Exploring Elvis Presley's Biography: His Impact on Music and Culture

This essay explores the life and impact of Elvis Presley, a pivotal figure in American music and culture. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley's early exposure to gospel music and diverse musical styles in Memphis shaped his unique sound. His breakthrough came with Sun Studio in 1954, leading to hits like "Heartbreak Hotel" and a fusion of country-western and rhythm and blues known as rockabilly. Presley's music transcended cultural barriers, contributing to the civil rights movement and influencing generations of musicians. Despite his untimely death at 42, Elvis Presley remains an iconic figure, celebrated for his musical innovation and cultural impact. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

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BIOGRAPHY ON ELVIS PRESLEY
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1BIOGRAPHY ON ELVIS PRESLEY
Introduction
Elvis Presley was one of the iconic personalities having a great impact on US culture and
music. Famous for his superb acting and musical talent Presley was listed as one of the most
significant cultural icons of the 20th century. In some articles or in popular psyche he is called as
the king of rock and roll for his excellent performance and unique dance steps. Based on this
vitality of the Elvis Presley, this essay is going to portray the life of Presley and reveals the
insights of his contribution to US society.
Main body
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935, since childhood Elvis was highly fond of music. As
a matter of fact, raised by the working class parents in a small house Presley was very humble
having strong faith in God. From the writings of El Haj, Omigie and Samson (2015) it can be
found that Christianity and church had a great influence on the sense of music that was
developing within Elvis since childhood. Presley in his childhood attended the Assembly of God
Church and got inspired by the Gospel music profoundly. In his 11th birthday, Presley got his
first guitar as a gift from his mother. Doll (2016) advocated that it was the first step to drive him
towards music. Bullied by his classmates, Presley was very shy to perform openly. However, he
was a devotee of the Mississippi Slim’s radio show. Later in an interview, Presley shared the
story of childhood experience where he confirmed that the Slim’s show was the cornerstone in
his life and instigated him a lot to choose singing as his profession.
Moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, Elvis Presley got the pulp of street music and
low culture music. He found out the variety and diversity in music through wandering around the
streets. Listening to the music of black and white, urban and rural or rhythm or blues. Those

2BIOGRAPHY ON ELVIS PRESLEY
different cultural characteristics had a great influence on the music of Elvis Presley (Duffett,
2015). In addition to this, the fashion experiments of Presley also left a significant impact on the
US culture predominantly. In this context, the major breakthrough for Elvis came from Sam
Philip's Sun Studio in 1954. At that time, the Sun Studio played a pivotal role in recruiting
promising music players, especially who played rock and roll music. In the research of Hall
(2014), it can be seen that the period of the 1940s and 1950s had significantly changed the course
of music effectively. As a result of that Presley got his chance and rose to success within 1956.
Presley's first album Heartbreak Hotel was related in 1956 and became a cult with a record-
breaking sell over 1 million copies. As a matter of fact, the next album Elvis Presley went to
number one spot on Billboard's pop album chart. In the summer of 1954, a number of old blues
version were recorded by Elvis with the expectation to start off his journey as a professional
singer. It became a sensation for the youths who were frustrated by listening to old orchestra
music and Gospel songs.
It can be argued that Presley did not invent the rock and roll music, but he uplifted the
genre to a great extent with a pure rendition of his own singing style and attitude. He introduced
a new fashion in the Rock-n-roll form of music in the form of rockabilly. It was actually a fusion
of country-western music of the south and the rhythm and blues of the Afro-American music
styles. The US teenagers were highly moved by that new kind of compositions and gradually it
incorporated into the pop culture of America. In course of describing the impact of Presley in the
American society Lebovic (2017) articulated that the Elvis made the music in such a way that
penetrated the heart of US society with a purpose to end the cultural barriers and racial
segregation. As a matter of fact, Presley’s compositions was identified as one of the major keys
in the civil rights movement in America that influenced the people with its fragrance of racial

3BIOGRAPHY ON ELVIS PRESLEY
tolerance and influenced the next generation of musicians like The Beatles and The Rolling
Stones. This generous and extraordinary musician, composer, singer and actor was died in 1977
at the age of 42 due to an overdose of prescription drugs, and at the same time, the American
music industry lost one of its gems.
Conclusion
From that point of view, it can be stated that Elvis Presley was a phenomenon not only in
American music but left a huge impact on society as well. His relevance in contemporary society
was an inspiration for the next generation to carry out his legacy of rock and roll music and
created a society full of love and peace. From that point of view, it can be concluded that Elvis
Presley was one of the iconic figure in the history of American music as well as society.

4BIOGRAPHY ON ELVIS PRESLEY
Reference
Doll, S. M. (2016). Understanding Elvis: Southern roots vs. star image. Routledge.
Duffett, M. (2015). Elvis’ Gospel music: Between the secular and the spiritual?. Religions, 6(1),
182-203.
El Haj, M., Omigie, D., & Samson, S. (2015). Destination memory and familiarity: Better
memory for conversations with Elvis Presley than with unknown people. Aging Clinical
and Experimental Research, 27(3), 337-344.
Hall, M. K. (2014). The emergence of rock and roll: Music and the rise of American youth
culture. Routledge.
Lebovic, S. (2017). “Here, There and Everywhere”: The Beatles, America, and Cultural
Globalization, 1964–1968. Journal of American Studies, 51(1), 43-65.