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Elvis's death and breaking point in history

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Elvis's death and breaking point in history

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He's a legend that changed the world with his music. His death changed nothing but devastated the world. Even after all these years and him being dead he still remains the king of rock and one of the most influential people Americas timeline has ever seen.

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Whether you think of Elvis Presley as the young, energetic singer with the dynamic good looks and gyrating hips that shook the music world in the 1950's, or the more mature Elvis with the long sideburns and sequined jumpsuits who performed in Las Vegas, his career spanned decades. Music fans around the world were devastated by news of his death on August 16th, 1977.

And yet, more than four decades later, the man with the voice and style that changed popular music forever, remains the King of Rock and Roll. Millions around the world still buy his music and hundreds of thousands visit Graceland every year to see where he lived, died, and remains buried today. Elvis is so popular he ranked No. 2 (behind Michael Jackson) on Forbes's list of Highest Paid Celebrities for 2018. The list, released every October, showed Elvis pulling in $40 million last year.

Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee
Courtesy of Elvis Presley Enterprises

How has he remained so deeply ingrained in our hearts, minds, and culture, so many years after his passing?

"He's probably the most important star of all time," notes acclaimed journalist and author, Alanna Nash. "And I'm not the first person to say that. You can't argue with the fact that he not only changed, but directed the course of both popular music and popular culture of the '50's."

The young man from Tupelo, Mississippi burst onto the national scene in 1956 with a style all his own. He moved and danced like no one else before him.

"And he looked like nobody else," says Nash. "He was an incredibly beautiful human being. And when he started moving or singing you really couldn't take your eyes off of him. I think he still matters today because the art is so true."

His art, she says, came from Elvis "just being Elvis. He was so unique his influence can still be felt years later in music, culture, dress, hairstyles, and pop stardom.

"Unlike the stars of today who have managers and choreographers and dressers and people who are assigned for every aspect of what they do, he largely made himself. It was his ideas for what he wore in Vegas, it was his ideas for the music. All of that creativity came from Elvis."

That creativity carried him through the 50's, 60's, and 70's, allowing him to reinvent himself in each decade. Nash says that staying power serves as a huge testament to his depth and truth as an artist. She believes it was the loss of that ability to create that led to him, eventually, losing himself.

"I think his decline came partly because he didn't have many creative challenges. Part of that is because of decisions the Colonel made (his manager Colonel Tom Parker), and part of it is that he couldn't stand to see what he had become. In some ways becoming kind of a caricature of his former self so that he just had to numb himself out.

Nash's journey into trying to understand Elvis began with his death. She was working as the pop music writer for the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal when word broke that he died. She was sent to Graceland to cover his funeral and became the first journalists to view his remains. She would go on to write a series of books on Elvis covering just about every aspect of his life. Two of them serve as book ends of sorts with Elvis and the Memphis Mafia (2005) covering some of the men closest to him, and Baby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him (2010), covering the women.

She also wrote The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley (2003), a deeply-researched book that looked at the mysterious and often controversial figure who managed and controlled Elvis' career.

For the Memphis Mafia book, she spoke with three members of Elvis Presley's entourage - who between them - covered just about every phase of his life, including his cousin, Billy Smith, who was able to detail the early years. Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike painted a vivid portrait of what it was like to live with Elvis through the highs and lows of his life and career, and during the later years as he began to slip away.

"They were haunted by Elvis and how they weren't able to save him," says Nash. "And it was extremely important for them to be able to tell their story because they'd been blamed for letting him die, and they were blamed by fans who thought they were hangers-on when honestly I think he would have died years earlier without that pack of guys around him to bolster him emotionally, save him from overdoses, and rescue him from lots of frightening situations when he was too drugged to realize what he was doing."

Her book Baby, Let's Play House explores his relationships with the women with who touched his life from lovers to friends to family members. It includes interviews with Ann-Margret, Barbara Eden, Cybil Shepherd, and a host of others. It also delves into his extremely close relationship with his mother, Gladys.

"He was really very woman-centered because of his closeness with his mother and the death of his twin at birth," explains Nash. "He was what a psychologist would call 'lethally enmeshed with his mother.' She was always going to be the premiere female figure in his life. But he loved being around female energy and I don't just mean sexual energy. He liked being around young people and he adored those younger fans. It wasn't just 'love me, love me,' he wanted to know what they thought about the music."

And yet, he seemed unable to fully commit to a romantic relationship. Nash recounts a story featured in the book involving an actress named Yvonne Lime.

"She was a starlet and you see her in those pictures when Elvis first bought Graceland and he was showing her around. She said when they were home with Gladys, if Elvis wanted to hold Yvonne's hand, he had to make sure he sat between her and Gladys, so he could hold her hand, too. It was so Gladys wouldn't feel left out. That really says it all to me that he just wasn't psychologically capable of settling down or fully committing himself to anyone."

Her book on the Colonel came after six years of extensive research that began when she started seeking answers to some of the allegations by members of the Memphis Mafia about the way he handled Elvis. There were decisions that didn't make sense, deals made that benefited the Colonel more than Elvis, and questions about his background.

"He was an illegal alien from the Netherlands who never made an attempt to become a U.S. citizen. And, of course, you have to ask why, when he lived here all of these years. He never stepped foot out of the U.S. except very briefly to take Elvis on some Canadian dates in 1957 and he was very nervous about getting back over here."

It did seem odd the Colonel never allowed Elvis to tour in Europe when he was so popular there.

Nash met with Colonel Parker three times and traveled to the Netherlands to uncover his story. She says that while the Colonel made a number of bad decisions, he's credited with others that kept Elvis on top through the years, even when music had radically changed. The Colonel shifted Elvis from records to movies, then when the movies petered out, to Vegas.

Still, she says, there was something that struck her with each of her three in-person meetings with Colonel Parker.

"They were strange and wonderful, he was very wily and there was a lot to like about him. He was also very amusing, but there was something predatory about him that was really frightening. It was the only time I've ever felt that I'd been in the presence of evil."

Nash admits that studying Elvis so closely through the years has not always been easy, but it has been very rewarding. While Elvis faced a number of challenges and his life ended far too soon at the age of 42, his music, his art, and his legacy lives on. And will continue to do so.

"I expect Elvis will still be someone that generations will study long after you and I are in the grave," says Nash. "He's probably the most influential figure in the 20 th century."

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Elvis Presley - Still 'The King' 42 Years After His Death

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Whether you think of Elvis Presley as the young, energetic singer with the dynamic good looks and gyrating hips that shook the music world in the 1950's, or the more mature Elvis with the long sideburns and sequined jumpsuits who performed in Las Vegas, his career spanned decades.

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In this article Elvis wasn't always the man everyone knows him to be. When you think of Elvis Presley, you think of rock god but before that he was a poor boy who lived in the country, driving trucks for a living.

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Elvis's journey faced a lot of conflicts due to the time of his fame where racism and sexism strongly existed. It shows his strong passion and love for what he did and how he proved to the world music can get lead you beyond anything.

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Elvis Presley in the mid-1950s, before he became a fully-known national rock 'n roll star, was constantly on the road. During 1955 and 1956, Elvis and his band performed widely, especially in the south, making numerous personal appearances, from high schools to county fairs.

His 1955 itinerary, reprinted below, reveals an unyielding schedule of nearly daily performances. Elvis and his band were a hard-working, ever-on-the-move group of performers. Still, at the time, Presley was essentially a regional phenomenon, known primarily in the south. Elvis would not appear on national television until January 1956 - first on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show, and later in September 1956, on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Although he would have great success with RCA Records in 1956, it was his August 1955 release of "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" with Sun Studios of Memphis, Tennessee that first made Elvis a nationally-known country music star. That single, which also had "Mystery Train" on its B side, rose to No. 1 on the Country & Western charts in February 1956.

Elvis Presley's first No. 1 pop hit on the Billboard charts, "Heartbreak Hotel," came on May 3rd, 1956. A month earlier he had performed the song on The Milton Berle Show on national TV with an estimated 25 percent of the U.S. population watching. By then he had moved to RCA Records.

