22 years of legendary acting career
88 gold records and 67 platinum records
1,100 concerts
1 billion global records Total sales
30 unparalleled champion songs
1 century selection that has been collected for generations
No one can match the unparalleled achievements of the century and the immortal legend
The greatest entertainer on earth, the eternal superstar
Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll
The Immortal Legend - Elvis Presley ELVIS PRESLEY
Elvis Presley may be the most important figure in American pop music in the 20th century. Although he may not be the best, there is no doubt that he popularized rock music around the world. His influence can be seen from his record sales alone. In the 20 years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, he had dozens of international hits, and even after his death, any reissue of his records maintained extremely stable sales. Undoubtedly, he is the highest-selling artist in pop music history.
Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in a poor farm worker family in Mississippi. His full name was Elvis Aaron Presley (Elvis Aaron Presley). He always signed his name with the word "Aron"). His earliest musical experience was singing in a church choir, where the ebullient swaying, singing and dancing of preachers and worshipers provided the basis for Presley's famous hip twists, his This move was one of the focal points of controversy for him among hundreds of millions of television viewers across the country.
Presley made his stage debut at the age of 10, singing a tear-jerking country song "Old Shep" at the Mississippi-Alabama Exposition. In 1948, he moved to Memphis with his parents. Here Presley began to make contact with some professional musicians, and occasionally participated in the performances of the four-person gospel singing group "Blackwood Brothers" (Blackwood Brothers), and even almost joined the band. However, his own music career began by chance - Presley went to the recording studio of Memphis Recording Services Company to record a song as a gift for his mother. The studio was owned by Sam Phillips, who had just established his own Sun Records label. Phillips' assistant Marion Keisker thought Presley had great potential and wrote down his address. Almost a year later, in June 1954, Phillips asked Presley to come to the company to record a song from Nashville. In addition, he invited local musicians Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) to accompany Presley. But the combination didn't work out well, and it wasn't until Presley sang Arthur Crudupiz's rhythm and blues song "That's All Right" that they found their groove. . The song eventually became Presley's debut single on Sun Records and became a hit locally.
Some of Presley's single records released by HMV in the UK by Sun Company always include a blues song on one side and a country song on the other side, and both are performed in such a way that in a radical and different way.
These records included "That's All Right" and Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Good Rocking Tonight"/"I "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine", "Milk Cow Blues Boogie"/"You're a Heartbreaker", "Honey "Baby Let's Play House"/"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" and "Mystery Train" / "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" (I Forgot to Remember to Forget). Those recorded by Sun but purchased by RCA before release include two versions of "I Love You Because" (the July 1954 version was not released until 1974). Included in the album Elvis A Legendary Performer: Vol. ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin'), "Just Because" and the brilliant "Trying to Get to You" were included on one album. The illegally released album "Swing Well Tonight"
Most of the white rock stars who sang rhythm and blues songs diluted the original power of this kind of work, such as Presley's in the teenage audience. His main competitor was Pat Boone. Unlike Pat Boone, Presley showed a deep understanding of the style of black musicians in his recordings at Sun. Copying other people's songs, he always approached them in a new way, with the help of radio disc jockey Fontana (drums) as well as Bill Black and Scotty Moore. Slee's first recording sessions with RCA took place in Nashville in January 1956, with a lineup that included Chet Atkins and the Jordanaires. Nearly all of his later recordings were recorded at the company's main studio in New York. Critics believed that Presley's move to RCA heralded a rapid decline in the quality of his work, a trend that continued despite this. The records recorded during this period (before Presley joined the army in 1958) show considerable changes in the style and content of Presley's music, but from a historical perspective, the genre formed by these works is actually in the 1950s. The best of the mainstream rock music of the era.
Songs like "Don't Be Cruel" and "One Sided Love Affair" exemplify Presley's move from lighthearted to easy. , the transition from the crazy Sun Company style to the later depressive, dark, and heavy style. The latter is more commercial, but still maintains the exciting and sexy characteristics. Moreover, it is this type of song that has been popularized on TV stations. Prime-time broadcasts, especially through Presley's melancholy persona, introduced countless white teenagers to rock music such as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog."
Some works that were recorded earlier but not released until Presley was serving in the army in Germany also have this style: "One Night" and "I Got Stung". "A Fool Such As I" and "Big Hunk O' Love".
By the late 1950s, Presley had achieved extremely high status, and his songs were becoming more and more refined and skillful. In September 1956, RCA made an unprecedented attempt: releasing seven of Presley's singles at the same time. As a result, from August to December, Presley topped the charts every week. Meanwhile, "Colonel" Parker was busy further establishing Presley's image - filming his first film, Love Me Tender, and agreeing with manufacturers to make everything from key rings to pillowcases. Assorted Presley memorabilia. Likewise, a kind of commercial savvy was reflected in the recording of records. Presley's 1957 album "Elvis' Christmas Album" (Elvis' Christmas Album) is a clever combination of folk and rock songs. A mixture that also includes some religious, choral and popular program songs. As a good verification of the quality of Presley's music and Parker's marketing skills, Presley returned from serving two years later, and his popularity did not decrease at all.
In March 1960, Presley, who returned from military service in Germany, still maintained his rough and "leave me alone" style of 1958. But the album "Elvis is Back" seems to hover between a return to rhythm and blues and country music and the beginning of a new gentle singing method. Instead of adding any new feeling, this gentle vocal style loses the original strong emotional color. This characteristic runs through most of Presley's subsequent works.
During the release of the album "Stick to You" and the beginning of Beatlemania in the United States, Presley still maintained his status as the most outstanding singer who mainly published singles. , although only a few recordings - such as "A Mess Of Blues" and "It is Latest Flame"/"Little Sister" - reproduced his 50 The glory of the times. Although Presley was at the peak of his career in terms of sales, in fact his image was far less powerful than it was in the 1950s. Most of the hits were soothing compositions, such as "It's Now Or Never," "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "Surrender" , or vignettes from movies such as "Wooden Heart" and "Wild in the Country." In addition, he released a number of albums, much of which consisted of outtakes from a long list of Hollywood musicals in which he began to appear.
In the early 1960s, Presley began a career of shooting three movies a year. Each of these typical Hollywood films was more boring than the last, and Presley sang all of the songs himself, and the songs that were just used to fill in the empty plot of the movie were often third-rate. Recordings from this period included a series of singles starting with "Good Luck Charm", "She's Not for You", "Return to Sender" and " One Broken Heart for Sale.
Presley's earliest films: "Love Me Tender" (1956), "Loving You" (1957), "Jailhouse Rock" (1958) The standards of songs and songwriters used were the same as those of his singles at the time, but later films made specifically for Presley, such as "Flaming Star" (1960) and "The Wild Country" ( 1961) did not leave much impression on people, and there were more than 20 of these films before and after.
The single "If I Can Dream" from his TV show was very powerful, as if trying to break away from his 60s effeminacy, and he subsequently released it in 1969 Returning to Memphis at the beginning of the year to record the album Elvis in Memphis, he used Chips Moman's "American Recording Studios" and featured some of the best local musicians. With his backing group, the album became his most exciting work for some time.
The irony of Presley's downward trend from 1960 onwards is that he tended to favor less commercial music in his compositions rather than his older songs. His early practice of recording black music continued into the 1970s. He recorded songs by Ivory Joe Hunter in 1958 and 1973, and his post-service recordings included selections from such artists as Chuck Jackson, Little ·Little Walter, O.C. Smith, Coasters, Jerry Butler, Ketty Lester, Cha Works by musicians such as Chuck Berry, the Clovers, the Drifters, Rufus Thomas, and Willie Dixon , In addition, Presley also sang works by a new generation of southern writers, such as Jerry Reed's "Guitar Man", Mac Davis's "In the Skid Row" "In the Ghetto," Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie," and Dennis Linde's "Burning Love."
This series of efforts and risks in selecting songs makes it increasingly inexplicable that Presley's records have not performed well. His outstanding works since 1960 are very few. The 1960 religious album "His Hand in Mine" is very refined and pure in vocal processing, while the B-side of "Kissin' Cousins" is "It Hurts". Hurts Me (1965), people suddenly saw the spark of excitement and adventurous spirit of Presley's 1950s. Also worth mentioning are the albums "From Elvis in Memphis" and "Elvis Country" (1971) and the "American Trilogy" album of live recordings "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite" (1973). Presley's place in rock history is irreplaceable.
