The King Of Rock ‘N’ Roll Would Have Been 83 Today…Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Today (January 8th) marks what would have been the “King of Rock n’ Roll” Elvis Presley‘s 83rd birthday. From his meteoric rise to fame in the 1950’s to his death at the age of 42 in 1977, through to the present-day; the world is still fascinated by everything that is Elvis. After working as a movie theater usher and a truck driver for a Memphis Electrical Company, Elvis began singing locally as “The Hillbilly Cat,” and signed to the late Sam Phillips‘ Sun Records, who then sold his contract for $35,000 to RCA Victor in 1955. Elvis went on to become rock’s first true global superstar. Elvis Aaron Presley was born on Jan. 8, 1935, to Vernon and Gladys Presley in Tupelo, Miss. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn. Elvis would have turned 83 years old this year. The Presley family moved to Memphis, Tenn., in 1948. Elvis began his career in 1954 and according to www.graceland.com, and was an "international sensation" by 1956. Elvis Presley was signed to Sun Records in 1954 and recorded pivotal singles for the label, including “That’s All Right,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” and “Mystery Train.” