tout le monde travaille comme ça. A l'époque, Elvis était le seul à faire ça. Il a été le précurseur de tout ce qui ce fait maintenant dans l'industrie du disque. Consciemment ou inconsciemment, tout le monde l'a imité. Les gens ont commencé à faire ce qu'Elvis faisait.) | + | ==Legacy== |
| - | Bones Howen, ingénieur du son | + | {{Further|[[Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley]]}} |
| + | {{Further|[[Elvis Presley's cultural impact]]; [[Elvis Presley phenomenon]]}} | ||
| - | *“'''Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution - the 60’s comes from it'''.”(Elvis Presley est la plus grande force culturelle du XX{{e}} siècle. Il a incorporé le rythme dans tous les aspects de la vie, la musique, le langage, la mode. C'est une révolution sociale sans précédent. Les années 60 viennent de là.) | + | {{quotation|Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable. More than 20 years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense, and he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country.|President [[Jimmy Carter]], [[1977-08-17]]|<ref>"[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=7969 Death of Elvis Presley Statement by the President]". ''The American Presidency Project''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-17]].</ref>}} |
| - | Leonard Bernstein, dans les années 1960. | + | Author Samuel Roy has written: "Elvis' death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society."<ref>Roy, p.173</ref> |
| - | *“'''Elvis Presley’s death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique, irreplaceable. More than twenty years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense. And he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness and good humor of this country'''.” (La mort d'Elvis Presley prive notre pays d'une partie de lui-même. Il était unique, irremplaçable. Il y a plus de vingt ans, il a surgi sur scène et son impact a été sans précédent et ne sera jamais égalé. Sa musique, sa personnalité qui ont fait fusionner la musique country des blancs et le rhythm and blues des noirs a changé la culture populaire américaine pour toujours. Son influence a été immense. Pour les gens, il a été le symbole de la vitalité, de l'esprit de rebellion et de la jovialité de ce pays.) | + | Biographer Ernst Jorgensen has observed that when Presley died, it was as if all perspective on his musical career had been lost.<ref>Jorgensen, p.4</ref> His latter-day song choices had been seen as poor; many who disliked Presley had long been dismissive because he did not write his own songs. Others complained—incorrectly—that he could not play musical instruments. Such criticism of Presley continues.<ref>Sinclair, Tom ([[August 9]] [[2002]]). "[http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/08/ew.hot.elvis/index.html Elvis Presley is overrated]". ''[[CNN.com]]''. Retrieved [[2007-10-12]].</ref><ref name=Cook-20>Cook, p.20</ref>{{fn|aa}} The tabloids had ridiculed his obesity and his kitschy, jump-suited performances. His film career was mocked. (In 1980, John Lennon said: "[Elvis] died when he went into the army. That's when they killed him, that's when they castrated him."<ref name="Aaron"/>) Acknowledgment of his vocal style had been reduced to mocking the hiccuping, [[vocalese]] tricks that he had used on some early recordings—and the way he said "Thankyouverymuch" after songs during live shows.<ref name="AP">Associated Press ([[2002-08-07]]). [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/07/entertainment/main517851.shtml How big was the king?] ''[[CBS News]]''. Retrieved [[2007-10-18]].</ref> This was only countered by the uncritical adulation of die-hard fans, who had even denied that he looked "fat" before he died.<ref name=Wall>Wall, David S. (2003). "[http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/eslj/issues/volume2/number3/wall.pdf Policing Elvis: legal action and the shaping of post-mortem celebrity culture as contested space]" (PDF). ''Entertainment Law'', '''2''' (3): pp.35-69. {{doi|10.1080/1473098042000275774}}. Retrieved on [[2007-10-18]].</ref>{{fn|ab}} Any wish to understand Elvis Presley—his genuine abilities and his real influence—"seemed almost totally obscured."<ref>Jorgensen, p.4</ref> |
| - | Hommage officiel du Président des Etats-Unis, Jimmy Carter, en août 1977. | + | |
| - | == Discographie == | + | [[Image:Elvis statue.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Elvis Presley statue in Memphis, Tennessee.]] |
| - | {{Détails|Discographie d'Elvis Presley|Nombres d'albums et singles vendus}} | + | However, in the late 1960s, composer and conductor [[Leonard Bernstein]] had remarked: "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution... the 60's comes from it."<ref name="Khurana">Khurana, Simran. "[http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/elvispresley4.htm Quotes about Elvis]". ''[[About.com]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-18]].</ref> |
| - | == Filmographie == | + | It has been claimed that his early music and live performances helped to lay a commercial foundation which allowed other established performers of the 1950s to be recognised. [[African American]] acts, like [[Fats Domino]], [[Chuck Berry]] and [[Little Richard]], came to national prominence after Presley's acceptance among [[White American]] teenagers.<ref name=HowBig>Associated Press ([[2002-08-07]]). [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/07/entertainment/main517851.shtml How big was the king?] ''[[CBS News]]''. Retrieved [[2007-10-18]].</ref>{{fn|ac}} Little Richard commented: "He was an integrator, Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music."<ref name="Khurana"/> It has also been claimed that Presley's sound and persona helped to relax the rigid color line and thereby fed the fires of the [[civil rights movement]].<ref>Bertrand, ''Race, Rock, and Elvis''</ref> |
| - | *[[1956 au cinéma|1956]] : ''[[Le Cavalier du crépuscule]]'' (''Love Me Tender''), de [[Robert D. Webb]], dans le rôle de Clint Reno. | + | |
| - | *[[1957 au cinéma|1957]] : ''[[Amour frénétique]]'' (''Loving You''), de [[Hal Kanter]], dans le rôle de Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers). | + | |
| - | *1957 : ''[[Le Rock du bagne]]'' (''Jailhouse Rock''), de [[Richard Thorpe]], dans le rôle de Vince Everett. | + | |
| - | *[[1958 au cinéma|1958]] : ''[[Bagarres au King Créole]]'' (''King Creole''), de [[Michael Curtiz]], dans le rôle de Danny Fisher. | + | |
| - | *[[1960 au cinéma|1960]] : ''[[Café Europa en uniforme]]'' (''G.I. Blues''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Tulsa McLean. | + | |
| - | *1960 : ''[[Les Rôdeurs de la plaine]]'' (''Flaming Star''), de [[Don Siegel]], dans le rôle de Pacer Burton. | + | |
| - | *[[1961 au cinéma|1961]] : ''[[Amour sauvage]]'' (''Wild in the Country''), de [[Philip Dunne]], dans le rôle de Glenn Tyler. | + | |
| - | *1961 : ''[[Sous le ciel bleu de Hawaï]]'' (''Blue Hawaii''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Chad Gates. | + | |
| - | *[[1962 au cinéma|1962]] : ''[[Le Shérif de ces dames]]'' (''Follow That Dream''), de [[Gordon Douglas]], dans le rôle de Toby Kwimper. | + | |
| - | *1962 : ''[[Un Direct au cœur]]'' (''Kid Galahad''), de [[Phil Karlson]], dans le rôle de Walter Gulick aka Kid Galahad. | + | |
| - | *1962 : ''[[Des filles, encore des filles]]'' (''Girls! Girls! Girls!''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Ross Carpenter. | + | |
| - | *[[1963 au cinéma|1963]] : ''[[Blondes, brunes, rousses]]'' (''It Happened at the World's Fair''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Mike Edwards. | + | |
| - | *1963 : ''[[L'Idole d'Acapulco]]'' (''Fun in Acapulco''), de [[Richard Thorpe]], dans le rôle de Mike Windgren. | + | |
| - | *[[1964 au cinéma|1964]] : ''[[Salut, les cousins]]'' (''Kissin' Cousins''), de [[Gene Nelson]], dans le rôle de Josh Morgan/Jodie Tatum. | + | |
| - | *1964 : ''[[L'Amour en quatrième vitesse]]'' (''Viva Las Vegas''), de [[George Sidney]], dans le rôle de Lucky Jackson. | + | |
| - | *1964 : ''[[L'Homme à tout faire]]'' (''Roustabout''), de [[John Rich]], dans le rôle de Charlie Rogers. | + | |
| - | *[[1965 au cinéma|1965]] : ''[[La Stripteaseuse effarouchée]]'' (''Girl Happy''), de [[Boris Sagal]], dans le rôle de Rusty Wells. | + | |
| - | *1965 : ''[[Chatouille-moi]]'' (''Tickle Me''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Lonnie Beale/Panhandle Kid. | + | |
| - | *1965 : ''[[C'est la fête au harem]]'' (''Harum Scarum''), de [[Gene Nelson]], dans le rôle de Johnny Tyronne. | + | |
| - | *[[1966 au cinéma|1966]] : ''[[Frankie et Johnny]]'' (''Frankie and Johnny''), de [[Frederick De Cordova]], dans le rôle de Johnny. | + | |
| - | *1966 : ''[[Paradis hawaïen]]'' (''Paradise, Hawaiian Style''), de [[Michael D. Moore]], dans le rôle de Rick Richards. | + | |
| - | *1966 : ''[[Le Tombeur de ces dames]]'' (''Spinout''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Mike McCoy. | + | |
| - | *[[1967 au cinéma|1967]] : ''[[Trois gars, deux filles... un trésor]]'' (''Easy Come, Easy Go''), de [[John Rich]], dans le rôle de Lt. Ted Jackson. | + | |
| - | *1967 : ''[[Croisière surprise]]'' (''Double Trouble''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Guy Lambert. | + | |
| - | *1967 : ''[[Clambake]]'', de [[Arthur H. Nadel]], dans le rôle de Scott Heyward/'Tom Wilson'. | + | |
| - | *[[1968 au cinéma|1968]] : ''[[Micmac au Montana]]'' (''Stay Away, Joe''), de [[Peter Tewksbury]], dans le rôle de Joe Lightcloud. | + | |
| - | *1968 : ''[[À plein tubes]]'' (''Speedway''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Steve Grayson. | + | |
| - | *1968 : ''[[Le Grand frisson]]'' (''Live a Little, Love a Little''), de [[Norman Taurog]], dans le rôle de Greg Nolan. | + | |
| - | *[[1969 au cinéma|1969]] : ''[[Charro!]]'', de [[Charles Marquis Warren]], dans le rôle de Jess Wade. | + | |
| - | *1969 : ''[[Filles et show business]]'' (''The Trouble with Girls''), de [[Peter Tewksbury]], dans le rôle de Walter Hale. | + | |
| - | *1969 : ''[[L'habit ne fait pas la femme]]'' (''Change of habit''), de [[William A. Graham]], dans le rôle de Dr. John Carpenter. | + | |
| - | == Sur Elvis == | + | Presley's recorded voice is seen by many as his enduring legacy. Henry Pleasants writes: "Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass... and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third... Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G's and A's that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices—in fact, Elvis' is an extraordinary voice, or many voices."<ref name=Wikiquote>[[q:Elvis Presley|WikiQuote: Elvis Presley]]</ref>{{fn|ad}} |
| - | * Films documentaires | + | |
| - | **1970 : ''[[That's the Way It Is]]'', de [[Denis Sanders]]. Ce film présente Elvis en studio et à Las Vegas. | + | |
| - | **1972 : ''[[Elvis On Tour]]'', de [[Robert Abel]] et [[Pierre Adidge]]. Une équipe de tournage suit Elvis en tournée. On peut y apercevoir des extrats de son concert du Madison Square Garden de New York. | + | |
| - | **2001 : ''[[Elvis Presley]]'', réalisé par Jeremy Marre. Ponctuée d'images d'archives et d'extraits de chansons, une plongée dans la jeunesse du King, jusqu'à la naissance du phénomène «Elvis Presley» | + | |
| - | * Films biographiques | + | Gospel tenor Shawn Nielsen, who sang backing vocals for Presley, said: "He could sing anything. I've never seen such versatility... He had such great soul. He had the ability to make everyone in the audience think that he was singing directly to them. He just had a way with communication that was totally unique."<ref name=Wikiquote />{{fn|ae}}<ref name="Khurana"/> |
| - | **1978 : ''[[Le Roman d'Elvis]]'', de [[John Carpenter]], avec [[Kurt Russell]] dans le rôle titre, et [[Shelley Winters]] dans le rôle de Gladys Presley. | + | |
| - | **1980 : ''[[This is Elvis]]'', de [[Malcolm Leo]] et [[Andrew Solt]]. | + | |
| - | **2005 : ''[[Elvis : Une étoile Est Née]]'', de [[James Sadwith]], avec [[Jonathan Rhys-Meyers]] dans le rôle titre et [[Randy Quaid]] dans le rôle du 'Colonel' Parker. | + | |
| - | * Films Fictions : | + | Other celebrated pop and rock musicians have acknowledged that the young Presley inspired them. [[The Beatles]] were all big Presley fans.<ref>"[http://www.music-atlas.com/artists/elvis_presley.htm Elvis Presley biography]". ''Music-Atlas''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-18]].</ref> [[John Lennon]] said: "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been a Beatles."<ref>Cook, p.35</ref> [[Deep Purple]]'s [[Ian Gillan]] said: "For a young singer he was an absolute inspiration. I soaked up what he did like blotting paper... you learn by copying the maestro."<ref>Ian Gillan ([[2007-01-03]]). "[http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/page/classicrock?entry=elvis_presley_by_ian_gillan Elvis Presley]". ''[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-18]]. </ref> [[Rod Stewart]] declared: "People like myself, [[Mick Jagger]] and all the others only followed in his footsteps." [[Cher]] recalls from seeing Presley live in 1956 that he made her "realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience."<ref name="Khurana"/> |
| - | **2002 : ''[[Bubba Ho-tep]]'', de [[Don Coscarelli]], avec [[Bruce Campbell]] dans le rôle titre (Sebastian Haff) et [[Ossie Davis]] dans le rôle de [[John F. Kennedy]] (Jack). | + | |
| - | * Spectacles hommages | + | By 1958, singers obviously adopting Presley's style, like [[Marty Wilde]] and [[Cliff Richard]] (the so-called "British Elvis"), were rising to prominence in the UK. Elsewhere, France's [[Johnny Hallyday]] and the Italians [[Adriano Celentano]] and Bobby Solo were also heavily influenced by Presley.<ref>"[http://www.rfimusique.com/siteen/biographie/biographie_6309.asp Johnny Hallyday biography]". ''RFI Musique''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-18]].</ref><ref>Gundle, Stephen (September 2006). "[http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/rmis/2006/00000011/00000003/art00005?crawler=true Adriano Celentano and the origins of rock and roll in Italy]". ''Journal of Modern Italian Studies'', ''11'' (3): pp.367-86. Royal Holloway, University of London: Routledge. {{doi|10.1080/13545710600806870}}.</ref> |
| - | **1995- : ''[[Elvis Story]]'', spectacle canadien avec [[Martin Fontaine]] dans le rôle titre. | + | |
| - | **1997-2007 : ''[[Elvis The Concert]]'', concert virtuel international. | + | The singer continues to be imitated—and parodied—outside the main music industry. Presley songs remain very popular on the [[karaoke]] circuit, and many from a diversity of cultures and backgrounds work as [[Elvis impersonator]]s ("the raw 1950s Elvis and the kitschy 1970s Elvis are the favorites."<ref>Stecopoulos, p.198</ref>) |
| - | == Notes == | + | Presley's informal jamming in front of a small audience in the [['68 Comeback Special]] is regarded as a forerunner of the so-called 'Unplugged' concept, later popularized by [[MTV]].<ref>Johnson, Brett ([[2004-06-28]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/stevebinder_talksabouttheking.shtml Steve Binder, Director Of Elvis' '68 Comeback Special Talks About The King]". ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved [[2007-10-18]].</ref> |
| - | <references /> | + | In 2002, ''[[The New York Times]]'' observed: "For those too young to have experienced Elvis Presley in his prime, today’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his death must seem peculiar. All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and distant memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force... Elvis’s breakthroughs are underappreciated because in this rock-and-roll age, his hard-rocking music and sultry style have triumphed so completely."<ref>([[August 16]], [[2002]]). "[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE0DD143DF935A2575BC0A9649C8B63 Long Live the King]". ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-18]].</ref> |
| - | == Sources et bibliographie == | + | ==Discography== |
| + | {{For|a detailed discography|Elvis Presley discography}} | ||
| + | {{For|a list of all of his songs|Alphabetical list of all of Elvis Presley's songs}} | ||
| - | * Sébastian Danchin, ''Elvis Presley ou la revanche du Sud''. [[Paris]] : Fayard, [[2004]]. 477 p.-[16] p. de pl., 24 cm. ISBN 2-213-62128-4. | + | ==Awards and recognition== |
| - | * ''Elvis par les Presley : souvenirs intimes de Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley et d'autres membres de la famille'' (propos recueillis par David Ritz ; photographie d'objets, Henry Leutwyler ; traduit de l'anglais par Alain Le Kim). [[Paris]] : Michel Lafon, [[2005]]. 247 p., 31 cm. ISBN 2-7499-0334-3. Titre original : ''Elvis by the Presleys''. | + | {{For|a list of Presley's singles|Elvis Presley hit singles}} |
