|
|
Midi Files
Pictures
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Elvis
Presley - Biography
b. Elvis Aaron Presley, 8 January 1935, Tupelo, Mississippi,
USA, d. 16 August 1977, Memphis, Tennessee. The most celebrated
popular music phenomenon of his era and, for many, the purest
embodiment of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley's life and career have
become part of rock legend. The elder of twins, his younger
brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn, a tragedy that partly
contributed to the maternal solicitude dominating his childhood
and teenage years. Presley's first significant step towards a
musical career took place at the age of eight when he won $5 in a
local song contest performing the lachrymose Red Foley ballad, 'Old
Shep'. His earliest musical influence came from attending the
Pentecostal Church and listening to the psalms and gospel songs.
He also had a strong grounding in country and blues and it was
the combination of these different styles that was to provide his
unique musical identity.By the age of 13, Presley had moved with
his family to Memphis, and during his later school years began
cultivating an outsider image, with long hair, spidery sideburns
and ostentatious clothes. After leaving school he took a job as a
truck driver, a role in keeping with his unconventional
appearance. In spite of his rebel posturing, Presley remained
studiously polite to his elders and was devoted to his mother.
Indeed, it was his filial affection that first prompted him to
visit Sun Records, whose studios offered the sophisticated
equivalent of a fairground recording booth service. As a birthday
present to his mother, Gladys, Presley cut a version of the Ink
Spots' 'My Happiness', backed with the Raskin/Brown/Fisher
standard 'That's When Your Heartaches Begin'. The studio manager,
Marion Keisker, noted Presley's unusual but distinctive vocal
style and informed Sun's owner/producer Sam Phillips of his
potential. Phillips nurtured the boy for almost a year before
putting him together with country guitarist Scotty Moore and
bassist Bill Black. Their early sessions showed considerable
promise, especially when Presley began alternating his unorthodox
low-key delivery with a high-pitched whine. The amplified guitars
of Moore and Black contributed strongly to the effect and
convinced Phillips that the singer was startlingly original. In
Presley, Phillips saw something that he had long dreamed of
discovering: a white boy who sang like a negro. Presley's debut
disc on Sun was the extraordinary 'That's All Right (Mama)', a
showcase for his rich, multi-textured vocal dexterity, with sharp,
solid backing from his compatriots. The b-side, 'Blue Moon Of
Kentucky', was a country song, but the arrangement showed that
Presley was threatening to slip into an entirely different genre,
closer to R&B. Local response to these strange-sounding
performances was encouraging and Phillips eventually shifted 20,000
copies of the disc. For his second single, Presley recorded Roy
Brown 's 'Good Rockin' Tonight' backed by the zingy 'I Don't Care
If The Sun Don't Shine'. The more roots-influenced 'Milkcow Blues
Boogie' followed, while the b-side, 'You're A Heartbreaker', had
some strong tempo changes that neatly complemented Presley's
quirky vocal. 'Baby Let's Play House'/'I'm Left, You're Right,
She's Gone' continued the momentum and led to Presley performing
on The Grand Old Opry and Louisiana Hayride radio programmes. A
series of live dates commenced in 1955 with drummer D.J. Fontana
added to the ranks. Presley toured clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana
and Texas billed as 'The King Of Western Bop' and 'The Hillbilly
Cat'. Audience reaction verged on the fanatical, which was hardly
surprising given Presley's semi-erotic performances. His hip-swivelling
routine, in which he cascaded across the stage and plunged to his
knees at dramatic moments in a song, was remarkable for the
period and prompted near-riotous fan mania. The final Sun single,
a cover version of Junior Parker 's 'Mystery Train', was later
acclaimed by many as the definitive rock 'n' roll single, with
its chugging rhythm, soaring vocal and enticing lead guitar
breaks. It established Presley as an artist worthy of national
attention and ushered in the next phase of his career, which was
dominated by the imposing figure of Colonel Tom Parker. The
Colonel was a former fairground huckster who managed several
country artists including Hank Snow and Eddy Arnold. After
relieving disc jockey Bob Neal of Presley's managership, Parker
persuaded Sam Phillips that his financial interests would be
better served by releasing the boy to a major label. RCA Records
had already noted the commercial potential of the phenomenon
under offer and agreed to pay Sun Records a release fee of $35,000,
an incredible sum for the period. The sheer diversity of Presley's
musical heritage and his remarkable ability as a vocalist and
interpreter of material enabled him to escape the cultural
parochialism of his R&B-influenced predecessors. The
attendant rock 'n' roll explosion, in which Presley was both a
creator and participant, ensured that he could reach a mass
audience, many of them newly affluent teenagers.
