Preview

Elvis Presley Influence

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
752 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Elvis Presley Influence
Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8th, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, remains one of the most influential musicians in history. He is often regarded as the “King of Rock and Roll” because of his significant impact on music in the 20th century. What people appreciate about Elvis is his ability to bring together varying age groups and ethnicities together through the art of music. By the mid 1950s he appeared on the radio, television, and the silver screen, making “race music” popular. Parents felt reluctant to have their kids listen to his songs or watch his performances; they feared it would morally corrupt them. Presley’s gyrating dance moves were deemed sexually dangerous and an influence on adolescent minds. From the beginning of his life, Elvis Presley lived an action-packed life with many twists and turns. To start with, Presley was supposed to have a twin brother named Jesse, but he, unfortunately, was stillborn for unknown reasons. As Elvis grew older into his childhood, he was what one would consider a “Momma’s Boy”-- he loved her and his father and cherished their presence every day, although they struggled to make ends meet. Music became an influential part …show more content…
To exacerbate the situation even more, making it more destructive and humiliating for Presley-- Priscilla was awarded custody of Lisa Marie. This led to Presley developing a continuously worsening drug addiction to prescription drugs. His addiction made other health conditions worse for him. He had developed heart problems and he started gaining large amounts of weight. In the fall of 1973, he was hospitalized for illnesses relating to his drug use. Obviously while he was in treatment he could not make more music. This led to him having his final concert in June of 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana. After his concert, he headed back peacefully to his mansion in Graceland in
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparing Elvis Presley's Rock And Roll
    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparing Elvis Presley's Rock And Roll

    In the beginning of Rock ‘n’ Roll it was common for white musicians to cover songs that were originally produced and recorded by African American musicians. To cover a song means to reproduce the song by a different artist, other then the original. For example, Hound Dog was originally by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton but Elvis Presley largely popularized it, through his cover. The song, although sung by two different artists, shares several similarities, such as having a similar lyric pattern and similar instrumental techniques. As for differences, when the song is sung by Willie Mae it has more of a blues feeling/rhythm. When Elvis Presley sings the song, it has more of a Rock ‘n’ Roll feeling/rhythm. Also when sung by Elvis, there is a faster…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Elvis Research Paper
    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page

    Elvis Research Paper

    Elvis faced many hardships in his life one of them was racial issues the other where 1.Elvis’s father was in jail when elvis was born, 2.His twin died at birth, 3.his family relied on local donations from the church and neighbors, 4.Elvis was in the army, 5.His mom died when elvis was born…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Elvis's Influence On African American Culture
    • 136 Words
    • 1 Page

    Elvis's Influence On African American Culture

    s major influences were Gospel and the Blues: predominantly African American genres [2]. So here we have this young white performer, often called the "King of Rock and Roll", who is loved by many white Americans, using genres that have their roots in the black community. So basically Elvis, "whose musical and visual performance idiom owed much to African American sources achieved the cultural acknowledgment and commercial success largely denied his black peers." [2] So while Elvis himself was said to be very supportive of the black community, many white Americans still shunned the black community. Hence, the indirect message was 'your contribution only matters if it benefits white Americans.' Not far from a slave owner's mentality: we'll…

    • 136 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Elvis Presley Impact Society
    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did Elvis Presley Impact Society

    In the context of music, there is only a handful who have been legendary enough to be labeled as “kings” of their genre. Two of these include the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Elvis Presley and the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. They revolutionized their respective genres. These music stars are able to boast bold style choices, pragmatic personalities, and multiple award-winning albums and songs. Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, though part of different genres and hailing from different pasts, held strikingly similar methods of pushing boundaries with their music and style.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Elvis Presley Influence Pop Culture
    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Did Elvis Presley Influence Pop Culture

    He put together music from both sides of the color line. Elvis performed this music with a hip swiveling sexuality that made him a teen idol and a role model for generations of cool rebels. He was always dismissed vulgar, incompetent and bad influence. Teenage girls became hysterical over his sexual movements; particularly the one that got him nicknamed “Elvis the Pelvis”. Television cameras were not permitted to film below his waist. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success with other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads, and pop. To this day, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music halls of fame. People today still think that Elvis was the greatest person in the world and he was not. Of course he made good music and had accomplished things that people still haven’t been able to do to this day but he also did a lot of bad things also. He was a prescription drug abuser and even led many women on to think that he really liked them instead of just telling them all the…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Elvis Presley's Impact On Society
    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did Elvis Presley's Impact On Society

    His friends soon realized that he was acting strange and kept getting sicker and sicker. Presley's last live performance was on June 25, 1977. It was said by some that he was stumbling around the stage and at one point ripped his clothing (Elvis Presley). On August 12, 1977, a book, written by three of his bodyguards, was released telling about what they experienced while working with Elvis (Ibid). This was apparently the last straw for Elvis as he was found dead in his bathroom on August 16 (Ibid).…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Elvis Presley Impact Society
    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Did Elvis Presley Impact Society

    Thirty six years after his death, Elvis Aaron Presley, known as the King of Rock and Roll, is thought of as much as if he was yet alive and still successful and making progress. Millions of people pay tribute to Elvis, The King of Rock and Roll, every year during the anniversary of his death, August 16, 1977. Throughout the world, Elvis Presley’s talent, good looks, and compassion have earned the admiration of millions of fans. According to Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., because of his huge success during his career, his image and work are constantly repeated in people’s lives through his impersonators and music by various music artists. John Lennon said, “Before Elvis, there was nothing.” (Logan). Therefore, he had a huge impact for people’s way of life through his determination to succeed through rock and roll music, television experiences, and legacy that he left behind that has inspired others to follow his footsteps that still make him successful today.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    10 Significant People from the 1950s
    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages

    10 Significant People from the 1950s

    Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley was a famous singer and actor. In the 1950s, this was the decade of his debut. He was a success soon after he had just graduated from high school. He had many successes with his albums. People of America were entertained with his concerts and as well as his movies. He also was drafted into the army in the 1950s. As he was in the army, he meets his future wife for the first time. Elvis was a big impact in entertainment throughout the 1950s after his debut in 1953.…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Michael Jackson Influence
    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Michael Jackson Influence

    Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on 1958, and it wasn’t short after that that he would hop onto the fast track to a life chock-full of success, happiness, turbulence, and controversy. At the extremely early age of five, Michael became the lead singer of the legendary Jackson 5, a group consisting entirely of his family members. With being as young as he was, Michael’s vocal work was amazing and he was able to showcase emotions very well. The Jackson 5 was eventually signed under Motown and the Motown music style can be seen as an influence in some of Michael’s later songs. Despite Michael launching his extremely successful solo career at the age of 13, he still continued to work with his family in The Jacksons (renamed from the Jackson 5 after their departure from Motown) and his numerous hit songs helped the group’s popularity even more. It cannot be stressed enough the impact that Michael’s family had on his career. His father’s determination to train his sons and turn the…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Elvis Presley's Influence On American Culture
    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Elvis Presley's Influence On American Culture

    Elvis Presley is considered a legend by many people today. He is commonly referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll.” Elvis has sold over one billion records and has 151 albums and singles (Kemp). Elvis is the artist with the largest number of gold, platinum, and multiplatinum certificates (Kemp). Elvis has performed in many arenas in the United States. Elvis Presley changed the culture of the United States by changing fandom, views on segregation, music, stardom, and fashion. Without Elvis, we would not live in the world we know today.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Elvis Presley Relationship
    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Elvis Presley Relationship

    Elvis Aaron Presley, a Rock-N- Roll icon, was born on January 8, 1935. His parents are Vernon and Gladys Presley. Presley was born a twin, but his identical brother was stillborn. Elvis’s original middle name was Aron to resemble his stillborn twin’s middle name, but he legally changed it to Aaron as a biblical and traditional spelling. In 1953, Elvis cut his first demo at Sun Studio; he also began touring all over America. Born in rural Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis grew to become one of the most famous icons in Rock-N-Roll history (Petersen page 1-2).…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Duke Ellington Influence
    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Duke Ellington Influence

    The Harlem Renaissance(Negro Movement) was during 1919-1929 in Harlem, New York. It was a time when African-Americans where able to express themselves through the arts. African-Americans fled from the south to the north because of unfair treatment. This “culture explosion” let African-Americans share their culture through music, literature, and art. A key figure during this time period is Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington was born April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. He was a famous jazz composer that played an important role in jazz history. He composed many songs on stage and performed at many night clubs. During the Harlem Renaissance African expressed themselves for the first time and Ellington helped in the music area. “Ellington created a blend of melodies, rhythms, and subtle sonic movements it was a complex yet accessible jazz.” As Ellington was conveying his own culture he was putting his own twist on the music.” Ellington became famous in the 1940s for the songs Concerto for Cootie “ , “ Cotton Tail” , and “Ko-Ko”. He also toured Europe twice in the 1930s.” Duke Ellington was part of the Harlem Renaissance because he was a jazz composer and he became famous for his wonderful music he created. He showed others his customs and culture through music. He wasn’t the only one their were many other jazz players during the Harlem Renaissance that wanted to express themselves.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Elvis Presley Racial Struggles
    • 8638 Words
    • 35 Pages

    Elvis Presley Racial Struggles

    Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi to Vernon and Gladys Presley (Elvis 1). From rather humble beginnings, young Presley was always very close to his parents. “He was deeply devoted to his parents, especially his mother Gladys, and was raised to have a strong faith in God” (Elvis 1). “Raised by loving , working-class parents, Presley’s family had little money, and they moved from place to place frequently” (Elvis 1). Despite being rather poor Presley had a wonderful relationship with his parents and although living through such a racist period in our history and in rather racist areas young Presley didn’t allow racism to affect his choices in music. “Elvis had moved to Memphis by his teens, where he absorbed the vibrant melting pot of Southern popular music in the form of blues, country, bluegrass and gospel” (Unterberger 1). Some of these music types mentioned were for specific races only but Presley listened and was influenced by all types of music during his childhood proving that he maintained his love for music despite the criticism he received for doing something a white man should not do. Influence by many major music genres, gospel especially was quite important to young Presley. “Presley attended the Assembly of God Church with his parents, where gospel music became an important influence for him” (Elvis 1). His obvious acceptance of the different types of music helped him changed the minds of many people later during his career because it proved to them that even though Presley was famous for Rock ‘n’ Roll he was also a deeply religious, something many fans were as…

    • 8638 Words
    • 35 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Elvis Presley: A Tragic Hero
    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Elvis Presley: A Tragic Hero

    Imagine what music would be like today without Elvis Presley, particularly rock and roll. We do not have this answer because Elvis created rock and roll. From January 28, 1956 until August 16, 1977 when his life came to a sudden end, he played the music he loved playing and we all enjoyed listening to. Elvis had his up and down like any other person but his burdens were to much for him to handle.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Forrest Gump Movie Analysis
    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Forrest Gump Movie Analysis

    In the movie Elvis Presley comes out, it funny how Forrest inspire Elvis dance move. Which made the king really famous, and in the end they just mention that he had a heart attack which it happen in 1977. Which in reality it doesn’t need to much explanation for the king of blues just that he was the first white person to express himself as a wild person without been judge like the…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics