Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935-August 16, 1977) was one of the most famous recording artists and actors in the United States. He was born in the small town of Tupelo, Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Not much has been written on Presley's political views and had never joined a political party, though some people consider him to have been conservative-leaning. He has supported Republican and Democratic presidents including John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Presley was a Christian.

Early Life
Presley lived in a small house in Tupelo. He had a strong attachment to his mother and was called a "momma's boy" in school. He was very shy as a kid and a teen. He graduated from Humes High School in Memphis, where he moved when he was older and worked at Crown Electric.

Beginning of Career
Presley went to Sun Studios in 1953 to record a record for his mother as a present. Sam Phillips, the boss of Sun Studios, listened to Presley's demo recordings and started recording songs for Sun. He was transferred to RCA Studios, a bigger record label and had his first number one hit, "Heartbreak Hotel". Presley was then a national star. He went on several national shows to perform, including The Ed Sullivan Show. He was a popular figure to the teens in the 1950's at the beginning of his career. He was considered a rock and roll figure for teenage rebellion and a bad singer. He was called "Elvis the Pelvis" by critics since he moved his hips rapidly during performance which led to censorship.

Movies and the Army
Presley went in the Army for a few years and was discharged. He had filmed movies before that, but made many more movies after which were enjoyed by fans though most were not well recieved by critics. His rebel image had faded in this period. His main records that came out were movie soundtracks. He had not been doing live performing. He married Priscilla Presley in 1967. They had a child, Lisa Marie Presley. In 1968, a special airing on NBC, was his comeback to concerts where he performed his hit songs of the 1950's and some new songs.

The 1970's
Presley recoreded songs and did live concerts in Las Vegas and around the country. He, in 1972, was divorced from Priscilla, though they stayed friends. In 1973, he did the Aloha from Hawaii concert broadcasted via sattelite across the world. Presley used many prescription drugs in the 1970's and ate a lot of food. He gained weight in the late years of his career and he was tired, forgot lyrics, had a hard time standing up and was hard to understand in his late 1970's concerts. On August 16, 1977, he was found dead in his bathroom in his house.

Legacy
Presley is impersonated by many people known as Elvis impersonators. His music and films sell well today and he is considered to be more popular since death. He is one of the biggest earning deceased celebrities today.