It was on 10 January 1956, a mere two days after his 21st
birthday, that Presley entered RCA's studios in Nashville to
record his first tracks for a major label. His debut session
produced the epochal 'Heartbreak Hotel', one of the most striking
pop records ever released. Co-composed by Hoyt Axton 's mother
Mae, the song evoked nothing less than a vision of absolute
funereal despair. There was nothing in the pop charts of the
period that even hinted at the degree of desolation described in
the song. Presley's reading was extraordinarily mature and moving,
with a determined avoidance of any histrionics in favour of a
pained and resigned acceptance of loneliness as death. The
economical yet acutely emphatic piano work of Floyd Cramer
enhanced the stark mood of the piece, which was frozen in a
suitably minimalist production. The startling originality and
intensity of 'Heartbreak Hotel' entranced the American public and
pushed the single to number 1 for an astonishing eight weeks.
Whatever else he achieved, Presley was already assured a place in
pop history for one of the greatest major label debut records
ever released. During the same month that 'Heartbreak Hotel' was
recorded, Presley made his national television debut displaying
his sexually enticing gyrations before a bewildered adult
audience whose alleged outrage subsequently persuaded producers
to film the star exclusively from the waist upwards. Having
outsold his former Sun colleague Carl Perkins with 'Blue Suede
Shoes', Presley released a debut album that contained several of
the songs he had previously recorded with Sam Phillips, including
Little Richard 's 'Tutti Fruitti', the R&B classic 'I Got A
Woman' and an eerie, wailing version of Richard Rodgers / Lorenz
Hart 's 'Blue Moon', which emphasized his remarkable vocal range.
Since hitting number 2 in the UK lists with 'Heartbreak Hotel',
Presley had been virtually guaranteed European success and his
profile was increased via a regular series of releases as RCA
took full advantage of their bulging back catalogue. Although
there was a danger of overkill, Presley's talent, reputation and
immensely strong fanbase vindicated the intense release schedule
and the quality of the material ensured that the public was not
disappointed. After hitting number 1 for the second time with the
slight ballad 'I Want You, I Need You, I Love You', Presley
released what was to become the most commercially successful
double-sided single in pop history, 'Hound Dog'/'Don't Be Cruel'.
The former was composed by the immortal rock 'n' roll songwriting
team of Leiber And Stoller, and presented Presley at his upbeat
best with a novel lyric, complete with a striking guitar solo and
spirited handclapping from his backing group the Jordanaires. Otis
Blackwell 's 'Don't Be Cruel' was equally effective with a
striking melody line and some clever and amusing vocal gymnastics
from the hiccupping King of Western Bop, who also received a co-writing
credit. The single remained at number 1 in the USA for a
staggering 11 weeks and both sides of the record were massive
hits in the UK.
Celluloid fame for Presley next beckoned with Love Me Tender,
produced by David Weisbert, who had previously worked on James
Dean's Rebel Without A Cause. Presley's movie debut
received mixed reviews but was a box-office smash, while the
smouldering, perfectly enunciated title track topped the US
charts for five weeks. The spate of Presley singles continued in
earnest through 1957 and one of the biggest was another Otis
Blackwell composition, 'All Shook Up', which the singer used as a
cheekily oblique comment on his by now legendary dance movements.
By late 1956 it was rumoured that Presley would be drafted into
the US Army and, as if to compensate for that irksome eventuality,
RCA, Twentieth Century Fox and the Colonel stepped up the work-rate
and release schedules. Incredibly, three major films were
completed in the next two-and-a-half years. Loving You
boasted a quasi-autobiographical script with Presley playing a
truck driver who becomes a pop star. The title track became the b-side
of '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' which reigned at number 1 for
seven weeks. The third movie, Jailhouse Rock, was Presley's most
successful to date with an excellent soundtrack and some inspired
choreography. The Leiber and Stoller title track was an instant
classic that again topped the US charts for seven weeks and made
pop history by entering the UK listings at number 1. The fourth
celluloid outing, King Creole (adapted from the Harold Robbins
novel, A Stone For Danny Fisher ), is regarded by many as
Presley's finest film and a firm indicator of his sadly
unfulfilled potential as a serious actor. Once more the
soundtrack album featured some surprisingly strong material such
as the haunting 'Crawfish' and the vibrant 'Dixieland Rock'. By
the time King Creole was released in 1958, Elvis had
already been inducted into the US Forces. A publicity photograph
of the singer having his hair shorn symbolically commented on his
approaching musical emasculation. Although rock 'n' roll purists
mourned the passing of the old Elvis, it seemed inevitable in the
context of the 50s that he would move towards a broader base
appeal and tone down his rebellious image. From 1958-60, Presley
served in the US Armed Forces, spending much of his time in
Germany where he was regarded as a model soldier. It was during
this period that he first met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu,
whom he later married in 1967. Back in America, the Colonel kept
his absent star's reputation intact via a series of films, record
releases and extensive merchandising. Hits such as 'Wear My Ring
Around Your Neck', 'Hard Headed Woman', 'One Night', 'I Got Stung',
'A Fool Such As I' and 'A Big Hunk O' Love' filled the long, two-year
gap and by the time Presley reappeared, he was ready to assume
the mantle of all-round entertainer. The change was immediately
evident in the series of number 1 hits that he enjoyed in the
early 60s. The enormously successful 'It's Now Or Never', based
on the Italian melody 'O Sole Mio', revealed the King as an
operatic crooner, far removed from his earlier raucous recordings.