Yet in 1955, before the first crush of national fame, Elvis and his band were mostly on the road, also doing radio shows and some regional television, such as Louisiana Hayride. His 1955 schedule was truly grueling, and 1956 was similar, plus more recording sessions. The torrid pace did take a toll. On February 23rd, 1956, after a performance in Jacksonville, Florida, Presley collapsed from exhaustion and was rushed to a hospital. He was 21 years old.

What follows below is the 1955 day-by-day performance itinerary of Elvis Presley and his band as they traveled across the U.S.A., with location and venue listed in most cases. The series of "record sleeves" shown in the right-hand column are mostly bootleg editions - i.e., composites made by fans in later years using the RCA and Sun logos with Elvis photos from the 1950s. They are used here only as photographic illustrations to accompany the issue date of the 1955 Elvis songs indicated. However, for those interested, links to Amazon digital versions of the "A" songs are offered with some of these images.

See also at this website, "Elvis Riles Florida, 1955-56″ and "Drew Pearson on Elvis, 1956" (video). Another Elvis-related story - "They Go To Graceland: Elvis Home a Big Draw" - explores the history of, and recent V.I.P. visitors to, Presley's Graceland estate in Tennessee. For additional stories on music and artist biography see the "Annals of Music" page. Thanks for visiting - and if you like what you find here, please make a donation to help support this website. Thank you. - Jack Doyle

Jan 1: Eagles Hall, Houston, TXAug 1: Tupelo Fairgrounds, Tupelo, MS
Jan 4: Odessa High School, Odessa, TX
Aug 2: Sheffield Center, Muscle Shoals, AL
Aug 3: Robinson Aud., Little Rock, AR
Aug 4: Municipal Auditorium, Camden, AR
Aug 5: Overton Park Shell, Memphis, TN
Aug 6: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Aug 7: Magnolia Gardens, Houston, TX
Aug 7: Cook's Hoedown Club, Houston, TX
Aug 8: Mayfair Building, Tyler, TX
Aug 9: Rodeo Arena, Henderson, TX
Aug 10: Bear Stadium, Gladewater, TX
Aug 11: Reo Palm Isle Club, Longview, TX
Aug 12: Driller Park, Kilgore, TX
Aug 13: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Aug 20: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Aug 22: Spudder Park, Wichita Falls, TX
Aug 23: Saddle Club, Bryan, TX
Aug 24: Davy Crockett H.S., Conroe, TX
Aug 25: Sportcenter, Austin, TX
Aug 26: Gonzales B-ball Pk., Gonzales, TX
Aug 27: LA Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Sept 1: Pontchartrain Bch, New Orleans
Sept 2: Municipal Stad., Texarkana, AR
Sept 3: Sportatorium, Dallas, TX
Sept 3: Roundup Club, Dallas, TX
Sept 5: St. Francis Fair, Forrest City, AR
Sept 6: Bono High School, Bono, AR
Sept 7: Nat'l Guard Armory, Sikeston, AR
Sept 8: Municipal Aud., Clarksdale, MS
Sept 9: McComb H.S., McComb, MS
Sept 10: LA Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Sept 11: Municipal Aud., Norfolk, VA
Sept 12: Municipal Aud., Norfolk, VA
Sept 13: Shrine Auditorium, New Bern, NC
Sept 14: Fleming Stadium, Wilson, NC
Sept 15: Am. Legion Aud., Roanoke, VA
Sept 16: City Auditorium, Asheville, NC
Sept 17: Th-ville H.S., Thomasville, NC
Sept 18: WRVA Theater, Richmond, VA
Sept 19: WRVA Theater, Richmond, VA
Sept 20: Fairgrounds, Danville, VA
Sept 21: Memorial Aud., Raleigh, NC
Sept 22: Civic Auditorium, Kingsport, TN
Sept 24: LA Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Sept 26: Gilmer Junior H.S., Gilmer, TX
Sept 28: B&B Club, Gobler, MO

