Biography
Overview
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in a two-room shotgun house in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn; Elvis grew up an only child, unusually close to his mother Gladys. The family was poor; Vernon Presley went to prison briefly for check fraud. They moved to Memphis when Elvis was thirteen, settling in public housing, and it was there that his musical education began in earnest, the white country music on the radio, the Black gospel and blues he heard on Beale Street and in the churches, the passion that made him feel something burning inside him. He was shy, an outsider, but something happened when he picked up a guitar. In 1954, he walked into Sam Phillips' Sun Records to record a song for his mother.
Elvis’s world, year by year
19351977
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Dated facts
Account · checked against Wikipedia Read the source
- 1935Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys and Vernon Presley; his twin Jesse Garon was stillborn.
- 1954His family moved to Memphis when he was 13, and he began his music career in 1954 at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips.
- 1955In 1955 RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager.
- 1956His first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a US number-one hit.
- 1956He made his film debut in Love Me Tender in November 1956 and bought his Memphis mansion, Graceland, on March 19, 1957.
- 1958Drafted into the US Army on March 24, 1958, he met Priscilla Beaulieu in Germany; they married on May 1, 1967.
- 1968His 1968 NBC comeback special led to a Las Vegas residency, and in 1973 his Aloha from Hawaii concert was broadcast worldwide.
- 1977His health badly damaged by substance abuse, he died at Graceland on August 16, 1977, aged 42.
Alive at the same time
Overlap Same years; not influence
Wars during this life
- World War II
- Indo-Pakistani Wars
- Vietnam War
- First Sudanese Civil War
- Angolan War of Independence
- Portuguese Colonial Wars
Sources
Primary works and follow-on reading.
Primary Sources
- Sun Records sessions (1954-1955)
- Elvis Presley (1956) and early RCA recordings
- ’68 Comeback Special (NBC, 1968)
- Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite (1973)
- Feature films and concert footage
- Reference profile for Elvis Presley
Further Reading
- Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley - Peter Guralnick
- Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley - Peter Guralnick
- Elvis Presley: A Southern Life - Joel Williamson
- Elvis: My Best Man - George Klein (memoir/perspective)
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Elvis Presley.
Who was Elvis Presley?
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in a two-room shotgun house in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn; Elvis grew up an only child, unusually close to his mother Gladys. The family was poor; Vernon Presley went to prison briefly for check fraud. They moved to Memphis when Elvis was thirteen, settling in public housing, and it was there that his musical education began in earnest, the white country music on the radio, the Black gospel and blues he heard on Beale Street and in the churches, the passion that made him feel something burning inside him. He was shy, an outsider, but something happened when he picked up a guitar. In 1954, he walked into Sam Phillips' Sun Records to record a song for his mother.
What was Elvis Presley best known for?
Elvis is best known as a artist. American singer and cultural icon known as the King of Rock and Roll who transformed popular music and performance.
When did Elvis Presley live?
Elvis lived 1935-1977 CE, born in 1935 and died in 1977, during the contemporary period.
Can I chat with an AI version of Elvis Presley?
Yes, free. Anyone can ask Elvis, and a first question needs no account. Every answer is a Simulation in character, grounded in Elvis’s real life, work and era. A good first question is: "How do I get past stage fright and actually connect with the audience?"
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What Elvis is best at.
- Performance & Stagecraft: Finding presence, pacing, and set dynamics that move audiences.
- Brand & Image: Aligning look, media, and music without losing authenticity.
- Cross-Genre Fusion: Blending gospel, blues, and country into a cohesive sound.
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“Elvis Presley.” HistorIQly. https://historiqly.com/ai-historical-figures/elvis-presley/
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