'Are You Lonesome Tonight?', originally recorded by Al Jolson as
early as 1927, allowed Presley to quote some Shakespeare in the
spoken-word middle section as well as showing his ham-acting
ability with an overwrought vocal. The new clean-cut Presley was
presented on celluloid in GI Blues. The movie played upon his
recent army exploits and saw him serenading a puppet on the
charming chart-topper 'Wooden Heart', which also allowed Elvis to
show off his knowledge of German. The grandiose 'Surrender'
completed this phase of big ballads in the old-fashioned style.
For the next few years Presley concentrated on an undemanding
spree of films, including Flaming Star, Wild In The Country, Blue
Hawaii, Kid Galahad, Girls! Girls! Girls!, Follow That Dream, Fun
In Acapulco, It Happened At The World's Fair, Kissin' Cousins,
Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, Girl Happy, Tickle Me, Harem Scarum,
Frankie And Johnny, Paradise - Hawaiian Style and Spinout. Not
surprisingly, most of his album recordings were hastily completed
soundtracks with unadventurous commissioned songs. For his
singles he relied increasingly on the formidable Doc Pomus / Mort
Shuman team who composed such hits as 'Mess Of Blues', 'Little
Sister' and 'His Latest Flame'. More and more, however, the hits
were adapted from films and their chart positions suffered
accordingly. After the 1963 number 1 'Devil In Disguise', a bleak
period followed in which such minor songs as 'Bossa Nova Baby', 'Kiss
Me Quick', 'Ain't That Lovin' You Baby' and 'Blue Christmas'
became the rule rather than the exception. Significantly, his
biggest success of the mid-60s, 'Crying In The Chapel', had been
recorded five years earlier, and part of its appeal came from the
realization that it represented something ineffably lost.
In the wake of the Beatles' rise to fame and the beat boom
explosion, Presley seemed a figure out of time. Nevertheless, in
spite of the dated nature of many of his recordings, he could
still invest power and emotion into classic songs. The sassy 'Frankie
And Johnny' was expertly sung by Presley, as was his moving
reading of Ketty Lester 's 'Love Letters'. His other significant
1966 release, 'If Everyday Was Like Christmas', was a beautiful
festive song unlike anything else in the charts of the period. By
1967, however, it was clear to critics and even a large
proportion of his devoted following that Presley had seriously
lost his way. He continued to grind out pointless movies such as
Double Trouble, Speedway, Clambake and Live A Little,
Love A Little, even though the box office returns were
increasingly poor. His capacity to register instant hits,
irrespective of the material was also wearing thin, as such lowly
placed singles as 'You Gotta Stop' and 'Long Legged Woman'
demonstrated all too alarmingly. However, just as Elvis's career
had reached its all-time nadir he seemed to wake up, take stock,
and break free from the artistic malaise in which he found
himself. Two songs written by country guitarist Jerry Reed, 'Guitar
Man' and 'US Male', proved a spectacular return to form for Elvis
in 1968, such was Presley's conviction that the compositions
almost seemed to be written specifically for him. During the same
year, Colonel Tom Parker had approached NBC-TV about the
possibility of recording a Presley Christmas special in which the
singer would perform a selection of religious songs similar in
feel to his early 60s album His Hand In Mine. However, the
executive producers of the show vetoed that concept in favour of
a one-hour spectacular designed to capture Elvis at his rock 'n'
rollin' best. It was a remarkable challenge for the singer,
seemingly in the autumn of his career, and he responded to the
idea with unexpected enthusiasm. The Elvis TV Special was
broadcast in America on 3 December 1968 and has since become
legendary as one of the most celebrated moments in pop
broadcasting history. The show was not merely good but an
absolute revelation, with the King emerging as if he had been
frozen in time for 10 years. His determination to recapture past
glories oozed from every movement and was discernible in every
aside. With his leather jacket and acoustic guitar strung
casually round his neck, he resembled nothing less than the
consummate pop idol of the 50s who had entranced a generation. To
add authenticity to the proceedings he was accompanied by his old
sidekicks Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. There was no sense of
self-parody in the show as Presley joked about his famous surly
curled-lip movement and even heaped passing ridicule on his
endless stream of bad movies. The music concentrated heavily on
his 50s classics but, significantly, there was a startling finale
courtesy of the passionate 'If I Can Dream' in which he seemed to
sum up the frustration of a decade in a few short lines. The
critical plaudits heaped upon Elvis in the wake of his television
special prompted the singer to undertake his most significant
recordings in years. With producer Chips Moman overseeing the
sessions in January 1969, Presley recorded enough material to
cover two highly praised albums, From Elvis In Memphis and
From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis. The former
was particularly strong with such distinctive tracks as the eerie
'Long Black Limousine' and the engagingly melodic 'Any Day Now'.
