All about Elvis

The man they call "The King" came from humble beginnings. Born in 1935 in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was destined to become the biggest musical icon of the 20th century.

However, during his formative years the Presley household struggled to make ends meet. Elvis came from a close-knit family and was devoted to his mother Gladys. His father Vernon served eight months in jail for forging an $8 (Dh29.50) cheque when Elvis was just three.

After coming second in a singing contest at the age of 10, Elvis was given his first guitar the following year. The musical gift became Elvis's constant accessory in his teenage years.

A move to Memphis for better prospects proved to be a blessing. Life wasn't easy, with the Presley family living in public housing and Elvis maintaining various after-school jobs to help support his parents. But it was at this time that Elvis began hanging around Beale Street, home of the blues, and immersing himself in music, whether it was listening to BB King performing live or spending hours savouring new releases in record store listening booths.

At 18, Elvis recorded his first acetate demo through the Memphis Recording Service at the Sun Record Company, now known as Sun Studios, for just $3.98 (Dh14.50). He gave it to his mother as a belated birthday present and recorded a second in January 1954. This time, Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Studios, was present and became intrigued by Elvis's unusual look and sound. He teamed the singer up with electric guitarist Winfield "Scotty" Moore and bassist Bill Black and the trio began playing music together. In one session, Elvis started "acting the fool" and hit upon a new take on Arthur Crudup's That's All Right.

They recorded it immediately, and two days later it was played on WHBQ radio station. The song proved a winner and within a week, 6,000 advance copies of the single were ordered from Sun Studios before its release on July 19, 1954.

Frenzy

A performance soon after at the Overton Park Shell saw Elvis apparently so nervous that his legs shook uncontrollably, sending young female audience members into a frenzy. Elvis said, in a 1972 documentary, Elvis On Tour: "The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about. I didn't realise that my body was moving. It's a natural thing to me. So, to the manager backstage, I said 'What'd I do? What'd I do?' And he said: 'Whatever it is, go back and do it again'."

Following an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry radio show, Elvis, Moore and Black performed for its competitor, Louisiana Hayride, leading to a weekly gig for a year reaching 13 states.

During this time, Elvis met "Colonel" Tom Parker who became his manager. With RCA Victor records buying his contract for $35,000 (Dh128,500), Elvis used his $5,000 (Dh18,360) advance to buy his mother a pink Cadillac.

The new rage

Elvis's popularity soared and his sexy moves and boundless energy caused him to be deemed the "new rage". His breakthrough came in 1956 when, at 21, Elvis enjoyed his first Billboard pop singles chart No 1 with Heartbreak Hotel. The album Elvis Presley hit the top spot for 10 weeks reaching more than $1 million (Dh3.67 million) in sales and going gold. And his first film Love Me Tender recouped its $1 million (Dh3.67 million) costs in just three days.

But, like any rising star, Elvis attracted criticism. Dubbed "Elvis the Pelvis" by religious leaders, even Frank Sinatra said: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac... It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people." He would later change his tune.

Graceland

By the end of 1956, sales of Elvis merchandise reached $22 million (Dh80.8 million). In 1957, Elvis bought Graceland, a 14-acre mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Film work continued with Loving You and Jailhouse Rock and Elvis hit the top of the pop charts five times with Too Much, All Shook Up, Teddy Bear, Jailhouse Rock and Don't.

Then came national service, which began in Fort Hood Texas in 1958. He took emergency leave, however, in August when his mother became ill with hepatitis. Her death, days after he arrived at her bedside, was a blow Elvis later described as the "greatest tragedy" of his life.

While posted in Germany, Elvis first began taking amphetamines. At the same time he met Priscilla Beaulieu, only 14-and-a-half at the time. By the time she was 18 she had moved into Graceland and the pair married in Las Vegas just before her 22nd birthday.

On his return from the army in 1960, Elvis went back into the studio to record the critically acclaimed album Elvis Is Back!. But it was Elvis's desire to be taken seriously as an actor that led him to concentrate on movies. Critics panned his films but fans loved them at a time when Elvis was not performing live.

Increasingly dissatisfied with his career, the singer returned to form in 1968 - the year his daughter Lisa Marie was born - with comeback special, Elvis, aired in December. The show, hailed a triumph, paved the way for his finest music, including In The Ghetto and Suspicious Minds, and years of sell-out tours.

In 1973, Elvis made history with Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii which was broadcast to more than 1 billion people all over the world.

Decline

But with his divorce that year, poor management, debts and health problems, the star began his decline. By 1977, Elvis had become obese, struggled to fulfil tour obligations and began to disappoint fans with his abridged and, at times, incoherent concerts.