| - | * ''Elvis: A Biography'' par Jerry Hopkins, Warner Books Inc, [[1972]], {{ISBN|0446816655}} | + | |
| - | * ''Elvis'' par Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone Press Book/Times Books, [[1982]], {{ISBN|081290947}} | + | |
| - | * ''Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley'' par Peter Guralnick, Little, Brown and Company, 1{{re}} édition, [[1994]], {{ISBN|0316332208}} | + | |
| - | * ''Elvis & the birth of rock'' de Lew Allen, [[Genesis Publications]], 2007 | + | |
| - | == Liens externes == | + | In 1971, Presley was named 'One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation' by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). That summer, the City of Memphis named part of Highway 51 South "Elvis Presley Boulevard", and he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that presents Grammy awards). |
| - | {{Commons|Elvis Presley}} | + | |
| - | * {{imdb name|id=0000062}} | + | |
| - | * {{en}} [http://www.elvis.com/ Site officiel] | + | |
| - | * {{fr}} [http://www.lemonde.fr/web/portfolio/0,12-0@2-3246,31-944185@51-944538,0.html Elvis, icône des années rock] : un diaporama sur Elvis Presley (''Le Monde'' du 15-08-2007) | + | |
| - | * {{fr}} [http://www.lemonde.fr/web/panorama/0,11-0@2-3246,32-944506@51-944538,0.html Festivités en l'honneur d'Elvis Presley à travers le monde] : vidéo sur les commémoration du 30{{e}} anniversaire de la mort d'Elvis (''Le Monde'' du 15-08-2007) | + | |
| - | {{Meilleurs chanteurs vendeur d'album dans le monde}} | + | |
| - | {{Multi bandeau|portail rock|portail musique|Portail États-Unis d'Amérique}} | + | |
| - | {{Lien AdQ|pt}} | + | Presley won three competitive Grammy awards for his [[gospel music|gospel]] recordings: ''[[How Great Thou Art (album)|How Great Thou Art]]'' (album and live recording of the title track) and for the album ''[[He Touched Me]]''. He had fourteen nominations during his career. However, "Elvis has never been adequately appreciated by those who give the Grammies."<ref>Roy 1985, p.131.</ref> |
| - | {{Lien AdQ|ru}} | + | |
| + | He is the only performer to have been inducted into four music 'Halls of Fame': the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] (1986), the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]] (1997), the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] (1998), and the [[Gospel Music Hall of Fame]] (2001). In 1984, he received the [[W. C. Handy]] Award from the [[Blues Foundation]] and the [[Academy of Country Music]]’s first Golden Hat Award. In 1987, he received the [[American Music Awards]]’ first posthumous presentation of the Award of Merit.<ref>Cook, p.33</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Presley has featured prominently in a variety of polls and surveys designed to measure popularity and influence.{{fn|ag}} However, rock 'n' roll expert Philip Ennis writes: "Perhaps it is an error of enthusiasm to freight Elvis Presley with too heavy a historical load", as, according to a public opinion poll among high school students in 1957, [[Pat Boone]] was "the nearly two-to-one favorite over Elvis Presley among boys and preferred almost three-to-one by girls..."<ref>See Ennis, Philip H., ''The Seventh Stream: The Emergence of Rocknroll in American Popular Music'' (Wesleyan University Press, 1992), pp.251-252.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | In 1994, the 40th anniversary of Presley's "That's All Right" was recognized with its re-release, which made the charts worldwide, making top three in the UK. | ||
| + | |||
| + | During the [[Football World Cup 2002|2002 World Cup]] a [[Junkie XL]] remix of his "[[A Little Less Conversation]]" (credited as "Elvis Vs JXL") topped the charts in over twenty countries and was included in a compilation of Presley's U.S. and UK number one hits, [[Elv1s: 30]]. | ||
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| + | In the UK charts (January 2005), three re-issued singles again went to number one ("Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung" and "It's Now or Never"). Throughout the year, twenty singles were re-issued—all making top five. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the same year, ''Forbes'' magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the preceding year. In mid-2006, top place was taken by Nirvana's [[Kurt Cobain]] after the sale of his song catalogue, but Presley reclaimed the top spot in 2007.<ref>Goldman, Lea; David M. Ewalt, eds. ([[2007-10-29]]). "[http://www.forbes.com/business/2007/10/29/dead-celebrity-earning-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_land.html Top-Earning Dead Celebrities]". ''[[Forbes]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-31]].</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Best-selling artist of all-time]] | ||
| + | *[[List of best-selling music artists]] | ||
| + | *[[List of artists by total number of USA number one singles]] | ||
| + | *[[List of artists by total number of UK number one singles]] | ||
| + | *[[King of Rock and Roll]] | ||
| + | *[[Elvis sandwich]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Footnotes== | ||
| + | <!-- This article uses fn and fnb templates. Information on these can be found at [[Help:Footnotes#Fn and fnb template]]. --> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="references-small"> | ||
| + | *{{fnb|a}} Presley's genuine birth certificate reads "Elvis ''Aaron'' Presley" (as written by a doctor). There is also a souvenir birth certificate that reads "Elvis ''Aron'' Presley." When Presley did sign his middle name, he used Aron. It reads 'Aron' on his marriage certificate and on his army duffel bag. Aron was apparently the spelling the Presleys used to make it similar to the middle name of Elvis' stillborn twin, Jesse ''Garon''. Elvis later sought to change the name's spelling to the traditional and biblical Aaron. In the process he learned that "official state records had always listed it as Aaron. Therefore, he always was, officially, Elvis Aaron Presley." Knowing Presley's plans for his middle name, Aaron is the spelling his father chose for Elvis' tombstone, and it is the spelling his estate has designated as the official spelling whenever the middle name is used today. His death certificate says "Elvis Aron Presley." This quirk has helped inflame the "[[Elvis sightings|Elvis is not dead]]" conspiracy theories.<ref name=Aaron /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|b}} Vernon Presley recalled: "There were times we had nothing to eat but cornbread and water ... but we always had compassion for people. Poor we were, I’ll never deny that. But trash we weren’t ... We never had any prejudice. We never put anybody down. Neither did Elvis."<ref name=Guralnick-1994-29 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|c}} It seems likely that the Sun acetates were not cut for a birthday present, nor for Presley just to hear his own singing voice. There were cheaper ways of making recordings. This indicates to some that he already had greater ambitions.<ref name=GoodRockin-54 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|d}} Presley's version dropped the word "Mama" from the title.<ref name=Carr-6 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|e}} Scotty Moore claims it was just the natural way he moved when performing—little to do with "nerves."<ref name=Clayton-61 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|f}} This statement is usually attributed to Jim (John) Denny, the Opry manager.<ref name=Naylor-43 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|g}} But country singer [[Faron Young]] and Denny's son, Bill, have both strenuously denied it.<ref name=Clayton-69 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|h}} Guralnick states it was country music band leader and DJ Eddie Bond who made the comment when Presley failed auditions to join the Songfellows and a professional band. Presley later said that the comment "broke my heart."<ref name=Guralnick-1994-11 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|i}} Country singer [[Porter Wagoner]] said Black worked hard on stage, mimicking Presley's moves, to stir the audience. "Bill Black was a big part of [the act]—at least fifty percent."<ref name=Clayton-73 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|j}} The issue of whether Presley "stole" music of black origin continued decades later.<ref name=Blank /> See: Kolawole, Helen ([[August 15]] [[2002]]). "[http://arts.guardian.co.uk/elvis/story/0,,774842,00.html He wasn't my king]". ''[[Guardian Unlimited]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]]; North, Gary (2000). "[http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north122.html No Rhythm, No Blues: Must White Guys Always Finish Last?]. ''LewRockwell.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]]. | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|k}} Many of Presley's proposed gigs at the time were subject to local objections.<ref name=Marino /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|l}} In 1973, Presley was keen to produce a karate movie/documentary, enlisting the help of several top instructors and film-makers. Instructor Rick Husky says: "...Basically [our meeting] never went anywhere... Elvis got up and did some demonstrations with Ed [Parker], you know stumbled around a little bit, and it was very sad." Husky was aware that Presley was "stoned." "Colonel" Parker thought the project was folly—and a drain on their resources—from the start. (Guralnick 1994, p.531 and in passim). The film footage was finally edited, restored and released as ''The New Gladiators'' in 2002.[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809776982/info New Gladiators (2002)] ''[[Yahoo!]] Movies''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]]; Susan, King ([[November 17]] [[2002]]). "[http://www.isaacflorentine.com/media/laTimes_NG/LAT_NG.html When Elvis bowed to karate kings]" ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Reprinted in ''IssacFlorentine.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-12]]. | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|m}} In 1974, [[Barbra Streisand]] offered Presley the male lead role in the remake of [[A Star is Born]]. His manager turned down the offer, saying no one should have equal billing with Presley.<ref name=George-Warren /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|n}} Binder relates how he challenged Presley to stand with him on Sunset Boulevard. Presley had assumed he would not only be recognized, but mobbed. He went outside and nothing happened. Binder describes the incident as "embarrassing," but it helped build up trust with the singer.<ref name="Binder" /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|p}} The article claims that "the so-called dangerous rock-and-roll idol was anything but a despotic ruler in the bedroom ... He was far more interested in heavy petting."<ref name=Raphael /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|q}} [[Peggy Lipton]] further relates that with Presley it "didn't feel like a man next to me—more like a boy who'd never matured." When he tried to make love to her, "he just wasn't up to sex. Not that he wasn't built, but with me, at least, he was virtually impotent."<ref name=Lipton /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|r}} Shepherd relates how Elvis "charmed" her by telling her in one of his drug-induced states about the time a doctor gave him an injection directly into his eye. She also claims to have introduced Elvis to certain amorous techniques.<ref name=Shepherd>Shepherd, ''Cybill Disobedience''</ref> However, Shepherd's much-quoted claims are "viewed with skepticism by other lovers of the King." | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|s}} In his critical study on the "dream machine" (media manipulation to create semi-fictional icons), Gamson cites a press agent "saying that his client, Ann-Margret, could initially have been "sold ... as anything"; "She was a new product. We felt there was a need in The Industry for a female Elvis Presley."<ref name=Gamson-46 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|t}} A general article on Parker can be found at: McGurk, Tom ([[2002-08-18]]). "[http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2002/08/18/story343531628.asp Why Colonel Parker could not leave the building]". ''The Post.IE''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-19]]. | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|u}} In his book, ''Me and a Guy named Elvis'', Jerry Schilling relates that one way to arouse the wrath of the singer was to play one of his own recordings at his parties. "Get that crap off," was his reaction on one occasion when someone played "All Shook Up" on a jukebox. "There was no doubt he was really angry." Schilling thinks that Presley "lived with his music outside of the house—he didn't need to hear it while he was trying to relax in his own basement."<ref name=Schilling>Schilling, Jerry ([[2006-07-10]]). "[http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/books/book_me_and_a_guy_named_elvis2.shtml Why I Wrote Me And A Guy Named Elvis]". ''elvis.com.au''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-23]].</ref> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|v}} In 1973, he overdosed twice on [[barbiturate]]s: In February, when he spent three days in a coma in his suite at the Hilton hotel and later in [[St. Louis]].<ref name=DrFeelgood /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|w}} Binder also claimed that Presley's black leather outfit needed cleaning between live sessions, not just because he perspired, but because he had ejaculated while performing.<ref name=Binder2 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|x}} At a press conference after his first opening in Vegas, when a reporter referred to him as "The King", Presley pointed to [[Fats Domino]], standing at the back of the room. "No," he said, "that’s the real king of rock and roll."<ref name=Cook-39 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|y}} Presley had apparently been on the toilet before he stumbled and then vomited.<ref name=Guralnick-1999-651 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|z}} Marty Lacker was apparently not pleased when Tom Parker turned up at Presley's funeral wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. "All he did was stand outside and lean up against a car and smoke a cigar and look at all the people going in."<ref name=Clayton-394 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|aa}} Others take the opposite view: "Presley’s comprehensive musical knowledge and talent also surprised and impressed [[songwriters]] [[Jerry Leiber]] and [[Mike Stoller]]... [They] considered Presley to be an '[[idiot savant]]' because he knew so many songs. His knowledge of the blues especially impressed them. Leiber remembers that Presley "could imitate anything he heard. He had a perfect ear," and he also described Elvis’s ear as "uncanny." In addition, Presley could sing and/or play a song on the piano after hearing it only once or twice. His natural ear for music, ability to play by ear, and to improvise were well known to his friends and musical associates."<ref name=Cook-20 /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|ab}} Wall has argued that many Presley authors are part of a "worldwide Elvis industry" which tends to be biased. He contends that few publications are critical. One such book is Albert Goldman's controversial biography (1981), in which the author unfavorably discusses the star's weight problems, his stage costumes and his sex life. Such books are frequently disparaged and harshly attacked by Elvis fan groups. Professor Wall claims that one of the strategies of fan clubs and appreciation societies is "'community policing' to achieve governance at a distance... These organisations have, through their membership magazines, activities and sales operations, created a powerful moral majority" endeavoring to suppress most critical voices. "With a combined membership of millions, the fans form a formidable constituency of consumer power."<ref name=Wall /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|ac}} Music journalist Dave Marsh has defended Presley and argued how his work led to integration.<ref name=HowBig /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|ad}} See also: Cook, ''Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination Form''. Other analyses of Presley's voice credit him with a three octave range.<ref name=Wikiquote /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|ae}} [[Bob Dylan]] remarked: "When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss... Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail."<ref name=Wikiquote /> | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|af}} "This year's Wonders of America set climbed to second place in the most popular stamps, but Elvis is still the King, the Postal Service said Tuesday." | ||
