Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. At the age of 10 he got his first used guitar. In 1948 the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. The young Elvis at that time went to the Assemblies of God and there he was particularly influenced by blues music but also by gospel.

On July 18, 1953, Presley paid $3.25 to record a disc at Sun Studios with the songs My Happiness and That’s When Your Heartaches Begin. Presley gave this record to his mother as a birthday present.

He returned to Sun Studios on January 4, 1954 and paid $8.25 to record a second disc with the songs I’ll Never Stand in Your Way and It Wouldn’t Be the Same Without You. The founder of the small recording studio, Sam Philips, and his partner, Marion Keister, invite him to the studio for an audition.

Elvis played with Scott Moore and Bill Black (later The Jordanaires) and released it on July 19, 1954. The record became a hit and Presley’s fame began to spread, despite any protests surrounding his music. His career began to take on national proportions when on January 28, 1956, he and Moore, Black and D. J. Fontana made their first televised appearance on Stage Show, in a run of eight appearances.

A historic moment for Elvis’ career and path was his meeting with Colonel Tom Parker. Parker moved Presley from Sun Studios to RCA Records, where his first single, Heartbreak Hotel, quickly sold a million copies.

Parker did everything to promote Presley even more, signing a series of television appearances and a seven-year contract with a film studio, for participation in films Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, etc.

On December 20, 1957, Presley was called up for his mandatory military service in the US Army. On March 24, 1958, he duly reported to his unit in Friedberg, Germany, where he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, the girl he would later marry.

Presley’s star had begun to flicker during his seven-year film career. He himself was particularly disappointed with the course his career had taken. This led him to a taped concert later dubbed the “‘68 Comeback Special“, broadcast by NBC on December 3, 1968. Although he did not have the huge budget of his motion pictures, Presley managed to squeeze out a performance of emotional grandeur out of it , with performances that brought him back to his rock and roll roots.

After seven years off the charts, Presley’s song “Suspicious Minds” reached number 1 on the US Billboard on November 1, 1969. From 1969 to 1971, he would dominate record sales in many countries, with 20 consecutive hits.

After a decade of motion pictures, the 1970s marked the artist’s return to a purely musical career.

Despite the successes, and especially after his divorce in 1973, Presley began to become increasingly distant and constantly put on weight, while also struggling with his addiction to prescription drugs, which took a toll on his appearance as well as his performance. on the music.

1977 found Presley battling himself, as he had become a caricature of himself a few years earlier. Chronic use of prescription drugs took a serious toll on his health. He died in 1977 at his estate, Greeceland, aged 42.

Presley was a baritone with a multi-toned voice. It covered 2.3 octaves, with the middle octave being most ideal. His voice reminded many of those of rhythm and blues and gospel singers, whose musical steps he himself followed.

In addition to Presley’s other achievements, he is also one of four artists (the other three being Roy Orbison, Guns n’ Roses and Nelly) to have two albums in the top five on the same chart. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame. In 1993, Elvis’ likeness appeared on a US postage stamp, and his Memphis home has been designated a national monument.

In addition to his musical legacy, Elvis also left us many witty sayings, a testament to his intelligence and complex personality. Here we host some of them:

• If you let your head get too big, it’ll break your neck.
• Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t going away.
• It’s more important to try to surround yourself with people who can give you a little happiness. 
• Computers may out think us one day, but as long as people got feelings we’ll be better than they are​​​​​​​.
• Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over​​​​​​​.
• It’s human nature to gripe, but I’m going ahead and doing the best I can​​​​​​​.