# data[].attributes.headline
Hampton, Wilborn. Up Close Elvis Presley: Rock Legend, Viking Childrens Books, 2007. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Hampton, Wilborn. Up Close Elvis Presley: Rock Legend, Viking Childrens Books, 2007. 

# data[].attributes.headline
In fifth grade, Elvis performed in a school program and sang in front of lots of people. His skills were so impressive, that his teacher placed him in a competition.

# data[].attributes.subject
In fifth grade, Elvis performed in a school program and sang in front of lots of people. His skills were so impressive, that his teacher placed him in a competition.

# data[].attributes.body
https://outsider.com/entertainment/elvis-presley-described-fair-student-heres-why/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Elvis Presley has entered the school building. Before he was a singer, the King of Rock 'n Roll was just a student like any other. Presley did "fair" in school but wasn't exceptional.

Taking a look at Presley's report cards, the singer often made plenty of B's and C's with an occasional A or F thrown into the mix. His grades weren't high enough to turn any heads. But they never bordered on causing the singer to flunk out of school either. For the most part, Presley excelled in English and Literature. He had a lifelong affinity for reading, even after he became famous.

But his typing skills could have used some work. That class earned him a rare F and proved Presley wasn't destined for office work. No, instead, he was on his way to the stage and the limelight. And that was evident even when the musician was still in school. Presley always felt separated from his peers in school, for better but usually worse.

In Fifth Grade, his teacher Mrs. Oleta Grimes entered the singer into a talent show. Presley sang "Old Shep" for audiences. According to Graceland.com, Presley's singing skills earned him fifth place in the contest and won ride tickets at the Mississippi Alabama State Fair. It was Presley's first taste of success at an early age and a moment he never forgot even as he got older.

Elvis Presley and His Peers

For the most part, Elvis Presley rarely ever missed school or was late. In high school, he was occasionally tardy on a few occasions. Also in high school, the singer began to fixate on his looks and clothing more than he had ever before.

School often wasn't kind to Presley. The singer struggled to fit in with the other kids he went to school with. The boy was naturally shy and mostly learned to express himself through music instead. Presley would listen to the Grand Ole Opry radio shows and tried to replicate their sound. He would bring his guitar to school and play it for other students during recess and lunch.

Presley's singing attracted bullies. And during middle school, a group of kids grabbed his guitar and cut the strings off of it. This devastated Presley, but some of his good-hearted classmates took up a collection to buy the singer more strings for the instrument.

After graduating high school, Presley recorded his first songs and began his singing career in earnest.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elvis Presley Was Described as a 'Fair' Student: Here's Why

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Elvis Presley has entered the school building. Before he was a singer, the King of Rock 'n Roll was just a student like any other. Presley did "fair" in school but wasn't exceptional. Taking a look at Presley's report cards, the singer often made plenty of B's and C's with an occasional A or F thrown into the mix.

# data[].attributes.headline
Elvis and his family moved from East Tupelo to Tupelo. This was tough on him, he had to switch schools which meant he was separated from his friends. His enrollment to this new school was rocky since he wasn't exactly accepted among the people.

# data[].attributes.subject
Elvis and his family moved from East Tupelo to Tupelo. This was tough on him, he had to switch schools which meant he was separated from his friends. His enrollment to this new school was rocky since he wasn't exactly accepted among the people.

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 1
"From the start, he was regarded as an outsider by the other kids, not only because he often wore overalls to school but because he lived in a part of Tupelo, which was still racially segregated that was considered 'colored,' as African Americans were politely called at the time." (30)

# data[].attributes.headline
Presley was moving further and further through his musical journey. Through the church, there were a few connections so his mom got him to begin taking guitar lessons. Eventually, he'd play the guitar for his neighbors as well

# data[].attributes.subject
Presley was moving further and further through his musical journey. Through the church, there were a few connections so his mom got him to begin taking guitar lessons. Eventually, he'd play the guitar for his neighbors as well

# data[].attributes.headline
In junior year of high school, Elvis decided to join the Humes football team. Except, this didn't last long since he got bullied and attacked.

# data[].attributes.subject
In junior year of high school, Elvis decided to join the Humes football team. Except, this didn't last long since he got bullied and attacked.

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 2
"Some of the other boys on the team ganged up on him in the locker room, held him down, and were going to cut his hair." (38)

# data[].attributes.headline
Presley knew his passion was music. Although, his music type was underrated at the time. He wanted to make it known to the world and as a start to make his dream come true he showed an interest in that. Although, that was his beginning it was also a sudden end because by the end of the summer he changed his mind and decided he didn't want to be a singer anymore. Or, at least for the time. A recording service was started, which impacts Elvis later on.

# data[].attributes.subject
Presley knew his passion was music. Although, his music type was underrated at the time. He wanted to make it known to the world and as a start to make his dream come true he showed an interest in that. Although, that was his beginning it was also a sudden end because by the end of the summer he changed his mind and decided he didn't want to be a singer anymore. Or, at least for the time. A recording service was started, which impacts Elvis later on.

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 3
"Phillips had started the Memphis Recording Service three years earlier, and in an effort to expand he had launched his own record label-Sun Records-as a side business just a few months previously." (41)

# data[].attributes.headline
One Saturday in August, when Elvis was 18, he came into Sam Phillips studio and wanted to make a record. After being asked a series of questions, he did eventually sing for them. They came to the realization that he has a unique voice, but nothing came of it so far. 

# data[].attributes.subject
One Saturday in August, when Elvis was 18, he came into Sam Phillips studio and wanted to make a record. After being asked a series of questions, he did eventually sing for them. They came to the realization that he has a unique voice, but nothing came of it so far. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Elvis finally graduated from Humes. This was a great achievement, so his parents even went to frame and hang up his diploma. A month after he graduated he started working at M.B. Parker Machinists Shop. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Elvis finally graduated from Humes. This was a great achievement, so his parents even went to frame and hang up his diploma. A month after he graduated he started working at M.B. Parker Machinists Shop. 

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/sam_phillips.html#:~:text=Sam%20Phillips%20released%20five%20Presley,by%20Elvis%20and%20Bill%20Black.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sam Phillips was clearly an important figure in the early career of Elvis Presley. However, the passage of years inevitably resulted in some conflicting memories and interpretations among the handful of witnesses present in the small Memphis studio when Elvis recorded his first records in 1954 and 1955. A shadowy dividing line between legend and reality made the extent of Sam Phillips' influence on the young Elvis a matter of debate. Now, however, a recently published comprehensive biography of Phillips sheds new light on not only his activities but also, more importantly, his motivations while working with Presley during those two critical years.

Author Peter Guralnick says Sam Phillips began telling him his life story on the first day they met in 1979 and kept up a running dialogue with him for almost 25 years until Sam's death in 2003. And, although the voices of others present in those early Presley years are included, what comes through in Guralnick's Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll is principally Sam's vision of his relationship with many recording artists in the era when rhythm and blues gave birth to rock 'n' roll. His work with Elvis lasted a mere 18 months, which in itself begs the question, "How much influence could he really have had on Elvis over such a short period of time?" Guralnick concludes that it was momentous, not only for Elvis, but also for Sam himself and for the color line in popular music. Focusing the discussion on Elvis, here are some of the ways Sam Phillips helped shape the young Elvis Presley, according to Peter Guralnick. (All quotations that follow are from Gurnalnick's book.)

When Elvis entered The Memphis Recording Service for an audition on June 26, 1954, he was a very different singer from those who had come through those doors since Sam Phillips opened the studio in 1950. Not only was he white, but also he sang pop and country ballads, not the rhythm and blues Sam was used to hearing. Still, Sam saw something in him. Guralnick explained:

Sam's sense about Elvis quickly led to a string of crucial events. First Sam called guitarist Scotty Moore and asked him to audition the boy and give an opinion. On July 4, 1954, Elvis, Scotty, and Bill Black met at Scotty's home for a jam session. The next day Scotty told Sam he wasn't blown away by Elvis, "but the boy's got a good voice." Sam responded, "You know, I think I'll just call him, get him to come down to the studio tomorrow-we'll set up an audition and see what he sounds like coming back off of tape."

What happened that night in Sam's tiny studio launched Elvis Presley's career. Would Elvis still have made it without Sam Phillips giving him that first opportunity? Possibly. But it's very possible, too, that the world outside Memphis would never have known the name "Elvis Presley" had Sam not acted on his instinct at that critical moment.

When Sam told Scotty he wanted him and Bill Black to come in for Elvis's audition, Scotty asked if Sam wanted them to bring their band, The Starlight Wranglers. Sam responded, "Just you and Bill, just something for a little rhythm." Scotty and Bill were not great musicians, but Sam knew what he was doing in choosing them.

"He was happy enough with the interaction between the musicians. There was a reason he had chosen them to accompany the boy. Scotty was the best-natured person in the world ... Bill, on the other hand, was a cutup. He was a natural mixer who could get a laugh out of a perfect stranger."

In Elvis, Sam saw a boy of 19, low in confidence and high in insecurity. He knew Scotty and Bill would be sidekicks whose loose demeanors would be a calming influence on Elvis. The trio worked well together in the studio and on the road throughout Elvis's rise to fame, until a breakup over money occurred in 1957.

During all of Elvis' recording sessions in Sam's studio in 1954 and 1955, Sam directed the musicians with a calm hand, while encouraging them to work hard to get results. Sam had been producing records for his Sun label for over three years before Presley walked in the door, and he had developed a style that worked for him.

Guralnick explained that Sam was particularly sensitive concerning Elvis' frame of mind during recording sessions. "He knew that he could never let any doubt intrude into the boy's world ... most of all, Sam was aware, Elvis had to believe in him if he was going to believe in himself."

Sam had one overriding objective for every record he produced-the experience should be fun. "Every time we did a number, I wanted to make sure to the best of my ability that everybody enjoyed it," he explained. If the mood were right, though, Sam pressed the trio to work hard, says Guralnick.

When the Sun single of "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" came out in July 1954, it quickly became the best selling record Sam had ever released. "It was as if he had been caught up in a whirlwind," noted Guralnick. "He put every penny, every ounce of energy he had into the record." Sam went out on the road to pitch the record to radio stations in neighboring states, without much luck at first. He worked his connections in Nashville to get Elvis an appearance on The Grand Ole Opry, just so he could say the boy had worked country music's greatest stage.

Ironically, the success of Elvis' Sun label records caused financial problems for Sam. Some distributors were holding back payment on their Presley record orders, knowing they wouldn't have to pay at all if Sam's tiny company went out of business. Sam also had expenses involved in a Memphis radio station he planned on starting up. His financial troubles made him work even harder to promote the only artist he had who was selling records. "Sam was forced financially to focus on Elvis," Guralnick explained. "He didn't like it, he refused, in fact, to admit it even to himself-he'd be damned if he let himself become known as a one-artist label. But the reality was, he had no choice."

* Sam individualized Elvis' Sun recordings

Sam Phillips released five Presley singles on his Sun label in 1954 and 1955. Today all five are considered classic two-sided records. The two titles on the first single, "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky," were chosen spontaneously in studio by Elvis and Bill Black. The other eight songs that appeared on the following four Sun singles were brought to the studio by Sam Phillips.

Sam resisted the notion of putting out Presley records one after another just to keep the ball rolling. To continue building Elvis' popularity, Sam believed each succeeding single needed to stand on its own and expand the singer's appeal to wider markets. Guralnick explained Sam's approach:

One example was Elvis' third Sun single. It was, Guralnick explained, "a bright country novelty original ('You're a Heartbreaker') Sam had picked up from a theater manager in Covington, Tennessee, and an old blues number, 'Milkcow Blues,' to which Sam appended the word 'Boogie' and got Elvis to add a spoken introduction to the speeded-up boogie part."

Another tune Sam brought in was "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone." Elvis didn't like it; it sounded too straight country to him. Sam brought in a drummer and made other changes to bring it more in line with Elvis'sstyle. "Sam knew he hadn't sold Elvis on the song completely," says Guralnick, "but it was the kind of thing they could use to help diversify his appeal."

Another country tune Elvis resisted became one side of his last Sun single-"I Forgot to Remember to Forget." Again, though, Sam thought it was good to "underscore the breadth of Elvis' talent for distributors and record buyers alike." Sam recalled how he instructed the drummer to make the song more appealing to Elvis. "'What I want you to do is do your rims hot snare on the offbeat, but keep it four-four until we go into the chorus. Then you go in and go with the bass beat at two-four.' And by doing that, it sounds like 'I Forgot' is twice as fast as it really is. And Elvis really loved it then."

Sam called "Mystery Train," the other side of that final Sun single, "the greatest thing he had ever done on Elvis." According to Guralnick, "Sam knew, with Elvis' acoustic guitar just ringing out and driving the rhythm and a sense of spontaneity so unforced that at the end you can hear Elvis laughing ... It was, in Sam's mind, the very essence of perfect imperfection."

But Sam added a new aspect of sound to "Mystery Train" by asking for a primitive "mix" of the recording. Guralnick explained:

Sam Phillips summarized his company's alarming financial status to his brother Jud in a letter dated January 28, 1955:

"Sun's liabilities are three times the assets and ... I have been making every effort possible to keep it out of bankruptcy. As you know well, we have had only Presley, and with his Union contract of 3% of the 89¢ price, plus the fact that the songs cost 4¢ per record, it has been virtually impossible to make anything ... Anybody less interested in saving face would have given it up long ago, but I intend to pay every dollar the company owes ... even while I know that there is no possible way to even get out with a dollar."

Even though Presley's records continued to sell well (an estimated 100,000 copies in 1955), Sam could see no way out of his money problems unless Sun could develop other artists who could sell records like Elvis. He had singers waiting in the wings, but he lacked the resources to record and promote them. He couldn't even pay Elvis the record royalties he owed him. Slowly, insidiously, the temptation of selling Elvis' contract crept into his mind. During the year, he had turned down offers from the MGM, Dot, and Mercury labels. Then, on October 24, 1955, Sam received the following telegram from Colonel Tom Parker:

Sam was angry at first, partly because he couldn't stand Tom Parker. But he knew this was the only way to keep his company going. Desperately needing an influx of cash, he called Parker and set the price for Elvis' contract at $35,000, plus $5,000 to pay Elvis for back record royalties. Parker got RCA to pony up the money, and Sam Phillips officially severed his ties with Elvis Presley during a ceremony in the Sun studio on November 21, 1955.

As Elvis prepared to move forward in his career, Sam Phillips offered him the following words of counsel, paraphrased by Gurnalnick: "Don't ever stop believing in yourself, he told Elvis. Don't ever let anyone make you doubt what you know to be true. They'll throw all this shit at you, but you let them know what you feel and what you want to do. Just be prepared to 'go down trying, and if you do, I'll guarantee you're going to change some things.'"

As for Sam Phillips, he then had the resources to continue following his dream of promoting Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and other little known singers who, seeking to have their voices heard, came to the door of his Memphis studio after Elvis left the building. All of those stories are also included in Peter Guralnick's Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll. - Alan Hanson | © February 2016

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sam Phillips' Impact on Elvis Presley at Sun Records

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sam Phillips was clearly an important figure in the early career of Elvis Presley. However, the passage of years inevitably resulted in some conflicting memories and interpretations among the handful of witnesses present in the small Memphis studio when Elvis recorded his first records in 1954 and 1955.

# data[].attributes.headline
In 1954, when Elvis was about 19, he met a girl named Dixie Locke and fell in love with her. He attended a bible study, and she noticed him. She was 15 at the time

# data[].attributes.subject
In 1954, when Elvis was about 19, he met a girl named Dixie Locke and fell in love with her. He attended a bible study, and she noticed him. She was 15 at the time

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 4
"Dixie Locke first noticed the shy boy with the droopy eyes and pouting lips that were always just about to break into a smile." (45)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.elvis.com.au/movies/elvis-employment-history.shtml#:~:text=This%20time%20he%20was%20sent,he%20could%20'keep%20clean'.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elvis Pesley’s Employment History | Elvis’ Movies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The summer of Elvis’ freshman year of high school, his dad Vernon bought him a push lawn mower. With the mower and a couple of sickles, Elvis and his three buddies - Buzzy Forbes, Farley Guy and Paul Dougher - started a lawn business. They charged $4.00 per yard. This was the beginning of the workin…

# data[].attributes.body
https://elvis-news.com/2021/06/23/review-elvis-presleys-first-girlfriend-dixie-locke-shares-her-personal-love-story-with-elvis-in-new-book/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Review: Elvis Presley’s first girlfriend, Dixie Locke, shares her personal love story with Elvis in new book

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In May 2021, over 65 years after she dated Elvis Presley, Dixie Locke Emmons finally published her personal account of her one-and-a-half year relationship with Elvis. Considered Presley&#8217…

# data[].attributes.headline
Dixie went with Elvis to his audition for Eddie Bond.  He sang two songs and played his guitar, but he did end up getting rejected

# data[].attributes.subject
Dixie went with Elvis to his audition for Eddie Bond.  He sang two songs and played his guitar, but he did end up getting rejected

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 5
"Elvis never told Dixie what bond said, and she didn't ask. But it was clear Elvis was dejected." (51)

# data[].attributes.headline
After that failed audition, he was told that he'd never be a singer and to keep driving a truck for his job as he's been doing. He started looking into jobs and was trying to become an electrician, although his singing hopes weren't fully dimmed. 

# data[].attributes.subject
After that failed audition, he was told that he'd never be a singer and to keep driving a truck for his job as he's been doing. He started looking into jobs and was trying to become an electrician, although his singing hopes weren't fully dimmed. 

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 6
"Despite the failed audition, he still nourished his dream of becoming a singer. He even carried his guitar with him on his delivery rounds." (51)

# data[].attributes.headline
The studio owner that had previously dejected Elvis, Sam Phillips, had been in need of a singer and thought of Elvis to fit that role. He did end up calling him and meeting.

# data[].attributes.subject
The studio owner that had previously dejected Elvis, Sam Phillips, had been in need of a singer and thought of Elvis to fit that role. He did end up calling him and meeting.

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 7
"At the end of the session, nothing was said about what might happen next. Sam thanked Elvis. He thought that they just hadn't found the right song for his voice. But the voice haunted him. Elvis was happy that someone has listened to him." (53)

# data[].attributes.headline
A 21-year-old guitarist, Scotty, had called up Elvis after hearing of him from Sam Phillips. They had met up but him and his band mate Bill didn't see much in him.

# data[].attributes.subject
A 21-year-old guitarist, Scotty, had called up Elvis after hearing of him from Sam Phillips. They had met up but him and his band mate Bill didn't see much in him.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sam decided that they couldn't end there and needed to set up a session for them. Days after days they had more and more sessions and recorded lots. They continuously sang and recorded more and more. Eventually, Phillips decided it was enough.

# data[].attributes.subject
Sam decided that they couldn't end there and needed to set up a session for them. Days after days they had more and more sessions and recorded lots. They continuously sang and recorded more and more. Eventually, Phillips decided it was enough.