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| + | *{{fnb|ag}}[[VH1]] ranked Presley #8 on its ''100 Greatest Artists in Rock and Roll'' in 1998 while [[CMT]] ranked him #15 on ''CMT's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music''. Presley is one of only three artists to make both VH1's and CMT's lists, the others being Johnny Cash and [[The Eagles]].<ref>(1998). "[http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1998/vh1artists.htm VH1: 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll]". ''[[VH1]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref><ref>(2005). "[http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/76607/episode_countdown.jhtml CMT's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music]". ''[[CMT]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref> Elvis also ranked second for [[BBC]]'s "Voice of the Century", eighth on [[Discovery Channel|Discovery Channel's]] "Greatest American" list, in the top ten of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety's]]'' "100 Icons of the century", sixty-sixth in ''[[The Atlantic Monthly|The Atlantic Monthly's]]'' "100 most influential figures in American history", and third in ''[[Rolling Stone|Rolling Stone's]]'' "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" for which he was chosen by [[Bono]].<ref>([[April 18]], [[2001]]). "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1281522.stm Sinatra is voice of the century]" ''BBC NEWS'', Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref><ref>"[http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatestamerican/greatestamerican.html Greatest American]". ''[[Discovery Channel]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref><ref>"[http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100 100 Icons of the century]". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref><ref>(December 2006). "[http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials Top 100 most influential figures in American history]". ''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref><ref>([[2004-04-15]]). "[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty The Immortals: The First Fifty]". ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (946). Retrieved on [[2007-10-16]].</ref> | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <!-- ---------------------------------------------------------- | ||
| + | See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a | ||
| + | discussion of different citation methods and how to generate | ||
| + | footnotes using the <ref>, </ref> and <reference /> tags | ||
| + | ----------------------------------------------------------- --> | ||
| + | {{Reflist|2}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | <!-- Author last name, first name (Year of publication). ''Title''. Publisher. [[Special:Booksources/10-digit ISBN|ISBN ##########]]. --> | ||
| + | * Alagna, Magdalena (2002). ''Elvis Presley''. Rosen Publishing Group. [[Special:Booksources/0823935248|ISBN 0823935248]]. | ||
| + | * Austen, Jake (2005). ''TV-A-Go-Go: Rock on TV from American Bandstand to American Idol''. [[Chicago Review Press]]. [[Special:Booksources/1556525729|ISBN 1556525729]]. | ||
| + | * Baden, Michael M.;Judith Adler Hennessee (1992). ''Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner''. New York: Random House. [[Special:Booksources/0804105995|ISBN 0804105995]]. | ||
| + | * Bayles, Martha (1996). ''Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music''. [[University of Chicago Press]]. [[Special:Booksources/0226039595|ISBN 0226039595]]. | ||
| + | * Bertrand, Michael T. (2000). ''Race, Rock, and Elvis''. [[University of Illinois Press]]. [[Special:Booksources/0252025865|ISBN 0-252-02586-5]]. | ||
| + | * Beebe, R.; D. Fulbrook, B. Saunders (eds.) (2002). ''Rock over the Edge''. [[Duke University Press]]. [[Special:Booksources/0822329158|ISBN 0822329158]]. | ||
| + | * Brown, Peter Harry; Pat H. Broeske (1998). ''Down at the End of Lonely Street: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley''. Signet. [[Special:Booksources/0451190947|ISBN: 0451190947]]. | ||
| + | * Caine, A. (2005). ''Interpreting Rock Movies: The Pop Film and Its Critics in Britain''. Palgrave Macmillan. [[Special:Booksources/0719065380|0719065380]]. | ||
| + | * Carr, Roy and Mick Farren (1982). ''Elvis: The complete illustrated record''. [[Eel Pie Publishing]]. [[Special:Booksources/0906008549|ISBN 0-906008-54-9]]. | ||
| + | * Clayton, Rose and Dick Heard (2003). ''Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best''. Virgin Publishing Limited. [[Special:Booksources/0753508354|ISBN 0-7535-0835-4]]. | ||
| + | * Cook, J., Henry, P. (ed.) (2004). ''[http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/tn/Graceland.pdf Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination Form]'' (PDF). United States Department of the Interior. | ||
| + | * Curtin, Jim; James Curtin, Renata Ginter (1998). ''Elvis: Unknown Stories behind the Legend''. Celebrity Books. [[Special:Booksources/1580291023|ISBN 1580291023]]. | ||
| + | * Dickerson, James L. (2001). ''Colonel Tom Parker: The Curious Life of Elvis Presley's Eccentric Manager''. Cooper Square Press. [[Special:Booksources/0815412673|ISBN 0815412673]]. | ||
| + | * Denisoff, R. Serge (1975). ''Solid Gold: The Popular Record Industry''. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Books. [[Special:Booksources/0878555862|ISBN 0878555862]]. | ||
| + | * [[Elaine Dundy|Dundy, Elaine]] (1986). ''Elvis and Gladys: The Genesis of the King'', London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. [[Special:Booksources/0708830870|ISBN 0708830870]]. | ||
| + | * Escott, Colin. (1998). "Elvis Presley". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. [[Special:Booksources/0195176081|ISBN 0195176081]]. | ||
| + | * Falk, Ursula A.; Gerhard Falk (2005). ''Youth Culture and the Generation Gap''. Algora Publishing. [[Special:Booksources/0875863671|ISBN 0875863671]]. | ||
| + | * Finstad, Suzanne (1997). ''Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley''. New York: Harmony Books. [[Special:Booksources/0517705850|ISBN 0517705850]]. | ||
| + | * Gamson, Joshua (1994). ''Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America''. University of California Press. [[Special:Booksources/0520083520|ISBN 0520083520]]. | ||
| + | * George-Warren, Holly; Patricia Romanowski, Jon Pareles (2001). ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll''. Fireside. [[Special:Booksources/0743201205|ISBN 0-7432-0120-5]]. | ||
| + | * [[Albert Goldman|Goldman, Albert]] (1990). ''Elvis: The Last 24 Hours''. St Martins. [[Special:Booksources/0312925417|ISBN 0312925417]]. | ||
| + | * [[Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter]] (1994). ''Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley''. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. [[Special:Booksources/0316332259|ISBN 0316332259]]. | ||
| + | * Guralnick, Peter (1999). ''Careless Love. The Unmaking of Elvis Presley''. Back Bay Books. [[Special:Booksources/0316332976|ISBN 0316332976]]. | ||
| + | * Harbinson, W. A., (1977). ''The life and death of Elvis Presley''. London: Michael Joseph. [[Special:Booksources/0517246708|ISBN 0517246708]]. | ||
| + | * Harrington C. Lee; Denise D. Bielby (2000). ''Popular Culture: Production and Consumption''. Blackwell. [[Special:Booksources/063121710X|ISBN 063121710X]]. | ||
| + | * Hopkins, Jerry (2002). ''Elvis in Hawaii''. Bess Press. [[Special:Booksources/1573061425|ISBN 1573061425]]. | ||
| + | * Humphries, Patrick (2003). ''Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics''. Andrews McMeel. [[Special:Booksources/0740738038|ISBN 0740738038]]. | ||
| + | * Jorgensen, Ernst (1998). ''Elvis Presley: A life in music. The complete recording sessions''. St. Martin's Press. [[Special:Booksources/0312185723|ISBN 0312185723]]. | ||
| + | * Kirchberg, Connie and Marc Hendricks (1999). ''Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream'', Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company. [[Special:Booksources/0786407166|ISBN 0786407166]]. | ||
| + | * Lichter, Paul (1980). ''Elvis - The Boy Who Dared To Rock''. Sphere Books. [[Special:Booksources/0722155476|ISBN 0 7221 5547-6]]. | ||
| + | * Lipton, Peggy; Coco Dalton, David Dalton (2005). ''Breathing Out''. St. Martin's Press. [[Special:Booksources/0312324138|ISBN 0312324138]]. | ||
| + | * Lisanti, Tom (2000). ''Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies''. McFarland and Company. [[Special:Booksources/0786408685|ISBN 0786408685]]. | ||
| + | * Lisanti, Tom (2003). ''Drive-In Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties''. McFarland. [[Special:Booksources/0786415754|ISBN 0786415754]]. | ||
| + | * Margret, Ann; Todd Gold (1994). ''Ann-Margret: My Story''. G.P. Putnam's Sons. [[Special:Booksources/0399138919|ISBN 0399138919]]. | ||
| + | * Miller, James, (1999). ''Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977''. Fireside. [[Special:Booksources/0684865602|ISBN 0684865602]]. | ||
| + | * Moore, Scotty; James Dickerson (1997). ''That’s Alright, Elvis''. Schirmer Books. [[Special:Booksources/0028645995|ISBN 0028645995]]. | ||
| + | * Nash, A.; M. Lacker, L. Fike, B. Smith (1995). ''Elvis Aron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia''. Harper Collins. [[Special:Booksources/006109336X|ISBN 006109336X]]. | ||
| + | * Naylor, Jerry and Steve Halliday (2007). ''The Rockabilly Legends; They Called It Rockabilly Long Before they Called It Rock and Roll'' (Book and DVD). Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. [[Special:Booksources/142342042X|ISBN 142342042X]]. | ||
| + | * Pratt, Linda R. (1979). "Elvis, or the Ironies of a Southern Identity". ''Elvis: Images and Fancies''. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. | ||
| + | * Presley, Priscilla, (1985). ''Elvis and Me''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. [[Special:Booksources/0399129847|ISBN 0-399-12984-7]]. | ||
| + | * Rodman, G., (1996). ''Elvis After Elvis, The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend''. London: Routledge. [[Special:Booksources/0415110025|ISBN 0415110025]]. | ||
| + | * Rodriguez, R., (2006). ''The 1950s' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Rock & Roll Rebels, Cold War Crises, and All-American Oddities''. Potomac Books. [[Special:Booksources/1574887157|ISBN 1574887157]]. | ||
| + | * Roy, Samuel (1985). ''Elvis: Prophet of Power''. Branden Publishing Co. Inc. [[Special:Booksources/0828318980|ISBN 0-8283-1898-0]]. | ||
| + | * Shepherd, Cybill; Aimee Lee Ball (2000}. ''Cybill Disobedience''. Thorndike Press. [[Special:Booksources/0061030147|ISBN 0061030147]]. | ||
| + | * Stecopoulos, H.; M. Uebel (1997). ''Race and the Subject of Masculinities''. Duke University Press. [[Special:Booksources/0822319667|ISBN 0822319667]]. | ||
| + | * Szatmary, David P. (1996). ''A Time to Rock: A Social History of Rock 'n' Roll''. New York: Schirmer Books. [[Special:Booksources/0028646703|ISBN 0028646703]]. | ||
| + | * Verswijver, L., (2002). ''Movies Were Always Magical: Interviews with 19 Actors, Directors, and Producers from the Hollywood of the 1930s through the 1950s''. McFarland & Company. [[Special:Booksources/0786411295|ISBN 0786411295]]. | ||
| + | * Walser, Robert; David Nicholls (ed.) (1999). ''The Cambridge History of American Music''. Cambridge University Press. [[Special:Booksources/0521454298|ISBN 0521454298]]. | ||
| + | * West, Red; Sonny West, Dave Hebler (As Told To Steve Dunleavy) (1977). ''Elvis: What Happened''. [[Random House|Bantam Books]]. [[Special:Booksources/0345272153|ISBN 0345272153]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Further reading== | ||
| + | *[[Albert Goldman|Goldman, Albert]] (1981). ''Elvis''. McGraw-Hill. [[Special:Booksources/0070236577|ISBN 0-07-023657-7]]. | ||
| + | *Allen, Lew (2007). ''Elvis & the birth of rock''. [[Genesis Publications]]. [[Special:Booksources/1905662009|ISBN: 1-905662-00-9]]. | ||
| + | *Cantor, Louis (2005). ''Dewey and Elvis - The Life and Times of a Rock 'n' Roll Deejay''. [[University of Illinois Press]]. [[Special:Booksources/025202951x|ISBN 0-252-02981-X]]. | ||
| + | *Chadwick, Vernon (ed.) (1997). ''In Search of Elvis: Music, Race, Art, Religion''. Proceedings of the first annual International Conference on Elvis Presley, Westview. [[Special:Booksources/0813329876|ISNB 0813329876]]. | ||
| + | *Doss, Erika Lee (1999). ''Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, and Image''. University of Kansas Press. [[Special:Booksources/0700609482|ISBN 0700609482]]. | ||
| + | *Marcus, Greil (1991). ''Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural Obsession''. | ||
| + | *Marcus, Greil (2000). ''Double Trouble: Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley in a Land of No Alternative''. [[Special:Booksources/057120676X|ISBN 057120676X]]. | ||
| + | *[[Alanna Nash|Nash, Alanna]] (1995). ''Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia''. Harper Collins. [[Special:Booksources/006109336X|ISBN 006109336X]]. | ||
| + | *Nash, Alanna (2003). ''The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley''. Simon and Schuster. [[Special:Booksources/0743213017|ISBN 0743213017]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==External links== | ||
| + | {{commons}} | ||
| + | {{wikiquote}} | ||
| + | *[http://www.elvis.com/ Elvis Presley Enterprises] - Official site of Elvis Presley | ||
| + | *[http://www.elvisthekinguk.com/ Official UK Elvis site] - Includes details of new UK releases | ||
| + | *[http://www.gedview.com/presley/ Genealogy of Elvis Presley] | ||
| + | *{{imdb name|id=0000062|name=Elvis Presley}} | ||
| + | *[http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=171 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame] | ||
| + | *[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/elvispresley/biography Elvis Presley biography] at [[Rolling Stone|Rolling Stone.com]] | ||
| + | {{Elvis Presley}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{Persondata | ||
| + | |NAME=Presley, Elvis Aaron | ||
| + | |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Presley, Elvis Aaron | ||
| + | |SHORT DESCRIPTION=American singer, song producer and actor; "The King of Rock'n'Roll" | ||
| + | |DATE OF BIRTH={{birth date|1935|1|8|mf=y}} | ||
| + | |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Tupelo]], [[Mississippi]], [[United States|U.S.]] | ||
| + | |DATE OF DEATH={{death date|1977|8|16|mf=y}} | ||
| + | |PLACE OF DEATH=[[Memphis, Tennessee]], USA | ||
| + | }} | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Presley, Elvis}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Presley, Elvis}} | ||
| - | [[Catégorie:Chanteur américain]] | + | [[Category:American Jews]] |
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| - | [[Catégorie:Musique rockabilly]] | + | [[Category:American baritones]] |
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| - | [[Catégorie:Décès en 1977]] | + | [[Category:American gospel singers]] |
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| + | [[Category:Identical twins]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Sun Records artists]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees as a Performer]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Rockabilly Hall of Fame|Presley, Elvis]] | ||
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| + | [[Category:Hollywood Walk of Fame]] | ||
| + | [[Category:United States Army soldiers]] | ||
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| + | [[Category:People from Memphis, Tennessee]] | ||
| + | [[Category:People from Tupelo, Mississippi]] | ||
| + | [[Category:People from Las Vegas]] | ||
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| + | [[Category:Las Vegas musicians]] | ||
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Version actuelle
Modèle:Pp-semi-vandalism Modèle:Redirect Modèle:Otheruses4 Modèle:Infobox musical artist Elvis Aaron Presley<ref name="Aaron">(May 9 2002). "Elvis Presley - the Singer". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-10-12.</ref><ref>"FAQ: Elvis' middle name, is it Aron or Aaron?" Elvis.com. Retrieved 2007-10-22.</ref>Modèle:Fn (January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is a cultural icon, often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".
Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music halls of fame.
In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three movies—mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a television special and thereafter performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health problems plagued Presley in later life which, coupled with a punishing tour schedule and addiction to prescription medication, led to his premature death at age 42.
Biography
Early life
Presley's father, Vernon (April 10, 1916–June 26, 1979), had several low-paying jobs, including sharecropper and truck driver. His mother, Gladys Love Smith (April 25, 1912–August 14, 1958) worked as a sewing machine operator. They met in Tupelo, Mississippi, and eloped to Pontotoc County where they married on June 17, 1933.<ref>Elvis Presley's Family Tree. ElvisPresleyNews.com. Retrieved August 15 2007.</ref><ref>Presley's ancestry is discussed at the following sites:
- Rossacher, Hannes (August 16 2007). Austrian and French TV documentary: "Elvis-O-Rama". ARTE. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- (August 11 2007). "Die wahre Wiege des Rock ’n’ Roll." Ludwigshafen: Die Rheinpfalz.
- "Biography: Presley, Elvis". German Heritage.com. Retrieved October 12 2007.
- (23 March 2004). "Elvis roots 'lead to Scotland'". BBC News Online. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- "Elvis Presley's Family Tree". ElvisPresleyNews.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- "Elvis Presley's Roots". fife.50megs.com. Retrieved October 12 2007.
- "Elvis' Jewish Heritage". ElvisPresleyNews.com. Retrieved October 12 2007.
- "Elvis Was a Metis: Cherokee-Scots-Irish (Celt)". WolfLodge.org. Retrieved October 12 2007.</ref>
Presley was born in a two room house, built by his father, in East Tupelo. He was the second of identical twins—his brother was stillborn and given the name Jesse Garon. He grew up as an only child and "was, everyone agreed, unusually close to his mother."<ref name="Guralnick-13">Guralnick 1994, p.13</ref> The family lived just above the poverty line and attended the Assembly of God church.<ref name=Guralnick-1994-29>Guralnick 1994, p.29</ref>Modèle:Fn Vernon has been described as "a malingerer, always averse to work and responsibility."<ref>Goldman, p.16</ref> In 1938, he was jailed for an eight dollar check forgery. During his absence, his wife, described as "voluble, lively, full of spunk",<ref name="Guralnick-12">Guralnick 1994, p.12</ref> lost the family home.<ref name=BirthPlace>Elvis Presley Home. Elvis-Presley-Biography.com. Retrieved July 15 2007.</ref> Priscilla Presley recalls her as "a surreptitious drinker and alcoholic."<ref>Presley, p.172</ref>
Presley was bullied at school; classmates threw "things at him—rotten fruit and stuff—because he was different... quiet and he stuttered and he was a mama's boy."<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.36
Referring to an account by singer Barbara Pittman in Humphries, Patrick (April 1, 2003). "Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics" Andrews McMeel Publishing, p.117. ISBN 0740738038.</ref>
At age ten, he made his first public performance in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, the young Presley had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone and sang Red Foley's "Old Shep." He won second prize.<ref>Elvis Australia (Jan 7, 2004). "Elvis Presley 1935-54." elvis.com.au. Retrieved 2007-10-14.</ref>
In 1946, Presley got his first guitar.<ref>(October 14 2001). "Elvis Presley's First Guitar". Tupelo Hardware. Retrieved 2007-10-14.</ref> In November 1948, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, allegedly because Vernon—in addition to needing work—had to escape the law for transporting bootleg liquor.<ref name="BirthPlace"/><ref>Escott, p.420</ref> In 1949, they lived at Lauderdale Courts, a public housing development in one of Memphis' poorer sections. Presley practiced playing guitar in the laundry room and also played in a five-piece band with other tenants.<ref name=Guralnick-50/> Another resident, Johnny Burnette, recalled, "Wherever Elvis went he'd have his guitar slung across his back... [H]e'd go in to one of the cafes or bars... Then some folks would say: 'Let's hear you sing, boy.'"<ref name=Carr-10>Carr and Farren, p.10</ref> Presley attended L. C. Humes High School, but fellow students apparently viewed the young singer's performing unfavorably: One recalled that he was "a sad, shy, not especially attractive boy" whose guitar playing was not likely to win any prizes. Many of the other children made fun of him as a 'trashy' kind of boy playing 'trashy' hillbilly music."<ref>Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis, chapter 1.</ref>
Presley occasionally worked evenings to boost the family income.<ref>Lichter, p.10</ref> He began to grow his sideburns and dress in the wild, flashy clothes of Lansky Brothers on Beale Street.<ref>Lichter, p.9</ref> He stood out, especially in the conservative Deep South of the 1950s, and was mocked and bullied for it.<ref name=Guralnick-50>Guralnick 1994, p.50</ref> Despite his unpopularity, he was a contestant in his school's 1952 "Annual Minstrel Show"<ref name=Guralnick-50 /> and won by receiving the most applause and thus an encore (he sang "Cold Cold Icy Fingers" and "Till I Waltz Again With You").<ref name=Carr-10 />
After graduation, Presley was still rather shy, a "kid who had spent scarcely a night away from home".<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.149</ref> His third job was driving a truck for the Crown Electric Company. He began wearing his hair longer with a "ducktail"—the style of truck drivers at that time.<ref>(1996). "Elvis Presley". history-of-rock.com. Retrieved 2007-10-14.</ref>
Musical influences
Initial influences came through his family's attendance at the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal Holiness church.<ref name="Guralnick-13"/> Rolling Stone wrote: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days."<ref name="RS">George-Warren, Holly; Patricia Romanowski, Jon Pareles (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll. Fireside. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5. Excerpt in "Elvis Presley biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref> During breaks at recording sessions or after concerts, Presley often joined in private with others for informal gospel music sessions.<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.461</ref>
The young Presley frequently listened to local radio; his first musical hero was family friend Mississippi Slim, a hillbilly singer with a radio show on Tupelo’s WELO. Presley performed occasionally on Slim’s Saturday morning show, Singin’ and Pickin’ Hillbilly. "He was crazy about music... That’s all he talked about," recalls his sixth grade friend, James Ausborn, Slim’s younger brother.<ref name=1994-21>Guralnick 1994, p.21</ref> Before he was a teenager, music was already Presley’s "consuming passion".<ref name=1994-21 /> J. R. Snow, son of 1940s country superstar Hank Snow, recalls that even as a young man Presley knew all of Hank Snow’s songs, "even the most obscure".<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.171</ref>
In Memphis, Presley went to record stores that had jukeboxes and listening booths, playing old records and new releases for hours. He was an audience member at the all-night black and white "gospel sings" downtown.<ref name=GoodRockin-54>(August 18, 1997). "Good Rockin'". Newsweek, pp.54-5</ref> Memphis Symphony Orchestra concerts at Overton Park were another Presley favorite, along with the Metropolitan Opera. His small record collection included Mario Lanza and Dean Martin. Presley later said, "I just loved music. Music period."<ref name=1994-21 />
Memphis had a strong tradition of blues music and Presley went to blues as well as hillbilly venues. Many of his future recordings were inspired by local African American composers and recording artists, including Arthur Crudup, Rufus Thomas and B.B. King.<ref>Guralnick, Peter (August 11, 2007). "How Did Elvis Get Turned Into a Racist?" New York Times. Retrieved August 15 2007.</ref> King says that he "knew Elvis before he was popular. He used to come around and be around us a lot ... on Beale Street."<ref>Szatmary, p.35</ref>
Presley "was an untrained musician who played entirely by ear. 'I don't read music,' he confessed, 'but I know what I like.' ... Because he was not a songwriter, Presley rarely had material prepared for recording sessions..." When he, as a young singer, "ventured into the recording studio he was heavily influenced by the songs he had heard on the jukebox and radio."<ref>Bertrand, p.205</ref>
First recordings at Sun Studios
On July 18, 1953, Presley went to Sun Records' Memphis Recording Service to record "My Happiness" with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", supposedly a present for his mother.<ref>"Elvis biography: 1935 - 1957". elvis.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref> On January 4, 1954, he cut a second acetate. Sun Records boss Sam Phillips was on the lookout for someone who could deliver a blend of black blues and boogie-woogie music; he thought it would be very popular among white people.<ref>Miller, p.71</ref> Assistant Marion Keisker called Presley on June 26, 1954. After an inauspicious session, Phillips invited local musicians Winfield "Scotty" Moore and Bill Black to audition Presley. Though not overly impressed, a studio session was planned.<ref>"Sam Phillips Sun Records Two". history-of-rock.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>
During a recording break, Presley began "acting the fool" first with Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)".<ref>Guralnick, Peter (1992). The Complete 50's Masters (CD booklet notes).</ref> Phillips got them all to restart and began taping. This was the sound he had been looking for.<ref>Jorgensen, p.13</ref> The group recorded other songs, including Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky". "That's All Right" was aired on July 8, 1954, by DJ Dewey Phillips.<ref name=Carr-6>Carr and Farren, p.6</ref>Modèle:Fn After its release, both sides of "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky" began to chart across the South.<ref>EPE (July 21, 2004). "Elvis Presley Sun Recordings". elvis.co.au. Retrieved on August 17 2007.</ref>
First public performances
Moore and Black began playing regularly with Presley. They gave a few performances in July 1954 to promote the Sun single at the Bon Air, a rowdy music club where the band was not well-received.<ref name=EarlyGigs>EPE. "Elvis Presley's First Record & Early Gigs". ElvisPresley.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref> On July 30 the trio, billed as The Blue Moon Boys, made their first appearance at the Overton Park Shell, with Slim Whitman headlining.<ref>Burnett, Brown (ed.) (August 2 2004). "Overton Park Shell 50th Anniversary, Elvis’ 1st live show". Memphis Mojo Newspaper. Reprinted in "The Buzzards". RedClock.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref> A nervous Presley's legs were said to have shaken uncontrollably during this show: his wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing females in the audience to go "crazy".<ref>Naylor and Halliday, p.43</ref><ref name=Clayton-61>Clayton and Heard, p.61</ref>Modèle:Fn Presley consciously incorporated similar movements into future shows.<ref>Elvis Presley Classic Albums (DVD). Eagle Eye Media, EE19007 NTSC.</ref>
DJ and promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager (replacing Scotty Moore). Moore and Black left their band, the Starlite Wranglers and, from August through October 1954, appeared with Presley at The Eagle's Nest.<ref name=EarlyGigs /> Presley debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on October 2; Hank Snow introduced Presley on stage. He performed "Blue Moon of Kentucky" but received only a polite response. Afterwards, the singer was allegedly told: "Boy, you’d better keep driving that truck."<ref name=Naylor-43>Naylor and Halliday, pp.43-6</ref>Modèle:Fn<ref name=Clayton-69>Clayton and Heard, p.69</ref>Modèle:Fn<ref name=Guralnick-1994-11>Guralnick 1994, p.11</ref>Modèle:Fn
Country music promoter and manager Tillman Franks booked Presley for the Louisiana Hayride on October 16. Before Franks saw Presley, he referred to him as "that new black singer with the funny name".<ref>Naylor and Halliday, p.46</ref> During Presley's first set, the reaction was muted; for the second, Franks advised Presley to "Let it all go!" As house drummer D.J. Fontana (who had worked in strip clubs) complemented Presley's movements with accented beats and Bill Black engaged in his usual stage antics, the crowd was more responsive.<ref>Naylor and Halliday, p.52</ref><ref name=Clayton-73>Clayton and Heard, p.73</ref>Modèle:Fn According to one source, "Audiences had never before heard [such] music... [or] seen anyone who performed like Presley either. The shy, polite, mumbling boy gained self-confidence with every appearance... People watching the show were astounded and shocked, both by the ferocity of his performance, and the crowd’s reaction to it... Roy Orbison saw Presley for the first time in Odessa, Texas: 'His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing... I just didn’t know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it.'"<ref>Cook, p.50</ref> Sam Phillips said Presley "put every ounce of emotion ... into every song, almost as if he was incapable of holding back."<ref>Guralnick 1994</ref>
Breakthrough year: 1956
Presley's sound proved hard to categorize; he was billed or labeled in the media as "The King of Western Bop", "The Hillbilly Cat" and "The Memphis Flash".
On August 15, 1955, "Colonel" Tom Parker became Presley's manager. By August 1955, Sun Studios had released ten sides credited to "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill", all typical of the developing Presley style. Several major record labels had shown interest in signing Presley. On November 21, 1955, Parker and Phillips negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $35,000.<ref>Carr and Farren, p.21</ref><ref>Escott, p.421</ref>
To increase the singer's exposure, Parker finally brought Presley to television (In March 1955, Presley had failed an audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts). He booked six Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show appearances (CBS), beginning January 28, 1956, when Presley was introduced by Cleveland DJ Bill Randle. Parker also obtained a lucrative two-show deal with Milton Berle (NBC).
On January 27, Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel," was released. By April it hit number one in the U.S., and sold one million copies. On March 23, RCA released Elvis Presley, his first album. Like the Sun recordings, the majority of the tracks were country songs.<ref>Hilburn, Robert (2005-02-11). "Review: Elvis Presley CD". elvis.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>
From April 23, he had two weeks at the New Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas—billed this time as "the Atomic Powered Singer". His shows were badly received, by critics and the conservative guests. Presley saw Freddie Bell and the Bellboys live in Vegas, and liked their version of Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog". By May 16, he had added the song to his own act.<ref>Butler, Peter. "Blackie". RockabillyHall.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>
A few days after an April 3 appearance for The Milton Berle Show in San Diego, a near-fatal flight taking Presley's band to Nashville for a recording session left all three badly shaken.<ref>Jorgensen, p.45</ref> After more hectic touring, Presley returned to The Milton Berle Show on June 5 and performed "Hound Dog" (without his guitar). Singing it uptempo, he then began a slower version. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle around the microphone stand stirred the audience—as did his vigorous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat. Presley's "gyrations" created a storm of controversy—even eclipsing the 'communist threat' headlines prevalent at the time.<ref name="Jorgensen-49">Jorgensen, p.49</ref> The press described his performance as "vulgar" and "obscene".<ref name="Jorgensen-49"/><ref>An example of press criticism can be found at Gould, Jack (June 6 1956). "TV: New Phenomenon" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref> Presley was obliged to explain himself on the local New York City TV show Hy Gardner Calling: "Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it."<ref name=Elvis56 />
The Berle shows drew such huge ratings that Steve Allen (NBC), not a fan of rock and roll, booked him for one appearance in New York. Allen wanted "to do a show the whole family can watch" and introduced a "new Elvis" in white bow tie and black tails. Presley sang "Hound Dog" for less than a minute to a Basset Hound in a top hat. According to one author, "Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition..."<ref>Austen, p.13</ref><ref name=Beebe>Beebe, Fulbrook and Saunders, p.97</ref> The day after (July 2), the single "Hound Dog" was recorded and Scotty Moore said they were "all angry about their treatment the previous night".<ref name=Beebe /> (Presley often referred to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career.<ref name=Elvis56>Raymond, Susan (Director) (1987, Re-released 2000). Elvis '56 - In the Beginning (DVD). Warner Vision.</ref>) A few days later, Presley made a "triumphant" outdoor appearance in Memphis at which he announced: "You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight."<ref>Jorgensen, p.51</ref>
Country vocalists The Jordanaires accompanied Presley on The Steve Allen Show and their first recording session together produced "Any Way You Want Me", "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog". The Jordanaires would work with the singer through the 1960s.
Though Presley had been unhappy, Allen's show had, for the first time, beaten The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings, causing a critical Sullivan (CBS) to book Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.<ref>For more on the TV host rivalries of the period, see "The Steve Allen Show (And Various Related Programs)". The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>
Presley's first Ed Sullivan appearance (September 9, 1956) was seen by some 55–60 million viewers. "Compared to moments on the Dorsey shows and on the Berle show, it was ice cream."<ref>Marcus, Greil, "Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows." "Official Press Release". elvis.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref> On the third Sullivan show, Presley sang only slow paced ballads and a gospel song.<ref>Modèle:Cite video</ref> The fact that Presley was only shown from the waist up and "stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha, if not a harem girl" during this last broadcast has led to claims that Sullivan had "censored" or even "buried" the singer,<ref>Marcus, "Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows."</ref> or that Colonel Parker had orchestrated the episode to generate publicity.<ref>Clayton and Heard, pp.117-8</ref><ref name=EdSullivan>Gibson, Christine (December 6 2005). "Elvis on Ed Sullivan: The Real Story". American Heritage Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref> In spite of any misgivings about the controversial nature of his performing style, Sullivan declared at the end of the third appearance that Presley was "a real decent, fine boy" and that they had never had "a pleasanter experience" on the show.<ref name=EdSullivan />
Controversial king
When "That's All Right" was played, many listeners were sure Presley must be black, and most white disc-jockeys wouldn't play his Sun singles. However, black disc-jockeys didn't want anything to do with a record made by a white man.<ref>Carr and Farren, pp.11, 16</ref> To some, Presley had undoubtedly "stolen" or at least "derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s."<ref>Bayles, p.22</ref> Some black entertainers, notably Jackie Wilson, countered, "A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis."<ref name=Blank>Blank, Christopher (July 15 2006). "Elvis & Racism - Elvis Presley Legacy is cloudy through lens of race". elvis.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>Modèle:Fn
By the spring of 1956, Presley was becoming popular nationwide and teenagers flocked to his concerts. Scotty Moore recalled: "He’d start out, 'You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog,' and they’d just go to pieces. They’d always react the same way. There’d be a riot every time."<ref>Moore and Dickerson, p.175</ref> Bob Neal wrote: "It was almost frightening, the reaction... from teenage boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him." In Lubbock, Texas, a teenage gang fire-bombed Presley's car.<ref>Carr and Farren, p.12</ref> Some performers became resentful (or resigned to the fact) that Presley going on stage before them would "kill" their own act; he thus rose quickly to top billing.<ref>Carr and Farren, p.12</ref> At the two concerts he performed at the 1956 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, one hundred National Guardsmen were on hand to prevent crowd trouble.<ref>"Elvis Rock 'n' Roll History". showbuzz.CBSnews.com. Retrieved 2007-10-14.</ref>
To many adults, the singer was "the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. ... they did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-Negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex."<ref>Billboard writer Arnold Shaw, cited in Denisoff, p.22.</ref> In 1956, a critic for the New York Daily News wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley" and the Jesuits denounced him in its weekly magazine, America.<ref> "Elvis Presley - 1956". PBS. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref> Even Frank Sinatra opined: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."<ref>Khurana, Simran. "Quotes About Elvis Presley". about.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>
Presley was even seen as a "definite danger to the security of the United States." His actions and motions were called "a strip-tease with clothes on" or "sexual self-gratification on stage." They were compared with "masturbation or riding a microphone." Some saw the singer as a sexual pervert, and psychologists feared that teenaged girls and boys could easily be "aroused to sexual indulgence and perversion by certain types of motions and hysteria—the type that was exhibited at the Presley show."<ref>See Fensch, Thomas. The FBI Files on Elvis Presley, pp.15-17.</ref> In August 1956, a Florida judge called Presley a "savage" and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing in Jacksonville. The judge declared that Presley's music was undermining the youth of America. Throughout the performance (which was filmed by police), he kept still as ordered, except for wiggling a finger in mockery at the ruling.<ref name=Marino>Marino, Rick. "Elvis and Jacksonville, Florida". LadyLuckMusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>Modèle:Fn (Presley recalls this incident during the '68 Comeback Special.)
In 1957, Presley was alleged to have said: "The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes." The singer always denied saying, or ever wanting to say, such a racist remark. Jet magazine, run by and for African Americans, subsequently investigated the story and found no basis to the claim. However, the Jet journalist did find plenty of testimony that Presley judged people "regardless of race, color or creed".<ref>Davis, Natalie (August 17 2003). "The 'King' Has Left the Building". GratefulDread.net.Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>
His parents moved home in Memphis, but the singer lived there briefly. With increased concerns over privacy and security, Graceland was bought in 1957, a mansion with several acres of land. This was Presley's primary residence until his death.
Presley's record sales grew quickly throughout the late 1950s, with hits like "All Shook Up", "(Let me Be Your) Teddy Bear" and "Too Much".
Military service and mother's death
On December 20, 1957, Presley received his draft notice. Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures had already spent $350,000 on the film King Creole, and did not want to suspend or cancel the project. The Memphis Draft Board granted Presley a deferment to finish it. On March 24, 1958, he was inducted and completed basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, before being posted to Friedberg, Germany with the 3rd Armored Division.<ref>Elder, Daniel K. "Remarkable Sergeants: Ten Vignettes of Noteworthy NCOs". ncohistory.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.</ref>
Presley had chosen not to join 'Special Services', which would have allowed him to avoid certain duties and maintain his public profile.<ref>Lichter, p.51</ref> He continued to receive massive media coverage, with much speculation echoing Presley's own concerns about his enforced absence damaging his career. However, early in 1958, RCA producer Steve Sholes and Hill and Range "song searcher" Freddy Bienstock had both pushed for recording sessions and strong song material, the aim being to release regular hit singles during Presley's two-year hiatus.<ref>Jorgensen, p.107</ref> The hit singles—and six albums—duly followed during that period.
In Germany, "[a] sergeant had introduced [Presley] to amphetamines when they were on maneuvers at Grafenwöhr... it seemed like half the guys in the company were taking them." Friends around Presley also began taking them, "if only to keep up with Elvis, who was practically evangelical about their benefits."<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.21</ref>
The army also introduced Presley to karate—something which he studied seriously, even including it in his later live performances.<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.71</ref>Modèle:Fn
As Presley's fame grew, his mother continued to drink excessively and began to gain weight. She had wanted her son to succeed, "but... [the] hysteria of the crowd frightened her."<ref>Rodriguez, p.87</ref> Doctors had diagnosed hepatitis and her condition worsened. Presley was granted emergency leave to visit her in August 1958, but shortly afterwards his mother died, aged forty-six. Presley was distraught, "grieving almost constantly" for days.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.480</ref>
Presley returned to the U.S. on March 2, 1960, and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant on March 5.<ref>"What is the history of Elvis Presley's military career?". Army.mil. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.</ref> Recording sessions in March and April yielded some of his best-selling songs—including "It's Now or Never". Although some tracks were uptempo, none could be described as "rock and roll". Most found their way on to an album—Elvis is Back!—described by one critic as "a triumph on every level... It was as if Elvis had... broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved".<ref>Jorgensen, p.128</ref> The album was also notable because of Homer Boots Randolph's acclaimed saxophone solo during the blues standard "Reconsider Baby".
Hollywood years
In 1956, Presley launched his career as a film actor, beginning with the musical western, Love Me Tender. It was panned by the critics but did well at the box office.<ref>Harbinson, p.62</ref> The original title—The Reno Brothers—was changed because of the advanced sales of the song "Love Me Tender". The majority of Presley's films were musical comedies made to "sell records and produce high revenues."<ref>Falk and Falk, p.52</ref> He also appeared in more dramatic films, like Jailhouse Rock and King Creole. To maintain box office success, he even "shifted into beefcake formula comedy mode for a few years."<ref>"Elvis goes Hollywood: Fun in the sun, and not much else". CNN.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.</ref> He also made one non-musical western, Charro!.
In the Army, Presley said on many occasions that "more than anything, he wanted to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.50</ref> His manager, with an eye on long-term earnings, negotiated a multi-picture seven-year contract with Hal Wallis.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.27</ref>
The singer withdrew from performing, except for The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis (1960) and three charity concerts (two in Memphis and one in Pearl Harbor, 1961).<ref>Guralnick 1999, pp.89-91</ref> Although Presley was praised by directors, like Michael Curtiz, as polite and hardworking (and as having an exceptional memory), "he was definitely not the most talented actor around."<ref>Verswijver, p.129</ref> The Presley vehicles and the AIP beach movies (mainly made for an early sixties teenage audience) were generally criticized as a "pantheon of bad taste."<ref>Caine, p.21</ref> The scripts of his movies "were all the same, the songs progressively worse."<ref>Kirchberg and Hendricks, p.67</ref> Sight and Sound wrote that in his movies "Elvis Presley, aggressively bisexual in appeal, knowingly erotic, [was] acting like a crucified houri and singing with a kind of machine-made surrealism."<ref>Sight and Sound, The British Film Institute, British Institute of Adult Education (1992), p.30.</ref> Others noted that the songs seemed to be "written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll."<ref>Hopkins, p.32</ref> For Blue Hawaii, "fourteen songs were cut in just three days."<ref>Hopkins, p.31</ref> Julie Parrish, who appeared in Paradise, Hawaiian Style, says that Presley hated such songs and that he "couldn't stop laughing while he was recording" one of them.<ref>Lisanti 2000, pp.19, 136</ref> Critics would later claim that "No major star suffered through more bad movies than Elvis Presley."<ref>Lyon, p.511</ref>
Presley movies were nevertheless popular, and he "became a film genre of his own."<ref>Lisanti 2000, p.18</ref> Elvis on celluloid was the only chance to see him in the absence of live appearances, especially outside of the U.S. (the only time he toured outside of the U.S. was in Canada in 1957). His Blue Hawaii even "boosted the new state's tourism. Some of his most enduring and popular songs came from those [kind of] movies," like "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Return to Sender" and "Viva Las Vegas."<ref>Hopkins, vii</ref> His 1960s films and soundtracks grossed some $280 million.<ref>Alagna, Elvis Presley</ref>
In 1964, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole had starred in Hal Wallis' Becket. Wallis admitted to the press that the financing of such quality productions was only possible by making a series of profitable B-movies starring Presley. He branded Wallis "a double-dealing sonofabitch" (and he thought little better of Tom Parker), realizing there had never been any intention to let him develop into a serious actor.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.171</ref>
Presley was one of the highest paid actors during the 1960s, but times were changing. "[The] Elvis Presley film was becoming passé. Young people were tuning in, dropping out and doing acid. Musical acts like Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Janis Joplin and many others were dominating the airwaves. Elvis Presley was not considered cool as he once was."<ref>Lisanti 2000, p.9</ref> Priscilla Presley recalls: "He blamed his fading popularity on his humdrum movies" and "... loathed their stock plots and short shooting schedules." She also notes: "He could have demanded better, more substantial scripts, but he didn't."<ref>Presley, p.188</ref>
Presley's final movie role was in Change of Habit (1969). His last two films were concert documentaries in the early 1970s, though Presley was keen to consider dramatic movie roles.<ref name=George-Warren>George-Warren, Romanowski and Pareles, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll. Excerpt in "Elvis Presley biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.</ref>Modèle:Fn
As well as the formulaic movie songs of the 1960s, Presley did make noteworthy studio recordings, including "Suspicion," "(You're The) Devil in Disguise" and "It Hurts Me." In 1966 he recorded a cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow is a Long Time" (which RCA relegated to a bonus track on the soundtrack album for Spinout). He also produced two gospel albums: His Hand in Mine (1960) and How Great Thou Art (1966). In 1967, he recorded some well-received singles in collaboration with songwriter/guitar player Jerry Reed, including Reed's "Guitar Man." However, "during the Beatles era (1963-70), only six Elvis singles reached number ten or better. 'Suspicious Minds' was the lone number one."<ref>Kirchberg, Connie and Marc Hendricks 1999, p.66.</ref>
Sex symbol
Presley's sexual attraction and photogenic looks have been acknowledged: Steve Binder recalled from the '68 Comeback Special: "I'm straight as an arrow and I got to tell you, you stop, whether you're male or female, to look at him. He was that good looking. And if you never knew he was a superstar, it wouldn't make any difference; if he'd walked in the room, you'd know somebody special was in your presence."<ref name="Binder"/>
Accounts of Presley's numerous sexual conquests may be exaggerated<ref>Kirchberg and Hendricks, p.62</ref><ref>Curtin, Curtin and Ginter, p.119</ref> Cybill Shepherd reveals that Presley kissed her all over her naked body - but refused to have oral sex with her.<ref>See "Hollywood Actress Reveals Her Elvis Sex Secrets". WENN, April 25, 2000.</ref>. Byron Raphael and Alanna Nash have stated that the star "would never put himself inside one of these girls..."<ref name=Raphael>Raphael, Byron; Alanna Nash (November 2005). "In Bed with Elvis". Playboy, 52 (11): pp.64-8, 76, 140.</ref>Modèle:Fn Girlfriends Judy Spreckels and June Juanico had no sexual relationships with Presley. Cassandra Peterson ("Elvira") says she knew Presley for only one night, but all they did was talk.<ref>Stein, Ruthe August 3, 1997. San Francisco Chronicle.</ref> Peggy Lipton claims that he was "virtually impotent" with her (She attributed this to his boyishness and drug misuse).<ref name=Lipton>Lipton, Dalton and Dalton, p.172</ref>Modèle:Fn Guralnick concurs with others, "he wasn't really interested", preferring to lie in bed, watch television and talk.<ref>Guralnick 1994, p.415</ref>
Ann-Margret (Presley's co-star in Viva Las Vegas) refers to Presley as her "soulmate" but has revealed little else.<ref>Margret, Ann-Margret: My Story</ref> A publicity campaign about Presley and Margret's romance was launched during the filming of Viva Las Vegas,<ref>Presley, p.175</ref> which helped to increase Margret's popularity.<ref name=Gamson-46>Gamson, p.46</ref>Modèle:Fn<ref>Harrington and Bielby, p.273</ref> Indeed, Presley dated many female co-stars for publicity purposes.<ref>Stein, Ruthe (August 3, 1997). "Girls! Girls! Girls! From small-town women to movie stars". San Francisco Chronicle.</ref> Lori Williams dated him for a while in 1964. She says their "courtship was not some bizarre story. It was very sweet and Elvis was the perfect gentleman."<ref>Lisanti 2003, p.207</ref>
Wife and daughter
- Main articles: Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley had stayed with Presley during the 1960s (they had first met in Germany, when she was only fourteen). They married on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas. A daughter, Lisa Marie, was born nine months later. Even Priscilla has claimed that the singer was not overly active sexually during their five-year marriage.<ref>Presley, Elvis and Me.</ref>
Influence of Colonel Parker and others
- Main articles: Colonel Tom Parker, Memphis Mafia
By 1967, Colonel Tom Parker had negotiated a contract that gave him 50% of Presley's earnings. Much has been written about the suspect nature of Parker's business practices. His dubious origins and gambling addictions in particular—and the subsequent need to keep Presley 'commercial'—may well have adversely affected the course of Presley's career.Modèle:Fn It has been claimed that Presley's original band was fired because Parker wanted to isolate the singer from anyone who might offer him a better management deal.<ref>Dickerson, Colonel Tom Parker: The Curious Life of Elvis Presley's Eccentric Manager</ref>
Marty Lacker, one of a coterie of Presley's trusted friends known as the "Memphis Mafia", regarded Colonel Parker as a "hustler and scam artist" who abused Presley's trust, but Lacker acknowledged that Parker was a master promoter.<ref>Nash, Lacker, Fike and Smith, Elvis Aron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia</ref> Priscilla Presley noted that "Elvis detested the business side of his career. He would sign a contract without even reading it."<ref>Presley, Elvis and Me</ref>
Presley's father distrusted the members of the "Memphis Mafia"; he thought they collectively exercised an unhealthy influence over his son.<ref>Humphries, p.79</ref> "[I]t was no wonder" that as the singer "slid into addiction and torpor, no one raised the alarm: to them, Elvis was the bank, and it had to remain open."<ref>Harris, John (March 27, 2006). "Talking about Graceland". The Guardian.</ref> Musician Tony Brown noted the urgent need to reverse Presley's declining health as the singer toured in the mid-1970s. "But we all knew it was hopeless because Elvis was surrounded by that little circle of people... all those so-called friends and... bodyguards."<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.339</ref>
Larry Geller became Presley's hairdresser in 1964. Unlike Presley's generally down-to-earth buddies, Geller was interested in 'spiritual studies'.<ref name=Guralnick-1999-173>Guralnick 1999, p.173</ref> From their first conversation, Geller recalls how Presley revealed his secret thoughts and anxieties, how "there's got to be a reason... why I was chosen to be Elvis Presley.'"<ref name=Guralnick-1999-173/> He then poured out his heart in "an almost painful rush of words and emotions," telling Geller about his mother and the hollowness of his Hollywood life, things he could not share with anyone around him. Thereafter, Presley voraciously read books Geller supplied, on religion and mysticism. Perhaps most tellingly, he revealed to Geller: "I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get and how empty I really feel."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.174 and in passim</ref> Presley would be preoccupied by such matters for much of his life, taking trunkloads of books with him on tour.<ref name=DrFeelgood/>
In 1969, record producer Chips Moman of American Studios, Memphis, was particularly critical of the song choices and staff of Hill and Range, Presley's main music publisher. Moman could only get the best out of Presley when he got the "aggravating" publishing personnel out of the studio.<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.265</ref> RCA executive Joan Deary was later full of praise for the superior results of Moman's work but despite this, no producer was to override Hill and Range's control again.<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.267</ref>
1968 comeback
By mid-1968, Presley's recording career was floundering; he had become deeply unhappy with his career.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.171</ref> In the summer, he made a Christmas telecast on NBC. Later dubbed the '68 Comeback Special, and airing on December 3, 1968, the show featured lavishly staged productions, but also saw Elvis clad in black leather, performing live in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his rock and roll days. Rolling Stone called it "a performance of emotional grandeur and historical resonance."<ref name="RS"/> Its success was helped by director and co-producer, Steve Binder, who worked hard to reassure the nervous singer<ref name="Binder">Binder, Steve (2005-07-08). "Interview with Steve Binder, director of Elvis' 68 Comeback Special". elvis.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.</ref>Modèle:Fn and to produce a show that was not just an hour of Christmas songs, as Col. Parker had originally planned.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.293</ref><ref name=Binder2>Binder, Steve (Aired: August 14, 2007). "Comeback Special". BBC Radio Two.</ref>Modèle:Fn
Buoyed by the experience, Presley engaged in the prolific series of recording sessions at American Studios, which lead to the acclaimed From Elvis in Memphis (Chips Moman was its uncredited producer).<ref>Jorgensen, p.281</ref> It was followed by From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis, a double-album.
The same sessions lead to the hit singles "In the Ghetto", "Suspicious Minds", "Kentucky Rain" and "Don't Cry Daddy".
Return to live performances
In 1969, Presley made record-breaking appearances in Las Vegas.<ref name=Cook-39>Cook, p.39</ref>Modèle:Fn He then toured across the U.S. up to his death, with many of the 1,145 concerts setting venue attendance records. He also had hit singles in many countries. Presley's song repertoire was criticized, indicating he was still distant from trends within contemporary music.<ref>(Aired: August 7, 2002). "How Big Was The King? Elvis Presley's Legacy, 25 Years After His Death." CBS News.</ref>
On December 21, 1970, Presley met with President Richard Nixon at the White House (Presley arrived with a gift—a handgun. It was accepted but not presented for security reasons). Presley was somewhat bizarrely wanting to express his patriotism, his contempt for the hippie drug culture and his wish to be appointed a "Federal Agent at Large". He also wished to obtain a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge to add to similar items he had begun collecting. He offered to "infiltrate hippie groups" and claimed that The Beatles had "made their money, then gone back to England where they fomented anti-American feeling."<ref name="Guralnick-420">Guralnick 1999, p.420</ref> Nixon was uncertain and bemused by their encounter, and twice expressed concern that Presley needed to "retain his credibility."<ref name="Guralnick-420"/><ref name="Guralnick-passim">Guralnick 1999, in passim</ref>
MGM filmed him in Las Vegas for a 1970 documentary: Elvis: That’s The Way It Is. As he toured, more gold record awards followed. MGM filmed other shows for Elvis On Tour, which won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary, 1972. A fourteen-date tour started with an unprecedented four consecutive sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, New York. After the tour, Presley released the 1972 single "Burning Love"—his last top ten hit in the U.S. charts.
In 1973, Presley had two January shows in Hawaii. The second was broadcast live, globally. The "Aloha from Hawaii" concert was the first satellite broadcast, reaching at least a billion viewers. The show's album went to number one and spent a year in the charts.
Off stage, Presley had continuing problems. In spite of his own infidelity, Presley was furious that Priscilla was having an affair with a mutual acquaintance—Mike Stone, a karate instructor. He raged obsessively: "There's too much pain in me... Stone [must] die."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.489</ref> A bodyguard, Red West, felt compelled to get a price for a contract killing and was relieved when Presley decided: "Aw hell... Maybe it's a bit heavy..."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.490</ref> The Presleys separated on February 23, 1972, agreeing to share custody of their daughter.
After his divorce in 1973, Presley became increasingly isolated and overweight, with prescription drugs affecting his health, mood and his stage act.<ref name=DrFeelgood>(August 11 2002). "Elvis Special: Doctor Feelgood". The Observer. Reprinted in Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.</ref>Modèle:Fn Despite this, his "thundering" live version of "How Great Thou Art" won him a Grammy award in 1974<ref>Jorgensen, p.381</ref> and he continued to play to sell-out crowds. A 1975 tour ended with a concert in Michigan, attended by over 62,000 fans.
By now Presley had "no motivation to lose his extra poundage... he became self-conscious... his self-confidence before the audience declined. Headlines such as 'Elvis Battles Middle Age' and 'Time Makes Listless Machine of Elvis' were not uncommon."<ref>Roy, p.70</ref> According to Marjorie Garber, when Presley made his later appearances in Las Vegas, he appeared "heavier, in pancake makeup... with an elaborate jeweled belt and cape, crooning pop songs to a microphone ... [He] had become Liberace. Even his fans were now middle-aged matrons and blue-haired grandmothers, who praised him as a good son who loved his mother; Mother's Day became a special holiday for Elvis' fans."<ref>Garber, Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing & Cultural Anxiety (1992), p.380</ref>
Almost throughout the 1970s, RCA had been increasingly concerned about making money from Presley material: they often had to rely on live recordings because of problems getting him to attend studio sessions. RCA's mobile studio was occasionally sent to Graceland in the hope of capturing an inspired vocal performance. Once in a studio, he could lack interest or be easily distracted; often this was linked to his health and drug problems.<ref name="Guralnick-passim"/>
Final year
Presley's decline continued. A journalist recalled: "Elvis Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self... he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts."<ref>Scherman, T. (August 16 2006). "Elvis Dies". American Heritage.</ref> In Alexandria, Louisiana, the singer was on stage for less than an hour and "was impossible to understand."<ref name=Guralnick-628>Guralnick 1999, p.628</ref> In Baton Rouge, Presley failed to appear. He was unable to get out of his hotel bed, and the rest of the tour was cancelled.<ref name=Guralnick-628/>
According to Guralnick, fans "were becoming increasingly voluble about their disappointment, but it all seemed to go right past Elvis, whose world was now confined almost entirely to his room and his [spiritualism] books."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.634</ref> In Knoxville, Tennessee on May 20, "there was no longer any pretense of keeping up appearances... The idea was simply to get Elvis out on stage and keep him upright for the hour he was scheduled to perform."<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.634</ref> Thereafter, Presley struggled through every show. Despite his obvious problems, shows in Omaha, Nebraska and Rapid City, South Dakota were recorded for an album and a CBS-TV special: Elvis In Concert.<ref>Guralnick 1999, pp.637-8</ref>
In Rapid City, "he was so nervous on stage that he could hardly talk... He was undoubtedly painfully aware of how he looked, and he knew that in his condition, he could not perform any significant movement. He looked, moved, and gestured like an overweight old man with crippling arthritis."<ref>Roy, p.71</ref> A cousin, Billy Smith, recalled how Presley would sit in his room and chat, recounting things like his favourite Monty Python sketches and past japes, but "mostly there was a grim obsessiveness... a paranoia about people, germs... future events," that reminded Smith of Howard Hughes.<ref>Guralnick 1999, p.642</ref>
A book was published—the first exposé to detail Presley's years of drug misuse.<ref>West, West and Hebler, Elvis: What Happened</ref> Written with input from three of Presley's "Memphis Mafia," the book was the authors' revenge for them being sacked and a plea to get Presley to face up to reality.<ref>Review of Medical Report. ElvisPresleyNews.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12.</ref> The singer "was devastated by the book. Here were his close friends who had written serious stuff that would affect his life. He felt betrayed."<ref>Patterson, Nigel (2003-01-30). David Stanley interview. Elvis Information Network (EIN). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.</ref>
Presley's final performance was in Indianapolis at the Market Square Arena, on June 26, 1977.
Another tour was scheduled to begin August 17, 1977, but at Graceland the day before, Presley was found on the floor of his bathroom by fiancée, Ginger Alden. According to the medical investigator, Presley had "stumbled or crawled several feet before he died."<ref name=Guralnick-1999-651>Guralnick 1999, p.651</ref>Modèle:Fn He was officially pronounced dead at 3:30 pm at the Baptist Memorial Hospital.
At his funeral, hundreds of thousands of fans, the press and celebrities line the streets and many hoped to see the open casket in Graceland. Among the mourners were Ann-Margret (who had remained close to Presley) and his ex-wife.<ref name=Clayton-394>Clayton and Heard, p.394.</ref>Modèle:Fn U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued a statement.<ref>Woolley, John T.; Gerhard Peters. "Jimmy Carter: Death of Elvis Presley Statement by the President". The American Presidency Project. Santa Barbara, CA:University of California (Hosted). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.</ref>
Presley was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, next to his mother. After an attempt to steal the body, his—and his mother's—remains were reburied at Graceland in the Meditation Gardens.
Post mortem
Presley had developed many health problems, some of them chronic. "Elvis had an enlarged heart for a long time. That, together with his drug habit, caused his death. But he was difficult to diagnose; it was a judgment call."<ref>Baden and Hennessee, p.35</ref>
Presley first took drugs in the army, taking amphetamines to stay awake, though there are claims that pills of some form were first given to him by Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips.<ref>Goldman, Albert, Elvis: The Last 24 Hours, p. 9</ref> In Elvis and Me, Priscilla Presley writes that by 1962, he was taking placidyls to combat severe insomnia in ever-increasing doses and later took Dexedrine to counter the sleeping pills' after-effects. She later saw "problems in Elvis' life, all magnified by taking prescribed drugs." Presley's physician, Dr. George C. Nichopoulos, has said: "[Elvis] felt that by getting [pills] from a doctor, he wasn't the common everyday junkie getting something off the street. He... thought that as far as medications and drugs went, there was something for everything."<ref name=DrFeelgood/>
According to Guralnick: "[D]rug use was heavily implicated... no one ruled out the possibility of anaphylactic shock brought on by the codeine pills...to which he was known to have had a mild allergy." In two lab reports filed two months later, each indicated "a strong belief that the primary cause of death was polypharmacy," with one report "indicating the detection of fourteen drugs in Elvis' system, ten in significant quantity."<ref>Guralnick, p.652</ref>
The medical profession has been seriously questioned. Medical Examiner Dr. Jerry Francisco had offered a cause of death while the autopsy was still being performed and before toxicology results were known. Dr. Francisco dubiously stated that cardiac arrhythmia was the cause of death, a condition that can only be determined in a living person—not post mortem.<ref name=CourtTV>"Coverup for a King". Court TV Crime Library. Retrieved 2007-10-12.</ref> Many doctors had been flattered to be associated with Presley (or had been bribed with gifts) and supplied him with pills which simply fed his addictions.<ref>Clayton and Heard, p.336</ref> The singer allegedly spent at least $1 million per year on drugs and doctors' fees or inducements.<ref>Goldman, Albert, Elvis: The Last 24 Hours, p. 56</ref> Although Dr. Nichopoulos was exonerated with regard to Presley's death, "In the first eight months of 1977 alone, he had [prescribed] more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics: all in Elvis' name. On January 20 1980, the board found [against] him... but decided that he was not unethical [because he claimed he'd been trying to wean the singer off the drugs]." His license was suspended. In July 1995, it was permanently revoked after it was found he had improperly dispensed drugs to several patients.<ref name=DrFeelgood/>
In 1994, the autopsy into Presley's death was re-opened. Coroner Dr. Joseph Davis declared: "There is nothing in any of the data that supports a death from drugs [i.e. drug overdose]. In fact, everything points to a sudden, violent heart attack."<ref name=DrFeelgood/> However, there is little doubt that long-term drug misuse caused his premature death.<ref name=CourtTV/>
Legacy
Modèle:Quotation Author Samuel Roy has written: "Elvis' death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society."<ref>Roy, p.173</ref>
Biographer Ernst Jorgensen has observed that when Presley died, it was as if all perspective on his musical career had been lost.<ref>Jorgensen, p.4</ref> His latter-day song choices had been seen as poor; many who disliked Presley had long been dismissive because he did not write his own songs. Others complained—incorrectly—that he could not play musical instruments. Such criticism of Presley continues.<ref>Sinclair, Tom (August 9 2002). "Elvis Presley is overrated". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12.</ref><ref name=Cook-20>Cook, p.20</ref>Modèle:Fn The tabloids had ridiculed his obesity and his kitschy, jump-suited performances. His film career was mocked. (In 1980, John Lennon said: "[Elvis] died when he went into the army. That's when they killed him, that's when they castrated him."<ref name="Aaron"/>) Acknowledgment of his vocal style had been reduced to mocking the hiccuping, vocalese tricks that he had used on some early recordings—and the way he said "Thankyouverymuch" after songs during live shows.<ref name="AP">Associated Press (2002-08-07). How big was the king? CBS News. Retrieved 2007-10-18.</ref> This was only countered by the uncritical adulation of die-hard fans, who had even denied that he looked "fat" before he died.<ref name=Wall>Wall, David S. (2003). "Policing Elvis: legal action and the shaping of post-mortem celebrity culture as contested space" (PDF). Entertainment Law, 2 (3): pp.35-69. Modèle:Doi. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.</ref>Modèle:Fn Any wish to understand Elvis Presley—his genuine abilities and his real influence—"seemed almost totally obscured."<ref>Jorgensen, p.4</ref>
However, in the late 1960s, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein had remarked: "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution... the 60's comes from it."<ref name="Khurana">Khurana, Simran. "Quotes about Elvis". About.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.</ref>
It has been claimed that his early music and live performances helped to lay a commercial foundation which allowed other established performers of the 1950s to be recognised. African American acts, like Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, came to national prominence after Presley's acceptance among White American teenagers.<ref name=HowBig>Associated Press (2002-08-07). How big was the king? CBS News. Retrieved 2007-10-18.</ref>Modèle:Fn Little Richard commented: "He was an integrator, Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music."<ref name="Khurana"/> It has also been claimed that Presley's sound and persona helped to relax the rigid color line and thereby fed the fires of the civil rights movement.<ref>Bertrand, Race, Rock, and Elvis</ref>
Presley's recorded voice is seen by many as his enduring legacy. Henry Pleasants writes: "Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass... and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third... Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G's and A's that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices—in fact, Elvis' is an extraordinary voice, or many voices."<ref name=Wikiquote>WikiQuote: Elvis Presley</ref>Modèle:Fn
Gospel tenor Shawn Nielsen, who sang backing vocals for Presley, said: "He could sing anything. I've never seen such versatility... He had such great soul. He had the ability to make everyone in the audience think that he was singing directly to them. He just had a way with communication that was totally unique."<ref name=Wikiquote />Modèle:Fn<ref name="Khurana"/>
Other celebrated pop and rock musicians have acknowledged that the young Presley inspired them. The Beatles were all big Presley fans.<ref>"Elvis Presley biography". Music-Atlas. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.</ref> John Lennon said: "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been a Beatles."<ref>Cook, p.35</ref> Deep Purple's Ian Gillan said: "For a young singer he was an absolute inspiration. I soaked up what he did like blotting paper... you learn by copying the maestro."<ref>Ian Gillan (2007-01-03). "Elvis Presley". Classic Rock. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. </ref> Rod Stewart declared: "People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps." Cher recalls from seeing Presley live in 1956 that he made her "realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience."<ref name="Khurana"/>
By 1958, singers obviously adopting Presley's style, like Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard (the so-called "British Elvis"), were rising to prominence in the UK. Elsewhere, France's Johnny Hallyday and the Italians Adriano Celentano and Bobby Solo were also heavily influenced by Presley.<ref>"Johnny Hallyday biography". RFI Musique. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.</ref><ref>Gundle, Stephen (September 2006). "Adriano Celentano and the origins of rock and roll in Italy". Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 11 (3): pp.367-86. Royal Holloway, University of London: Routledge. Modèle:Doi.</ref>
The singer continues to be imitated—and parodied—outside the main music industry. Presley songs remain very popular on the karaoke circuit, and many from a diversity of cultures and backgrounds work as Elvis impersonators ("the raw 1950s Elvis and the kitschy 1970s Elvis are the favorites."<ref>Stecopoulos, p.198</ref>)
Presley's informal jamming in front of a small audience in the '68 Comeback Special is regarded as a forerunner of the so-called 'Unplugged' concept, later popularized by MTV.<ref>Johnson, Brett (2004-06-28). "Steve Binder, Director Of Elvis' '68 Comeback Special Talks About The King". elvis.com.au. Retrieved 2007-10-18.</ref>
In 2002, The New York Times observed: "For those too young to have experienced Elvis Presley in his prime, today’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his death must seem peculiar. All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and distant memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force... Elvis’s breakthroughs are underappreciated because in this rock-and-roll age, his hard-rocking music and sultry style have triumphed so completely."<ref>(August 16, 2002). "Long Live the King". The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.</ref>
Discography
Awards and recognition
In 1971, Presley was named 'One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation' by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). That summer, the City of Memphis named part of Highway 51 South "Elvis Presley Boulevard", and he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that presents Grammy awards).
Presley won three competitive Grammy awards for his gospel recordings: How Great Thou Art (album and live recording of the title track) and for the album He Touched Me. He had fourteen nominations during his career. However, "Elvis has never been adequately appreciated by those who give the Grammies."<ref>Roy 1985, p.131.</ref>
He is the only performer to have been inducted into four music 'Halls of Fame': the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the Rockabilly Hall of Fame (1997), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1998), and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2001). In 1984, he received the W. C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation and the Academy of Country Music’s first Golden Hat Award. In 1987, he received the American Music Awards’ first posthumous presentation of the Award of Merit.<ref>Cook, p.33</ref>
Presley has featured prominently in a variety of polls and surveys designed to measure popularity and influence.Modèle:Fn However, rock 'n' roll expert Philip Ennis writes: "Perhaps it is an error of enthusiasm to freight Elvis Presley with too heavy a historical load", as, according to a public opinion poll among high school students in 1957, Pat Boone was "the nearly two-to-one favorite over Elvis Presley among boys and preferred almost three-to-one by girls..."<ref>See Ennis, Philip H., The Seventh Stream: The Emergence of Rocknroll in American Popular Music (Wesleyan University Press, 1992), pp.251-252.</ref>
In 1994, the 40th anniversary of Presley's "That's All Right" was recognized with its re-release, which made the charts worldwide, making top three in the UK.
During the 2002 World Cup a Junkie XL remix of his "A Little Less Conversation" (credited as "Elvis Vs JXL") topped the charts in over twenty countries and was included in a compilation of Presley's U.S. and UK number one hits, Elv1s: 30.
In the UK charts (January 2005), three re-issued singles again went to number one ("Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung" and "It's Now or Never"). Throughout the year, twenty singles were re-issued—all making top five.
In the same year, Forbes magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the preceding year. In mid-2006, top place was taken by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain after the sale of his song catalogue, but Presley reclaimed the top spot in 2007.<ref>Goldman, Lea; David M. Ewalt, eds. (2007-10-29). "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities". Forbes. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.</ref>
See also
- Best-selling artist of all-time
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of artists by total number of USA number one singles
- List of artists by total number of UK number one singles
- King of Rock and Roll
- Elvis sandwich
Footnotes
- Note a: Presley's genuine birth certificate reads "Elvis Aaron Presley" (as written by a doctor). There is also a souvenir birth certificate that reads "Elvis Aron Presley." When Presley did sign his middle name, he used Aron. It reads 'Aron' on his marriage certificate and on his army duffel bag. Aron was apparently the spelling the Presleys used to make it similar to the middle name of Elvis' stillborn twin, Jesse Garon. Elvis later sought to change the name's spelling to the traditional and biblical Aaron. In the process he learned that "official state records had always listed it as Aaron. Therefore, he always was, officially, Elvis Aaron Presley." Knowing Presley's plans for his middle name, Aaron is the spelling his father chose for Elvis' tombstone, and it is the spelling his estate has designated as the official spelling whenever the middle name is used today. His death certificate says "Elvis Aron Presley." This quirk has helped inflame the "Elvis is not dead" conspiracy theories.<ref name=Aaron />
- Note b: Vernon Presley recalled: "There were times we had nothing to eat but cornbread and water ... but we always had compassion for people. Poor we were, I’ll never deny that. But trash we weren’t ... We never had any prejudice. We never put anybody down. Neither did Elvis."<ref name=Guralnick-1994-29 />
- Note c: It seems likely that the Sun acetates were not cut for a birthday present, nor for Presley just to hear his own singing voice. There were cheaper ways of making recordings. This indicates to some that he already had greater ambitions.<ref name=GoodRockin-54 />
- Note d: Presley's version dropped the word "Mama" from the title.<ref name=Carr-6 />
- Note e: Scotty Moore claims it was just the natural way he moved when performing—little to do with "nerves."<ref name=Clayton-61 />
- Note f: This statement is usually attributed to Jim (John) Denny, the Opry manager.<ref name=Naylor-43 />
- Note g: But country singer Faron Young and Denny's son, Bill, have both strenuously denied it.<ref name=Clayton-69 />
- Note h: Guralnick states it was country music band leader and DJ Eddie Bond who made the comment when Presley failed auditions to join the Songfellows and a professional band. Presley later said that the comment "broke my heart."<ref name=Guralnick-1994-11 />
- Note i: Country singer Porter Wagoner said Black worked hard on stage, mimicking Presley's moves, to stir the audience. "Bill Black was a big part of [the act]—at least fifty percent."<ref name=Clayton-73 />
- Note j: The issue of whether Presley "stole" music of black origin continued decades later.<ref name=Blank /> See: Kolawole, Helen (August 15 2002). "He wasn't my king". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-10-14; North, Gary (2000). "No Rhythm, No Blues: Must White Guys Always Finish Last?. LewRockwell.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
- Note k: Many of Presley's proposed gigs at the time were subject to local objections.<ref name=Marino />
- Note l: In 1973, Presley was keen to produce a karate movie/documentary, enlisting the help of several top instructors and film-makers. Instructor Rick Husky says: "...Basically [our meeting] never went anywhere... Elvis got up and did some demonstrations with Ed [Parker], you know stumbled around a little bit, and it was very sad." Husky was aware that Presley was "stoned." "Colonel" Parker thought the project was folly—and a drain on their resources—from the start. (Guralnick 1994, p.531 and in passim). The film footage was finally edited, restored and released as The New Gladiators in 2002.New Gladiators (2002) Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved on 2007-10-12; Susan, King (November 17 2002). "When Elvis bowed to karate kings" Los Angeles Times. Reprinted in IssacFlorentine.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- Note m: In 1974, Barbra Streisand offered Presley the male lead role in the remake of A Star is Born. His manager turned down the offer, saying no one should have equal billing with Presley.<ref name=George-Warren />
- Note n: Binder relates how he challenged Presley to stand with him on Sunset Boulevard. Presley had assumed he would not only be recognized, but mobbed. He went outside and nothing happened. Binder describes the incident as "embarrassing," but it helped build up trust with the singer.<ref name="Binder" />
- Note p: The article claims that "the so-called dangerous rock-and-roll idol was anything but a despotic ruler in the bedroom ... He was far more interested in heavy petting."<ref name=Raphael />
- Note q: Peggy Lipton further relates that with Presley it "didn't feel like a man next to me—more like a boy who'd never matured." When he tried to make love to her, "he just wasn't up to sex. Not that he wasn't built, but with me, at least, he was virtually impotent."<ref name=Lipton />
- Note r: Shepherd relates how Elvis "charmed" her by telling her in one of his drug-induced states about the time a doctor gave him an injection directly into his eye. She also claims to have introduced Elvis to certain amorous techniques.<ref name=Shepherd>Shepherd, Cybill Disobedience</ref> However, Shepherd's much-quoted claims are "viewed with skepticism by other lovers of the King."
- Note s: In his critical study on the "dream machine" (media manipulation to create semi-fictional icons), Gamson cites a press agent "saying that his client, Ann-Margret, could initially have been "sold ... as anything"; "She was a new product. We felt there was a need in The Industry for a female Elvis Presley."<ref name=Gamson-46 />
- Note t: A general article on Parker can be found at: McGurk, Tom (2002-08-18). "Why Colonel Parker could not leave the building". The Post.IE. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- Note u: In his book, Me and a Guy named Elvis, Jerry Schilling relates that one way to arouse the wrath of the singer was to play one of his own recordings at his parties. "Get that crap off," was his reaction on one occasion when someone played "All Shook Up" on a jukebox. "There was no doubt he was really angry." Schilling thinks that Presley "lived with his music outside of the house—he didn't need to hear it while he was trying to relax in his own basement."<ref name=Schilling>Schilling, Jerry (2006-07-10). "Why I Wrote Me And A Guy Named Elvis". elvis.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-10-23.</ref>
- Note v: In 1973, he overdosed twice on barbiturates: In February, when he spent three days in a coma in his suite at the Hilton hotel and later in St. Louis.<ref name=DrFeelgood />
- Note w: Binder also claimed that Presley's black leather outfit needed cleaning between live sessions, not just because he perspired, but because he had ejaculated while performing.<ref name=Binder2 />
- Note x: At a press conference after his first opening in Vegas, when a reporter referred to him as "The King", Presley pointed to Fats Domino, standing at the back of the room. "No," he said, "that’s the real king of rock and roll."<ref name=Cook-39 />
- Note y: Presley had apparently been on the toilet before he stumbled and then vomited.<ref name=Guralnick-1999-651 />
- Note z: Marty Lacker was apparently not pleased when Tom Parker turned up at Presley's funeral wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. "All he did was stand outside and lean up against a car and smoke a cigar and look at all the people going in."<ref name=Clayton-394 />
- Note aa: Others take the opposite view: "Presley’s comprehensive musical knowledge and talent also surprised and impressed songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller... [They] considered Presley to be an 'idiot savant' because he knew so many songs. His knowledge of the blues especially impressed them. Leiber remembers that Presley "could imitate anything he heard. He had a perfect ear," and he also described Elvis’s ear as "uncanny." In addition, Presley could sing and/or play a song on the piano after hearing it only once or twice. His natural ear for music, ability to play by ear, and to improvise were well known to his friends and musical associates."<ref name=Cook-20 />
- Note ab: Wall has argued that many Presley authors are part of a "worldwide Elvis industry" which tends to be biased. He contends that few publications are critical. One such book is Albert Goldman's controversial biography (1981), in which the author unfavorably discusses the star's weight problems, his stage costumes and his sex life. Such books are frequently disparaged and harshly attacked by Elvis fan groups. Professor Wall claims that one of the strategies of fan clubs and appreciation societies is "'community policing' to achieve governance at a distance... These organisations have, through their membership magazines, activities and sales operations, created a powerful moral majority" endeavoring to suppress most critical voices. "With a combined membership of millions, the fans form a formidable constituency of consumer power."<ref name=Wall />
- Note ac: Music journalist Dave Marsh has defended Presley and argued how his work led to integration.<ref name=HowBig />
- Note ad: See also: Cook, Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination Form. Other analyses of Presley's voice credit him with a three octave range.<ref name=Wikiquote />
- Note ae: Bob Dylan remarked: "When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss... Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail."<ref name=Wikiquote />
- Note af: "This year's Wonders of America set climbed to second place in the most popular stamps, but Elvis is still the King, the Postal Service said Tuesday."
- Note ag: VH1 ranked Presley #8 on its 100 Greatest Artists in Rock and Roll in 1998 while CMT ranked him #15 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music. Presley is one of only three artists to make both VH1's and CMT's lists, the others being Johnny Cash and The Eagles.<ref>(1998). "VH1: 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll". VH1. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref><ref>(2005). "CMT's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music". CMT. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref> Elvis also ranked second for BBC's "Voice of the Century", eighth on Discovery Channel's "Greatest American" list, in the top ten of Variety's "100 Icons of the century", sixty-sixth in The Atlantic Monthly's "100 most influential figures in American history", and third in Rolling Stone's "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" for which he was chosen by Bono.<ref>(April 18, 2001). "Sinatra is voice of the century" BBC NEWS, Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref><ref>"Greatest American". Discovery Channel. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref><ref>"100 Icons of the century". Variety. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref><ref>(December 2006). "Top 100 most influential figures in American history". The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref><ref>(2004-04-15). "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone (946). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref>
References
- Alagna, Magdalena (2002). Elvis Presley. Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0823935248.
- Austen, Jake (2005). TV-A-Go-Go: Rock on TV from American Bandstand to American Idol. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1556525729.
- Baden, Michael M.;Judith Adler Hennessee (1992). Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner. New York: Random House. ISBN 0804105995.
- Bayles, Martha (1996). Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226039595.
- Bertrand, Michael T. (2000). Race, Rock, and Elvis. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02586-5.
- Beebe, R.; D. Fulbrook, B. Saunders (eds.) (2002). Rock over the Edge. Duke University Press. ISBN 0822329158.
- Brown, Peter Harry; Pat H. Broeske (1998). Down at the End of Lonely Street: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley. Signet. ISBN: 0451190947.
- Caine, A. (2005). Interpreting Rock Movies: The Pop Film and Its Critics in Britain. Palgrave Macmillan. 0719065380.
- Carr, Roy and Mick Farren (1982). Elvis: The complete illustrated record. Eel Pie Publishing. ISBN 0-906008-54-9.
- Clayton, Rose and Dick Heard (2003). Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best. Virgin Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7535-0835-4.
- Cook, J., Henry, P. (ed.) (2004). Graceland National Historic Landmark Nomination Form (PDF). United States Department of the Interior.
- Curtin, Jim; James Curtin, Renata Ginter (1998). Elvis: Unknown Stories behind the Legend. Celebrity Books. ISBN 1580291023.
- Dickerson, James L. (2001). Colonel Tom Parker: The Curious Life of Elvis Presley's Eccentric Manager. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 0815412673.
- Denisoff, R. Serge (1975). Solid Gold: The Popular Record Industry. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Books. ISBN 0878555862.
- Dundy, Elaine (1986). Elvis and Gladys: The Genesis of the King, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0708830870.
- Escott, Colin. (1998). "Elvis Presley". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195176081.
- Falk, Ursula A.; Gerhard Falk (2005). Youth Culture and the Generation Gap. Algora Publishing. ISBN 0875863671.
- Finstad, Suzanne (1997). Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0517705850.
- Gamson, Joshua (1994). Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America. University of California Press. ISBN 0520083520.
- George-Warren, Holly; Patricia Romanowski, Jon Pareles (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll. Fireside. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5.
- Goldman, Albert (1990). Elvis: The Last 24 Hours. St Martins. ISBN 0312925417.
- Guralnick, Peter (1994). Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316332259.
- Guralnick, Peter (1999). Careless Love. The Unmaking of Elvis Presley. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316332976.
- Harbinson, W. A., (1977). The life and death of Elvis Presley. London: Michael Joseph. ISBN 0517246708.
- Harrington C. Lee; Denise D. Bielby (2000). Popular Culture: Production and Consumption. Blackwell. ISBN 063121710X.
- Hopkins, Jerry (2002). Elvis in Hawaii. Bess Press. ISBN 1573061425.
- Humphries, Patrick (2003). Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics. Andrews McMeel. ISBN 0740738038.
- Jorgensen, Ernst (1998). Elvis Presley: A life in music. The complete recording sessions. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312185723.
- Kirchberg, Connie and Marc Hendricks (1999). Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream, Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company. ISBN 0786407166.
- Lichter, Paul (1980). Elvis - The Boy Who Dared To Rock. Sphere Books. ISBN 0 7221 5547-6.
- Lipton, Peggy; Coco Dalton, David Dalton (2005). Breathing Out. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312324138.
- Lisanti, Tom (2000). Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies. McFarland and Company. ISBN 0786408685.
- Lisanti, Tom (2003). Drive-In Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties. McFarland. ISBN 0786415754.
- Margret, Ann; Todd Gold (1994). Ann-Margret: My Story. G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399138919.
- Miller, James, (1999). Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977. Fireside. ISBN 0684865602.
- Moore, Scotty; James Dickerson (1997). That’s Alright, Elvis. Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028645995.
- Nash, A.; M. Lacker, L. Fike, B. Smith (1995). Elvis Aron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia. Harper Collins. ISBN 006109336X.
- Naylor, Jerry and Steve Halliday (2007). The Rockabilly Legends; They Called It Rockabilly Long Before they Called It Rock and Roll (Book and DVD). Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. ISBN 142342042X.
- Pratt, Linda R. (1979). "Elvis, or the Ironies of a Southern Identity". Elvis: Images and Fancies. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.
- Presley, Priscilla, (1985). Elvis and Me. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-12984-7.
- Rodman, G., (1996). Elvis After Elvis, The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend. London: Routledge. ISBN 0415110025.
- Rodriguez, R., (2006). The 1950s' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Rock & Roll Rebels, Cold War Crises, and All-American Oddities. Potomac Books. ISBN 1574887157.
- Roy, Samuel (1985). Elvis: Prophet of Power. Branden Publishing Co. Inc. ISBN 0-8283-1898-0.
- Shepherd, Cybill; Aimee Lee Ball (2000}. Cybill Disobedience. Thorndike Press. ISBN 0061030147.
- Stecopoulos, H.; M. Uebel (1997). Race and the Subject of Masculinities. Duke University Press. ISBN 0822319667.
- Szatmary, David P. (1996). A Time to Rock: A Social History of Rock 'n' Roll. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028646703.
- Verswijver, L., (2002). Movies Were Always Magical: Interviews with 19 Actors, Directors, and Producers from the Hollywood of the 1930s through the 1950s. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0786411295.
- Walser, Robert; David Nicholls (ed.) (1999). The Cambridge History of American Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521454298.
- West, Red; Sonny West, Dave Hebler (As Told To Steve Dunleavy) (1977). Elvis: What Happened. Bantam Books. ISBN 0345272153.
Further reading
- Goldman, Albert (1981). Elvis. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-023657-7.
- Allen, Lew (2007). Elvis & the birth of rock. Genesis Publications. ISBN: 1-905662-00-9.
- Cantor, Louis (2005). Dewey and Elvis - The Life and Times of a Rock 'n' Roll Deejay. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02981-X.
- Chadwick, Vernon (ed.) (1997). In Search of Elvis: Music, Race, Art, Religion. Proceedings of the first annual International Conference on Elvis Presley, Westview. ISNB 0813329876.
- Doss, Erika Lee (1999). Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, and Image. University of Kansas Press. ISBN 0700609482.
- Marcus, Greil (1991). Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural Obsession.
- Marcus, Greil (2000). Double Trouble: Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley in a Land of No Alternative. ISBN 057120676X.
- Nash, Alanna (1995). Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia. Harper Collins. ISBN 006109336X.
- Nash, Alanna (2003). The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743213017.
External links
- Elvis Presley Enterprises - Official site of Elvis Presley
- Official UK Elvis site - Includes details of new UK releases
- Genealogy of Elvis Presley
- Modèle:Imdb name
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Elvis Presley biography at Rolling Stone.com
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