On the singles front, Presley was back in top form and finally
coming to terms with contemporary issues, most notably on the
socially aware 'In The Ghetto', which hit number 2 in the UK and
number 3 in the USA. The glorious 'Suspicious Minds', a wonderful
song of marital jealousy, with cascading tempo changes and an
exceptional vocal arrangement, gave him his first US chart-topper
since 'Good Luck Charm' back in 1962. Subsequent hits such as the
maudlin 'Don't Cry Daddy', which dealt with the death of a
marriage, ably demonstrated Presley's ability to read a song.
Even his final few films seemed less disastrous than expected.
In 1969's Charro, he grew a beard for the first time in his
portrayal of a moody cowboy, while A Change Of Habit dealt
with more serious subject matter than usual. More importantly,
Presley returned as a live performer at Las Vegas, with a strong
backing group including guitarist James Burton and pianist Glen D.
Hardin. In common with John Lennon, who also returned to the
stage that same year with the Plastic Ono Band, Presley opened
his set with Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes'. His comeback was
well received and one of the live songs, 'The Wonder Of You',
stayed at number 1 in Britain for six weeks during the summer of
1970. There was also a revealing documentary film of the tour - That's
The Way It Is - and a companion album that included
contemporary cover versions, such as Tony Joe White 's 'Polk
Salad Annie', Creedence Clearwater Revival 's 'Proud Mary' and Neil
Diamond 's 'Sweet Caroline'.
During the early 70s Presley continued his live performances,
but soon fell victim to the same artistic atrophy that had
bedevilled his celluloid career. Rather than re-entering the
studio to record fresh material he relied on a slew of patchy
live albums that saturated the marketplace. What had been
innovative and exciting in 1969 swiftly became a tedious routine
and an exercise in misdirected potential. The backdrop to Presley's
final years was a sordid slump into drug dependency, reinforced
by the pervasive unreality of a pampered lifestyle in his fantasy
home, Gracelands. The dissolution of his marriage in 1973
coincided with a further decline and an alarming tendency to put
on weight. Remarkably, he continued to undertake live appearances,
covering up his bloated frame with brightly coloured jump suits
and an enormous, ostentatiously jewelled belt. He collapsed
onstage on a couple of occasions and finally on 16 August 1977
his tired body expired. The official cause of death was a heart
attack, undoubtedly brought on by barbiturate usage over a long
period. In the weeks following his demise, his record sales
predictably rocketed and 'Way Down' proved a fittingly final UK
number 1.
The importance of Presley in the history of rock 'n' roll and popular music remains incalculable. In spite of his iconographic status, the Elvis image was never captured in a single moment of time like that of Bill Haley, Buddy Holly or even Chuck Berry. Presley, in spite of his apparent creative inertia, was not a one-dimensional artist clinging to history but a multi-faceted performer whose career spanned several decades and phases. For purists and rockabilly enthusiasts it is the early Presley that remains of greatest importance and there is no doubting that his personal fusion of black and white musical influences, incorporating R&B and country, produced some of the finest and most durable recordings of the century. Beyond Elvis 'The Hillbilly Cat', however, there was the face that launched a thousand imitators, that black-haired, smiling or smouldering presence who stared from the front covers of numerous EPs, albums and film posters of the late 50s and early 60s. It was that well-groomed, immaculate pop star who inspired a generation of performers and second-rate imitators in the 60s. There was also Elvis the Las Vegas performer, vibrant and vulgar, yet still distant and increasingly appealing to a later generation brought up on the excesses of 70s rock and glam ephemera. Finally, there was the bloated Presley who bestrode the stage in the last months of his career. For many, he has come to symbolize the decadence and loss of dignity that is all too often heir to pop idolatry. It is no wonder that Presley's remarkable career so sharply divides those who testify to his ultimate greatness and those who bemoan the gifts that he seemingly squandered along the way. Twenty years after his death, in August 1997, there was no waning of his power and appeal. Television, radio, newspapers and magazines all over the world still found that, whatever was happening elsewhere, little could compare to this anniversary.
