Everybody knows Elvis. The cigar in the mouth, the casual way of being, the intense look, the captivating charm. In one word: passionant. Behind the music lays the man that attracted millions of fans over the world, creating an espiral of followers without precedents. The man that would be recognised, years later, as one of the greatest 20th-century popular culture icon.
“The thing I like about success is to know that you’ve got so many friends. A lot of real close friends that I’ve made since I’ve been in the business.”
Elvis’s life was intense as a coaster: he began his carrer in 1954, working with Sun Records owner Sam Philips.
Presley’s first RCA single, “Heartbreack Hotel”, released in January 1956, was a number-one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records.
I don’t read any of the books that other people read. I read a lot of philosophy and some poetry. That type of stuff interests me.
As we said in the beginning, everybody knew Elvis, since that old times: his energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love me Tender.
It would be in 1973 when prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and it would be in 1977 when he would die at the age of 42.
He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including
Country, pop, ballads, gospel and blues: he sang all these music styles without blink. This fact contributed to become the best selling solo artist in the history of popular music.
Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36.
Today, Elvis would be 77 years old but destiny has chosen form him a perpetual youth.
Halls of fame are now enrichen by Elvis’ light for eternity.