Jan 5: City Auditorium, San Angelo, TX
Jan 6: Fair Park Coliseum, Lubbock, TX
Jan 7: Midland High School, Midland, TX
Jan 8: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Jan 11: High School, New Boston, TX
Jan 12: Civic Auditorium, Clarksdale, MS
Jan 13: Catholic Club, Helena, AR
Jan 14: Futrell High School, Marianna, AR
Jan 17: NE Miss CC, Booneville, MS
Jan 18: Alcorn/Courthse Hall, Corinth, MS
Jan 19: Community Center, Sheffield, AL
Jan 20: Leachville H.S., Leachville, AL
Jan 21: Nat'l Guard Armory, Sikeston, MO
Jan 22: Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, LA
Jan 24: Humble Oil Rec. Hall, Hawkins, TX
Jan 25: Mayfair Bldg/Fairgrounds, Tyler, TX
Jan 26: REA Bldg, Gilmer, TX
Jan 27: Reo Palm Isle Club, Longview, TX
Jan 28: Gaston High School, Joinerville, TX

Promoter "Colonel" Tom Parker first takes notice of Presley's name after Texarkana DJ "Uncle Dudley" reports on the crowd frenzy at Elvis' January 11, 1955 show.

On March 23rd, 1955, Elvis and his band auditioned for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts show in New York but were rejected.

At the Jacksonville, Florida show on May 13, 1955, Elvis tells the girls in the 14,000-plus crowd that he'll "see [them] backstage," causing a riot. The incident convinces Colonel Parker about Elvis' popularity.

By late summer 1955, Colonel Parker had taken control of Presley's career. On Nov. 21st he negotiated a deal with RCA to acquire Elvis' Sun Studios contract for $35,000 (roughly $275,000 in 2007).

On November 10th, 1955, in his Nashville hotel room, songwriter Mae Axton plays Elvis a demo of a song she'd co-written called "Heartbreak Hotel."

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Article Citation:
Jack Doyle, "Elvis on the Road, 1955-1956,"
PopHistoryDig.com, March 31, 2008.
_____________________________ Sources, Links & Additional Information
Hank Bordowitz, Turning Points in Rock and Roll, Citadel Press,2004.

Peter Guralnick, "Elvis Presley," in Anthony De Curtis and James Henke (eds), The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll, Random House, New York, 1992, pp. 21-36.

Robert Fontenot, "Your Guide to Oldies Music- The History of Elvis: 1955," About. com.

Elvis discography and record sleeves, Sergent. com.au.

"Teeners' Hero," Time, May 14, 1956.

"Sweet Music," Time, October 8, 1956.

Louis M. Kohlmeier, Wall Street Journal, (front-page story on Elvis), December 31, 1956.

Stephen Holden, "Pop View; a Hillbilly Who Wove a Rock-and-Roll Spell," The New York Times, July 19, 1987.

"Elvis Presley," in Holly George-Warren and Patricia Romanowski (eds), The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Rolling Stone Press, New York, 3rd Edition, 2001, pp. 774-778.

Jack Doyle, "Elvis Riles Florida, 1955-56″ (Elvis & band perform at Florida Theater in Jacksonville; faces arrest if he "gyrates" too suggestively), PopHistoryDig.com, February 29, 2012.

Jack Doyle, "Drew Pearson on Elvis, 1956" (video), PopHistoryDig.com, February 1, 2013 (famous columnist "commentary" on Elvis meant to be critical but still captures his rise to fame...).

For a more detailed look at Elvis Presley performances and other activities in the 1953-55 period see, Elvis Presley Music .com.

Greg Williams, "Forever Elvis," Tampa Tribune, originally published, August 16, 2002.

Ace Collins, Untold Gold: The Stories Behind Elvis's #1 Hits, Chicago Review Press, 2005.

1955 pop history 1956 pop history Elvis Louisiana Hayride Elvis Presley & Colonel Parker Elvis Presley 1950s Elvis Presley and popular culture Elvis Presley biography Elvis Presley business history Elvis Presley concerts Elvis Presley concerts 1955 & 1956 Elvis Presley history Elvis RCA records Elvis road trips 1950s Elvis rock concerts Heartbreak Hotel music business 1950s music history 1950s Mystery Train rock concerts 1950s Sun Records 1950s Sun Records history That's All Right Mama

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Elvis Presley in the mid-1950s, before he became a fully-known national rock 'n roll star, was constantly on the road. During 1955 and 1956, Elvis and his band performed widely, especially in the south, making numerous personal appearances, from high schools to county fairs.