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 8
"Despite their lack of enthusiasm, Sam wanted to set up a session for the three of them the next night." (54)

# data[].attributes.headline
Phillips had shown Dewey a recording of Presley's voice and he decided that it was exactly what he wanted. Eventually, Sam had called Elvis to play his singing for a broadcast. The entire Presley family was ecstatic, these were amazing news for them.

# data[].attributes.subject
Phillips had shown Dewey a recording of Presley's voice and he decided that it was exactly what he wanted. Eventually, Sam had called Elvis to play his singing for a broadcast. The entire Presley family was ecstatic, these were amazing news for them.

# data[].attributes.body
https://memphismusichalloffame.com/inductee/deweyphillips/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The radio show was a hit from the start. It was called Red, Hot and Blue, and the name stuck, suggesting as much as anything the untrammeled feeling that Dewey Phillips brought to the music.

# data[].attributes.headline
The entire time that Elvis was thriving, Dixie had been on a vacation with her family in Florida. He didn't have her phone number, but he sent a telegram to her cousin's address but she had no clue what was happening. When Dixie returned, everything was noticeably different. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The entire time that Elvis was thriving, Dixie had been on a vacation with her family in Florida. He didn't have her phone number, but he sent a telegram to her cousin's address but she had no clue what was happening. When Dixie returned, everything was noticeably different. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Sam had a arranged a huge performance for Elvis. He was meant to appear at a concert at Overton Park. This was great for him. He was insanely anxious though, which was visible even to Dixie. It ended up being a raging success as the crowd went wild for him.

# data[].attributes.subject
Sam had a arranged a huge performance for Elvis. He was meant to appear at a concert at Overton Park. This was great for him. He was insanely anxious though, which was visible even to Dixie. It ended up being a raging success as the crowd went wild for him.

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 9
"The other big engagement that Sam had been working on was for Elvis to appear at an outdoor concert being organized by Bob Neal, another disc jockey in Memphis, for a big amphitheater in Overton Park at the end of the month." (63)

# data[].attributes.headline
Overtime, Dixie started to realize that her and Elvis probably wouldn't work. Although he was doing what he loved, she realized she was gradually losing him to his fans. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Overtime, Dixie started to realize that her and Elvis probably wouldn't work. Although he was doing what he loved, she realized she was gradually losing him to his fans. 

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 10
"Dixie had been looking forward to her and Elvis's first Christmas together. But Elvis didn't arrive home from the weekly Hayride show until Christmas Eve, and then he told Dixie he had to leave the day after Christmas for an appearance at the Houston Hoe-down." (77)

# data[].attributes.body
https://directtrafficsolutions.com/elvis-presley-was-a-truck-driver-too/#:~:text=After%20graduation%2C%20Elvis%20took%20after,how%20to%20drive%20a%20truck.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elvis Presley Was a Truck Driver, Too - Direct Traffic Solutions

# data[].attributes.headline
Bob Neal had set up an audition in New York for Elvis, Scotty, and Bill for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. This took place in March 1955. They were turned down, but even years later Elvis still would bring it up.

# data[].attributes.subject
Bob Neal had set up an audition in New York for Elvis, Scotty, and Bill for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. This took place in March 1955. They were turned down, but even years later Elvis still would bring it up.

# data[].attributes.headline
Colonel Tom Parker was telling Elvis that he doesn't believe his partnership with Sun Records will get him anywhere. Eventually, the contract had  run out and Tom had owned him now. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Colonel Tom Parker was telling Elvis that he doesn't believe his partnership with Sun Records will get him anywhere. Eventually, the contract had  run out and Tom had owned him now. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Elvis flew to Hollywood and shot to make his first movie. Colonel Parker had signed for him to do a movie at 20th Century Fox. This movie was a Civil War-era movie. Past this, this fame just kept increasing and increasing and he got more and more successful.

# data[].attributes.subject
Elvis flew to Hollywood and shot to make his first movie. Colonel Parker had signed for him to do a movie at 20th Century Fox. This movie was a Civil War-era movie. Past this, this fame just kept increasing and increasing and he got more and more successful.