He is a lucky person favored by the Creator. He used his own charm to stand on the altar of pioneers. As a white man, he introduced black rhythm and blues music with racial undertones to white people. The pressure he endured and the success he achieved were both Extraordinary. Evaluating Presley based on the current standards for measuring rock musicians, he obviously does not deserve to be called the "King of Rock". His songs are too simple and superficial, lacking strength and social responsibility, but these long-sung songs truly reflect the The collective image of a generation of teenagers influenced by rock and roll ideas. He not only has beautiful appearance, iconic hip twisting movements and excellent stage performances, but has also become a representative of this era and generation, making the young man with great potential The entire young generation found in him the gay spirit of rebellion. From then on, rock music spread rapidly with its distinctive ideological nature and strong criticism of reality, and Presley opened the door to heavy rock music. (Excerpted from New Youth)
"Elvis Presley" golden song recommendation:
"Flaming Star" Many people think that the role played by Elvis Presley in "Flaming Star" is his best one , because the script did not require him to sing, but the theme song written and composed by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards is still a very beautiful song. Beautiful guitar playing, untuned drums potentially playing an ostinato, giving the song an "Indian feel" in keeping with the script (Elvis plays a mulatto).
"I Feel so Bad" This is another outstanding blues performance by Elvis Presley. "I Feel so Bad" was a top five pop hit and a #15 R&B hit, continuing Elvis' proficiency in both genres. It was originally composed and performed by rhythm and blues singer Chuck Willis in 1953. On this record, Floyd Cramer's crisp piano sounds stand out, paired with an extremely difficult mid-tempo mix of drums (possibly performed by D.J. Fontana or Buddy Harman, most likely the latter).
"Wild in the Country" Elvis Presley played a rebellious young man in the movie "Wild in the Country". The film spawned two hit songs: "Lonely Man" and the theme song, recorded at RCA's Hollywood studios with Scotty Moore on guitar and Bob Moore on bass guitar, and "Wild in the Country" which rose to the top of the U.S. pop charts. It reached number 26 and became a top five best-seller in the UK.
"His Latest Flame" Another song title of this Doc Pomus-Mort Shuman work is "(Maris's the Name) His Latest Flame", which is also a best-selling single like "Little sister". A piece of rock music produced during an equally admirable period. The acoustic guitar on this song may have been played by Elvis himself. Although it may not be recognized, Elvis Presley can still be regarded as a master performer. Surprisingly, two members of The Jordanaires, who usually only sing, also accompany this soundtrack - Neil Mathews plays guitar and band leader Gordon Stoker plays piano.
"Little Sister" "Little Sister" is another famous rock song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. The talented guitar score is provided by Scotty Moore, whose skills developed at Sun Records are clearly intact.
In response to the song's success, R&B singer LaVerm Baker recorded a "Response Record" named after Elvis Presley, titled "Hey Memphis." Miss Baker used the same melody, but played the role of the abandoned sister. As a singer, "Little Sister" reached No. 5 on the Billboard, and another song from the single album "His Latest Flame" was promoted to No. 4. This single became one of the most commercial and creative Elvis Presley records of the early 1960s.
"Rock-A-Hula BaBy" One of the strangest songs in Elvis Presley's entire catalog, combining rock and roll with Hawaiian music, a concept that only composers Fred Wise and Ben Weisman could have dreamed up. This time it's with Dolores Fuller. Drums, shakers and slack string guitars are all from the island. But the guitars, vocals and solid rock beats are all straight out of Memphis. "Rock-A-Hula BaBy" performed in the movie "Blue Hawaii" is often remembered as the negative song of "Can't Help in Falling Love", but it became a number one song in the UK in its own right.
"Can't Help Falling in Love" "Can't Help Falling in Love" sung by Elvis Presley in the movie "Blue Hawaii" is based on a classical melody. Adapted by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore from "Plaisir d'amour" written by German composer Johann Paul Aegidus Martini in the 18th century. Elvis Presley's concerts in the 1960s and 1970s almost always ended with this self-song. The familiar recording version became his 35th million-selling album in 1962.
"Good Luck Charm" Not surprisingly, "Good Luck Charm" is a million-selling song. Lyrics were written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold, the same people who wrote the English lyrics for "It's Now or Never". But there is no classical melody in the song. Instead, the vocals of Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires blend perfectly, crooning this pop ballad with a soft and smooth calmness.
"Follow That Dream" This 1962 movie theme song was written and composed by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman. Composed in a similar idealistic mode as "Follow That Dream", which they also composed. "Follow That Dream" is a great example of how Elvis could combine an Elvis image with a relatively mediocre song and turn it into an inspiring song. In anyone else's hands, "Follow That Dream" might have been just another romantic movie theme song, but Elvis represented the fulfillment of many dreams in his own right. "Anything That's Part of You" was originally released on the reverse side of "Good Luck Charm" and became a top-selling song on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, it became a best-seller in its own right, reaching number 31 in the spring of 1962.
