History Music / ElvisPresley

* MrFanservice: The sheer amount of sex appeal he was known for projecting on stage, and the sheer number of adoring female (and male) fans, was enough to make the FBI call him ''"[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI_files_on_Elvis_Presley a danger to the security of the United States]]."''

His only child and heir was Music/LisaMariePresley (1968-2023), and her daughter Creator/RileyKeough is his eldest and most well known grandchild.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most influential and iconic American singers of the 20th century, selling over a billion records worldwide. Want to know just how legendary he is? Ask most any foreign national to name something about America, and they'll likely say "Elvis".

* 1966 - ''Film/ParadiseHawaiianStyle''

* 1966 - ''Paradise, Hawaiian Style''

* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: His last few narrative films made an admirable effort to avoid the frothy comedy[=/=]musical formula that had been run into the ground after ''G.I. Blues'', though with mixed results. ''Stay Away, Joe'' dealt with life on a reservation, ''Live a Little, Love a Little'' is sort of a light attempt at a SexComedy, ''Charro'' is a faux SpaghettiWestern (where he famously only sings the title song), ''The Trouble with Girls'' is a PeriodPiece {{Dramedy}} about a traveling Chatauqua show in TheRoaringTwenties, and ''Film/ChangeOfHabit'' tries to be a socially-relevant {{Drama}}.

** Among his movies, there was ''G.I. Blues'' (the first frothy musical comedy with Elvis basically just playing himself, which became the main formula), ''Film/BlueHawaii'' again (back to the formula after the AcclaimedFlop receptions ''Flaming Star'' and ''Wild in the Country'' got, with the added bonus of an exotic locale), ''Film/KissinCousins'' (the basic formula, but on a much lower budget with a gimmicky plot and a tone that feels more like a feature-length {{Sitcom}} episode, which would carry over into his next few years of movies), ''Charro!'' (his first {{Western}} since ''Flaming Star'', heralding a change to {{Drama}}s with a only a handful of songs) and ''Elvis: That's the Way It Is'' (ConcertFilm).

** Jackie Gleason was a producer for ''Stage Show'', where Elvis made his debut on national TV in 1956. Allegedly, Gleason said of Presley afterwards: "He can't last, I'll tell you flatly, he can't last."

!! Films and television series about Elvis Presley:

* ''Film/BubbaHoTep'' (2002): A comedy implying Elvis is still alive.

-->''[[ThatsAllFolks Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building]].''

* WhatSongWasThisAgain: "It's Now or Never" and "Surrender" borrow the melodies of the Neapolitan classics "O Sole Mio" ("My Sunshine") and "Torna a Surriento" ("Come Back to Sorrento"), but the lyrics don't come anywhere close to being translations. The Italian originals are both about the natural beauty around the Gulf of Naples mixed with romantic sentiments ("O Sole Mio" is basically a SillyLoveSong, "Torna a Sorrento" is about TheOneThatGotAway).

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved with his family to Memphis, UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} in his teens. There he began his professional singing career, signing his first contract in 1954 with Music/SamPhillips, the owner of Sun Records, who teamed him with two other musicians, guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. (They were later joined by drummer DJ Fontana.) Elvis himself often played guitar. These legendary early sessions can be enjoyed on the compilation album ''Music/TheSunSessions'' from 1976.

During TheFifties, several popular artists had combined [[CountryMusic Country]] and {{Blues}} influences to make RockAndRoll, but the genre really took off with Presley's breakthrough in 1956. The 21-year-old Presley stood out with his energetic performances, distinctive singing voice, influence from black musicians, and his often-controversial sex appeal. MoralGuardians were shocked by some of his dance moves, particularly his tendency to shake his hips. Teenagers, of course, loved him. He took a break from making music from 1958 to 1960 to serve in the military, and then returned, more popular than ever. Many future rock stars were directly inspired by him to take up music, including Music/TheBeatles, Music/RoyOrbison, and Music/BruceSpringsteen.

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved with his family to Memphis, UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} in his teens. There he began his professional singing career, signing his first contract in 1954 with Music/SamPhillips, the owner of Sun Records, who teamed him with two other musicians, guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. (They were later joined by drummer DJ Fontana.) Elvis himself often played guitar. The legendary sessions can be enjoyed on the compilation album ''Music/TheSunSessions'' from 1976.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elvis-presley-a.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Thank you. Thank you very much."'']]

He then made a CareerResurrection in 1968 with his first live performance in seven years, on a massively-watched show called ''Music/{{Elvis|NBCTVSpecial}}''. On the back of this, he returned to being a rock star, releasing more albums and taking several successful tours in the US at the turn of TheSeventies. The last great moment of his career was ''Aloha from Hawaii'' in 1973, the world's first satellite-televised rock concert. Thereafter, his health (and the quality of his concerts) deteriorated significantly due to his battle with prescription drug abuse. On August 16, 1977, Presley died in Graceland, his mansion in Memphis. He was reading in his bathroom that night before he could begin another tour in Maine. Presley suffered a heart attack and his body was found several hours later. He was 42 years old.

-->--'''Music/JohnLennon'''