Message 28035 in TODAY.WW
From: KF5JRV
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 26 09:55:00 Z
Newsgroups: TODAY.WW
Subject: Today in History - Aug 16
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Music icon Elvis Presley dies in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 42. The death of the “King of Rock and Roll” brought leg
ions of mourning fans to Graceland, his mansion in Memphis. Doctors said he died of a heart attack, likely brought on by his ad
diction to prescription barbiturates.
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jesse, died during the birth. Elvis grew u
p dirt-poor in Tupelo and Memphis and found work as a truck driver after high school. When he was 19, he walked into a Memphis
recording studio and paid $4 to record a few songs as a present to his mother. Sam Philips, the owner of the studio, was intrig
ued by the rough, soulful quality of his voice and invited Presley back to practice with some local musicians. After Philips he
ard Elvis sing the rhythm-and-blues song “That’s All Right,” which Presley imbued with an accessible country-and-western
flavor, he agreed to release the rendition as a single on his Sun Records label. The recording went to the top of the local cha
rts, and Presley’s career was launched.
During the next year, Elvis attracted a growing following in the South, and in 1955 Sun Records sold his contract to a major re
cord label, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), for a record $40,000. His first record for RCA was “Heartbreak Hotel,”
ent into hysterics over his dynamic stage presence, good looks, and simple but catchy songs. Many parents, however, were appall
ed by his sexually suggestive pelvic gyrations, and by his third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis was filmed from only
the waist up.
In 1958, Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army and served an 18-month tour of duty in West Germany as a Jeep driver. Teenage g
irls were overcome with grief, but Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, kept American youth satiated with stockpiled recording
s that Presley made before his departure. All five singles released during this period eventually became million-sellers.
After being discharged as a sergeant in 1960, Elvis underwent a style change, eschewing edgy, rhythm-and-blues-inspired materia
l in favor of romantic, dramatic ballads such as “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” He retired from concerts to concentrate on his
musical films, and he made 27 in the 1960s, including G.I. Blues (1960), Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Viva
Las Vegas (1964), and Frankie and Johnny (1966). In 1967, he married Priscilla Beaulieu, and the couple had a daughter, Lisa M
arie, in 1968.
By the end of the 1960s, rock and roll had undergone dramatic changes, and Elvis was no longer seen as relevant by American you
th. A 1968 television special won back many of his fans, but hits were harder to come by. His final Top 10 entry, “Burning Lo
ve,” was in 1972. Still, he maintained his sizable fortune through lucrative concert and television appearances.
By the mid 1970s, Elvis was in declining physical and mental health. He divorced his wife in 1973 and developed a dangerous dep
endence on prescription drugs. He was also addicted to junk food and gained considerable weight. In the last two years of his l
ife, he made erratic stage appearances and lived nearly as a recluse. On the afternoon of August 16, 1977, he was found unconsc
ious in his Graceland mansion and rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was buried on the grounds of Gracela
nd, which continues to attract fans and has been turned into a highly successful tourist attraction.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email KF5JRV@gmail.com
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