ELVIS


1935-1977

Elvis Aron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, He was a twin, but his brother Jesse Garon, was born dead. His early musical influences crossed both lines, from traditional white country artists like Roy Acuff and Jimmie Rodgers, to the sounds of the blues coming from BB King and Howlin' Wolf. Elvis took these styles to make his own. When Elvis was 13 his family moved from Tupelo to Memphis, at 426 Alabama St. He got a $13 guitar as a present and it soon became his prized possession, rarely being without it, Elvis copied the songs he heard on the radio, and from records. He left school in 1953 and took a job at Crown Electric, making $1.25 an hour driving trucks. One day Elvis stopped by Sam Phillips recording studio, to make a record for his mother, it cost him $4.00, and was the very beginning of his fame. He recorded "My Happiness" and "that's where Your Heartache Begins". Sam Phillips had always wanted a "White boy who could sing black" and Elvis was his answer, Elvis' first few tries in the studio were a disaster, but Phillips found a good combination, when he teamed up Elvis with Scotty Moore and Bill Black. The trio called the "Blue Moon Boys" met at Scottys house one afternoon and developed the style that would make history. Elvis signed to Sam Phillips Sun Label on July 19, 1954, for three years. They started recording a few songs at the studio, but it wasn't until they started playing "That's All Right" that Phillips took notice of what he had. He insisted they play it again, with the tape rolling, and the test record that resulted was played on local station WHBQ, by Dewey Phillips. The audience assumed that Elvis was black because of his sound, but the truth was learned when the huge audience reaction forced Elvis into the studio for an interview. By the end of the week Phillips had an order of 5,000 records to fill for a record he hadn't yet pressed. By the next week the song was well on its way to selling 20,000 copies. Elvis was on his way to stardom.





I've travelled miles to get to Memphis