He was just 42 when he suffered a massive heart attack and was found dead in his bathroom at Graceland by his girlfriend Ginger Alden on August 16, 1977.

As shock waves went around the world at news of his death, Elvis's legacy was only just becoming understood. At a glance, the icon achieved 18 No 1 singles; 10 of his 90 albums topped the album charts; he won three Grammy awards; and starred in 33 films.

1935
On January 8, Elvis Aaron Presley is born shortly before dawn in Tupelo, Mississippi, US. His identical twin, Jessie Garon, is stillborn moments before him in the house built by his father and uncle.

1946
The young Elvis receives his first guitar, bought by his parents for $12.95 (Dh47.50) from the Tupelo Hardware Company.

1953
Elvis graduates from high school and makes an acetate demo through the Memphis Recording Service at the Sun Record Company, now known as Sun Studios, for $3.98 (Dh14.50). The first double-sided acetate features My Happiness and That's When Your Heartaches Begin and the second, recorded a few days before his 19th birthday, showcases I'll Never Stand In Your Way.

1954
Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, arranges for Elvis to meet electric guitarist Winfield "Scotty" Moore and slap bassist, Bill Black. On July 5, the trio record Arthur Crudup's That's All Right which is played on WHBQ radio station two days later and receives overwhelming audience response. Six thousand advance orders for the single are placed with Sun Records within a week.

1955
The 20-year-old singer drives the audience wild on the Louisiana Hayride radio show. In August he signs a one-year contract with Hank Snow Attractions where he meets co-owner "Colonel" Tom Parker who then becomes his manager. Parker negotiates a deal with RCA Victor Records to buy Presley's Sun contract for $35,000 (Dh128,500).

1956
In January, Elvis appears in the first of six Dorsey brothers' Stage Show episodes on television and Heartbreak Hotel is released. Within weeks of his first eponymous album being released in March, Heartbreak Hotel goes to No 1. Elvis goes on to perform in three editions of The Ed Sullivan Show which draws around 55 million views on September 9. On November 16, Elvis's first film, Love Me Tender, is released.

1957
Just after All Shook Up begins a 10-week stretch at No 1 in February, Elvis buys Graceland, which would be his home for the rest of his life.

1958
After being drafted into the army and given a deferment to complete the film King Creole, Elvis trains at Fort Hood in Texas for six months. He returns to Memphis on emergency leave in August after his mother Gladys becomes ill with acute hepatitis. She dies shortly after he arrives. Elvis is later posted to Friedberg, Germany, for 18 months.

1959
Elvis meets his future wife Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, then aged 14-and-a-half, after her stepfather is posted to Weisbaden Air Force Base, near Friedberg, Germany. They meet through a mutual friend at a party at his house.

1960
In March, Elvis is released from the army. He records It's Now Or Never and Are You Lonesome Tonight, which both go to No 1. That Christmas, Priscilla Beaulieu visits Graceland and moves in the following year.

1961
After a live performance in March, Elvis takes an eight-year hiatus from performing to concentrate on his film career. He earns $1 million (Dh3.67 million) per movie plus a percentage of the gross earnings in the coming years.

1967
Elvis finally marries Priscilla in May at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Tom Parker negotiates a contract with Elvis that gives him 50 per cent of Presley's earnings.

1968
Exactly nine months after the wedding, Elvis and Priscilla have a baby daughter, Lisa Marie, on February 1. In December, Elvis is seen in a well-received television comeback special which gives him the confidence to go back to recording to create From Elvis In Memphis and From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis.

1969
Elvis climbs back to the top of the charts with the single Suspicious Minds.

1970
The singer meets President Richard Nixon at the White House. During a string of sell-out shows, MGM films the documentaries Elvis: That's The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour. The latter goes on to win a Golden Globe for Best Documentary.

1971
The two-room house Elvis was born in opens to the public for tours. Also, a stretch of Highway 51 South, which runs close to Graceland, is officially renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard.

1972
Elvis and Priscilla separate in February and divorce the following year.

1973
Television special Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast live to more than 1 billion people in 40 countries. In November, Elvis goes into hospital in Memphis suffering from pneumonia, pleurisy, an enlarged colon and hepatitis.

1974
His live version of How Great Thou Art wins Elvis a Grammy Award. During this period, Elvis becomes overweight and increasingly reliant on prescription drugs.

1975
Elvis performs a New Year's Eve concert in Pontiac, Michigan, before an audience of 62,000.

1976
Most of the year is spent on tour for Elvis. He meets Ginger Alden in November who becomes his girlfriend until his death.