RISMEDIA, July 30, 2007—Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. Now a cultural icon, he made his first public performance in 1954.
At the Overton Park Shell, Presley, accompanied by Winfield “Scotty” Moore (electric guitar) and Bill Black (slap bass) performed, billed as The Blue Moon Boys, with Slim Whitman headlining. Presley was apparently so nervous during this show that his legs shook uncontrollably. His wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing the young women in the audience to go ‘crazy’. Presley is said to have had little understanding about what caused the fans to scream, but he would consciously incorporate similar movements into future shows.
Did You Also Know That Elvis Presley:
– Appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, on October 2. He performed “Blue Moon of Kentucky” but received only a polite response. Afterwards, the singer was allegedly told: “Boy, you’d better keep driving that truck.”
– Elvis is known simply as Elvis; and also “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, or simply “The King”.
– Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat.
– His novel versions of existing songs, mixing ‘black’ and ‘white’ sounds, made him popular – and controversial – as did his uninhibited stage and television performances.
– He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog” later embodying the style.
– To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into three separate music ‘Halls of Fame’ genres.
– Presley made thirty-three movies, the majority during the 1960s, but he made a critically-acclaimed return to live music in 1968, followed by performances in Las Vegas and across the U.S.
– Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and records sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music.
Source: wikipedia.org.