"She's Not You" For this song, Doc Pomus combined the first-class composing duo of the 1950s: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The result is a beautifully integrated performance from Elvis, The Jordanaires, and backing vocalist Millie Kirkham who adds an eerie atmosphere to the song from start to finish.
In the United States, "She's Not You" rose to fifth place on the pop charts in August 1962, and in the UK it skyrocketed to the top of the best-selling charts.
"Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" Another Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller composition, this song was originally released as the B-side of "She's Not You". But it became a best-seller on its own merits. It rose to No. 55 in August 1962 and won a gold record for a million-selling song.
"King of the Whole Wide World" Anyone who thinks Elvis stopped being a top-notch rock star once he got to Hollywood should sit down and listen to this song. Roth batchelor and Bob Robers' songs have strong saxophone accents and crisp guitar playing, which enhance the song's powerful beat. "King of the Whole Wide World" was featured in the 1962 Elvis Presley movie "Kid Galahad". The song is the pinnacle of pop music excitement, and its lyrics encapsulate another basic Elvis image.
"Return to Sender" Othis Blackwel Another top ten rock song that became Elvis Presley's million-selling song. "Return to Sender" was co-written by Winfield Scott and sung in the movie "Girls, Girls, Girls". The song was recorded in Hollywood with two greats of the Los Angeles recording industry - Hal Blaine on drums and Barney Kessel on guitar, in addition to the Jordanaires, Scotty Moore, Dudley Brooks and Boots Randolph (whose saxophone performance is outstanding ).
"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" was a No. 3 song on the Billboard Hot 100 and a No. 1 song in the UK. This is another Elvis gold record. But the songs of Bill Grant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye are actually more than that. This is one of Elvis's great early '60s productions, evolving from almost chanting beginnings into an all-out rock 'n' roll affair. The song was recorded in May 1963 at RCA's Nashville studios. This was the last time Elvis Presley recorded a non-movie soundtrack song for nearly three years (in January of the following year, he recorded several songs from this day and a new song.)
"One Broken Heart for Sale" "Othis Blackwell and Winfield Scott's beautiful song was the focus of the 1962 hit film It Happened at the World's Fair. Despite being a million-seller, "One Broken Heart for Sale" didn't crack the Billboard top 10 (it stalled at No. 11). The song drew heavily from Blackewll-Scott's earlier hit "Return to". Sender". But the chorus of this song is not The Jordanaires, but The Mello Meo, a group that formed on the West Coast and is regularly used by MGM and other film companies.
"Bossa Nova Baby" "Bossa Nova Baby" marks the temporary return of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller to writing for Elvis Presley. Bossa nova was developed by Brazilian musicians and became Elvis in the early 1960s. A dance trend.
Leiber and Stoller had recorded the song for a group called Tippie & The Clovers in early 1963 on their Tiger Records label. But it took Elvis Presley to get this song into the top ten. And rose to eighth place in October. The song was sung in the movie "Fun In Acapulco" and thus featured The Amigos (Jose Vadiz, Pedro Berrios, Miguel Alcaide and German Vega) assisting The Jordanaires.
"Witchcraft" On May 12, 1960, shortly after his discharge from the army, Elvis returned to television to participate in a special program "Welcome Elvis." Frank Sinatra hosted. Frank sang "Love Me Tender" and Elvis Presley sang "Witchcraft," a song written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh and one of Sinatra's biggest hits in the 1950s. A few years later, in 1963, Elvis became the second superstar to have "Witchcraft" become a hit.
"They Remind Me Too Much of You" Elvis Presley recorded this song on September 22, 1962 for his 12th film "It Happened at the World's Fair". In the movie, he plays a driver who is in trouble. It was released in January 1963 as the B-side to "One Broken heart for Sale", but the song's strength propelled it into the bestseller charts.
"Kiss Me Quick" This was the last important song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman for Elvis Presley, and was released in April 1964. The Beatles are said to be big fans of this song. It was highly praised when they appeared on the British TV show Juke Box Jury. Like many Pomus-Shuman songs, "Kiss Me Quick" has Latin tones supporting an ostinato guitar score. "Viva Las Vegas" The soundtrack to one of Elvis Presley's greatest films, co-starring Ann Margret, and one of the best rock songs Elvis recorded to date in the mid-1960s, with lyrics and music by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman The song only reached the top 30 on the Billboard charts. But global sales still exceeded one million copies. How stations and viewers ignored it remains a mystery. Although the Beatles nearly took the music world by storm that year, this Latin-flavored tune and Scotty Moor's wailing guitar work should be enough to propel it to the top spot. The song still sounds as vibrant as it did in 1964.
"Kissing Cousins" was released in February 1964. It was another Elvis hit that was knocked out of the top ten due to the invasion of The Beatles and company. However, this song written by Fred Wise and Randy Starr is still another million-selling album by Elvis Presley. Of course, "Kissing Cousins" is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. Written during a period of dramatic change in blues singing, the song is cheerfully accompanied from start to finish by Elvis Presley's old Nashville Band, with beautiful guitar flourishes and rushing drums.
"What'd I Say" This is of course a rhythm rock song by the great Ray Charles. Elvis Presley sang in the movie Viva Las Vegas, which was released as the B-side of the theme song. It was the ideal form for Elvis to express his rhythm and blues energy. The song's backing vocals were provided by The Carole Lombard Quartet, with assistance from The Jubilee Four. The big band style drum sound was almost certainly played by Hal Blaines.
Charles originally recorded the song in 1959, and it entered the Hot 100 at number six, making it the most successful of Elvis Presley's cover songs, entering at number 21.
"Such a Night" This is a rare rhythm and blues classic, at least in this period of Elvis Presley's singing career. He is a master at interpreting this style of music. He needed to do this at the time, because the original version of "Such a Night" (written and composed by Lincoln Chase) was sung in 1954 by one of the most mellow-voiced rhythm and blues singers, Clyde McPhatter. Although it was delayed until July 1964 to release the single "Such a Night". It was recorded by Elvis Presley in Nashville in April 1960 and included in the album "Elvis Is Back". The 1964 single reached the Billboard top 20. The song might have performed better had it not been released right before the Beatles invaded America. This was a factor that hindered the sales of Elvis' records, whether it was Elvis' strong vocal performance, D.J. Fontana's instrumental skills, or other Nashville regulars. Boots Randolph's performance has never been so passionate as on "Such a Night," pushing the song to its climax with his saxophone riffs.
"Aint' That Loving You Baby" This rhythm and blues song has an interesting story. It was written in 1955 by Clyde Otis and Ivory Joe Hunter. Originally recorded by down-home blues singer Jimmy Reed. Elvis Presley's version takes the song into a commercial area, with D.J. Fontana's crisp drums and fierce guitar accompaniment (perhaps Hank Garland on guitar). This was another song recorded during Elvis' last recording session in 1958 before going to Germany, but was delayed until late 1964. This is another million-selling song by Elvis Presley. Although it only entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 16, "Aint' That Loving You Baby" was originally released on the flip side of "Ask Me".
"Blue Christmas" Of all Elvis' musical talents, perhaps his most outstanding was as a blues singer. It's a pity after leaving Sun Records. He had only one chance to express this quality (although he could sneak some blues feel into the most unlikely songs) and hardly ever sang a single blues hit. Because public taste tends to appreciate pure rock or lyrical songs. "Blue Christmas," written by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson, is one of the best blues Elvis ever recorded, and perhaps the best of the many great records he released on Yuletide Records. It originally appeared on the 1957 Elvis Sings Christmas Songs album and was not released as a single until seven years later.
"Do the Clam" "Girl Happy" is Elvis Presley's 17th film. He plays a nightclub singer in the film, co-starring Gary Crosby Shelley Fabares and Jackie Coogan. The only one of the 11 movie songs to chart was this funky rock song. It rose to No. 21 in the United States and No. 19 in the UK.
"Crying in the Chapel" Artie Glenn wrote this song in 1952. His two sons, Darrell and Rex Allen, helped the song reach the top ten on the Billboard pop and country charts in 1953. Later that year, The Orioles scored a pop and R&B hit with the song. Elvis Presley recorded this tune in Nashville on October 31, 1960.
Accompaniment was provided by Scotty Moore and Hank Garland on guitar, Bob Moore on bass guitar, and Floyd Cramer on piano. When the song was released five years later, it became Elvis' best-selling song for two years and his first UK number one since the Beatles dramatically changed the face of pop music.