Elvis Aaron Presley January 8 1935 – August 16 1977 Was An American Singer And Actor. Regarded As One Of The Most Significant Cultural Icons Of The 20th Century He Is Often Referred To As The "King Of Rock And Roll" Or Simply "the King". Presley Was Born In Tupelo Mississippi And Relocated To Memphis Tennessee With His Family When He Was 13 Years Old. His Music Career Began There In 1954 Recording At Sun Records With Producer Sam Phillips Who Wanted To Bring The Sound Of African American Music To A Wider Audience. Accompanied By Guitarist Scotty Moore And Bassist Bill Black Presley Was A Pioneer Of Rockabilly An Uptempo Backbeat-Driven Fusion Of Country Music And Rhythm And Blues. In 1955 Drummer D. J. Fontana Joined To Complete The Lineup Of Presley's Classic Quartet And RCA Victor Acquired His Contract In A Deal Arranged By Colonel Tom Parker Who Would Manage The Singer For More Than Two Decades. Presley's First RCA Single "Heartbreak Hotel" Was Released In January 1956 And Became A Number One Hit In The United States. With A Series Of Successful Network Television Appearances And Chart-Topping Records He Became The Leading Figure Of The Newly Popular Sound Of Rock And Roll. His Energized Interpretations Of Songs And Sexually Provocative Performance Style Combined With A Singularly Potent Mix Of Influences Across Color Lines During A Transformative Era In Race Relations Made Him Enormously Popular—and Controversial. In November 1956 Presley Made His Film Debut In Love Me Tender. Drafted Into Military Service In 1958 Presley Relaunched His Recording Career Two Years Later With Some Of His Most Commercially Successful Work. He Held Few Concerts However And Guided By Parker Proceeded To Devote Much Of The 1960s To Making Hollywood Movies And Soundtrack Albums Most Of Them Critically Derided. In 1968 Following A Seven-Year Break From Live Performances He Returned To The Stage In The Acclaimed Television Comeback Special Elvis Which Led To An Extended Las Vegas Concert Residency And A String Of Highly Profitable Tours. In 1973 Presley Gave The First Concert By A Solo Artist To Be Broadcast Around The World Aloha From Hawaii. Years Of Prescription Drug Abuse Severely Compromised His Health And He Died Suddenly In 1977 At His Graceland Estate Just 42 Years Of Age. Presley Is One Of The Most Celebrated And Influential Musicians Of The 20th Century. Commercially Successful In Many Genres Including Pop Country Blues And Gospel He Is The Best-Selling Solo Artist In The History Of Recorded Music. He Won Three Competitive Grammys Received The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award At Age 36 And Has Been Inducted Into Multiple Music Halls Of Fame.
Contrary To Popular Myth "That's All Right" Is Not The Song Elvis Recorded For His Mother. In Truth Elvis Recorded "My Happiness" For His Mom Much Earlier During His First Visit To Sun Records Summer Or Early Fall 1953. By The Time Elvis Recorded "That's All Right " Jul. 5 1954 Sam Phillips Was Calling Elvis Hoping To Find A Vehicle For The Voice That Had Haunted Him Off And On Over Several Months. "That's All Right " An Arthur "Big Boy" Cruddup Song Was A Favorite Of Elvis's And Wound Up Recorded On A Whim. The Irony Is That Phillips Had Turned The Tape Deck Off When Bill Black Started Smacking The Stand-Up Bass And Elvis Danced The Moves That Eventually Made Him The Center Of Controversy On Live Television. Phillips Told Them To Start Again This Time With The Tape Recorder On. In The Middel Of July Of '54 Dewey Phillips No Relation To Sam Played The Disc Dozens Of Times As Calls Poured Into WHBQ In Memphis. Elvis Meanwhile Was At The Suzore #2 Movie Theater Which Is Where His Parents Found Him And Informed Him That His Record Was A Big Hit On Dewey's Radio Show "Red Hot And Blue." The Song Reached Number 4 In Memphis But Did Not Chart Nationally. Bassplayer Bill Black And Guitarist Scotty Moore Played Along With Elvis Who Played His Own Rhythm Guitar.