Popular music history was made in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. Elvis Aaron Presley was born on that January day. This young boy would grow up to create rock and roll and develop into one of the most popular American singers in record history. Elvis was called the "King of Rock and Roll" and it was a name that was well earned.
Elvis was merely 19 years old when he sang on his initial record for Sam Phillips, proprietor of Sun Records.
In the early 50's, Sam Phillips was attempting to make the recordings of African American artists more accessible to a white audience. That's when he enrolled this skinny kid with the pompadour haircut and odd-sounding name. With back up provided by musician Scotty Moore and fellow musician Bill Black, Elvis was one of the original popular artists to convey rockabilly. This was a brash, up tempo, strong backbeat combo of country music and rhythm and blues. It was a big hit right out of the gate.
A unique Elvis Presley vinyl chart buster was close to never being recorded. During a respite from a 1954 music session, Elvis started fiddling around with the song "That's Alright Mama". The band joined in on the fun. Happily, an engineer had the good sense to snap on the record button and forever lock this immortal session onto the first of lots of vinyl records sold by Elvis. The early Sun Records made by Elvis have become a prized possession for many collectors.
Elvis didn't stick around Sun Records for long. Due to the wider range of RCA, Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker thought they should partner up with the new record company. The Elvis and RCA collaboration endured for two decades and spawned an amazing number of vinyl records. 1956 was the year that "Heartbreak Hotel", the first RCA hit, was released. 1956 was also the year Elvis had another number one hit and a number one film, both called Love Me Tender.
It only took a wiggle from the King to send teenage girls passing out and parents going nuts. It was Elvis' tour of duty in the army which actually transformed Elvis into an even bigger star. The Colonel didn't protest and in fact declared that Elvis should earnestly do his part. He also checked that he had many songs stockpiled in advance. When he got home from the service, Elvis' popularity grew again.
Elvis remained a popular performer until he died in 1973 at just 42 years old.
SoundStage Direct, LLC is an online independent store based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. SSD has the largest selection of Elvis Presley vinyl online. You don't want to miss amazing closeout deals available at our LP outlet! We have vinyl records for everyone and a variety of genres and formats available and ready to be shipped at your doorstep.
Seth Frank
SoundStage Direct, LLC
No comments:
Post a Comment