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Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley, in the humblest of circumstances, was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953. -
Elvis's first public performance
Dressed as a cowboy, Presley had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone and sang Red Foley's "Old Shep." He came in fifth, winning $5 and a free ticket to all the Fair rides. A few months later, for his eleventh birthday, Presley received his first guitar. He had wanted a rifle but his parents could only afford a guitar. Over the following year, Vernon's brother, Vester, gave Elvis basic guitar lessons. Source: https://worldhistoryproject.org -
Elvis records his first songs
Presley went to Sun Records' Memphis Recording Service to record "My Happiness" with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," supposedly as a present for his mother although it was months after her birthday. -
Elvis Presley auditions for producer Sam Phillips
However, Presley was not able to do justice to the song. Phillips would later recall that "Elvis was probably as nervous as anybody, black or white, that I had seen in front of a microphone." Despite this, Phillips invited local musicians Winfield "Scotty" Moore and Bill Black to audition Presley. Though they were not overly impressed, a studio session was planned. Source: worldhistoryproject.org -
Elvis Presley First Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Elvis said that the show was “probably the greatest honor I have ever had in my life,” and then launched into “Don’t Be Cruel.” To finish the segment, he played the title song to his new movie, “Love Me Tender,” introducing it as ”completely different from anything we’ve ever done.” Nationwide, disk jockeys listened to the song, which had yet to be released, on their radio shows, increasing pre-release orders to about a million and pushing the single’s release date. Source: worldhistoryproject -
"Jailhouse Rock" Is Released
The film stars Elvis Presley (his third ever film role), Judy Tyler, and Mickey Shaughnessy. Co-star Tyler was killed in an automobile accident a few weeks after the film was completed, and like Loving You before it, Presley was so upset that he refused to ever watch the completed film. In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Source: worldhistoryproject -
Elvis Presley releases How Great Thou Art
How Great Thou Art is a musical album by American entertainer Elvis Presley; it was his first non-soundtrack album recording of new material since 1962's Pot Luck and his first album release not to include any soundtrack recordings since His Hand in Mine (1960). How Great Thou Art was Presley's second full-length gospel LP and won a Grammy Award in 1967 in the Best Sacred Performance category. The album reached #18 on Billboard album charts. Source: worldhistoryproject -
Elvis Presley releases Promised Land
Promised Land is a 1975 album by Elvis Presley.
It was recorded in December 1973 at Stax Records studios in Memphis. These were the last recording sessions that Presley had in Memphis, where his fame began. The material was the second pick as the songs considered strongest had been issued on Good Times. The title track was issued as a single and hit number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK top ten. Source: worldhidtoryproject -
Elvis Presley's final performance
Presley's final performance was in Indianapolis at the Market Square Arena, on June 26, 1977.
According to many of his entourage who accompanied him on tour, it was the "best show he had given in a long time" with "some strong singing". Source: https://worldhistoryproject.org -
Elvis Presley dies at Baptist Memorial Hospital
Presley was found unresponsive on the floor of his suite by fiancée, Ginger Alden, and attempts to revive the singer failed. Death was officially pronounced at 3:30 pm at the Baptist Memorial Hospital.As the news spread around that Elvis was dead, thousands of his dedicated fans flocked to Elvis' home to pay their last respects. As the mourners lined the street outside Graceland a car crashed into the fans and killed two women and injured another.
Source: worldhistoryproject.org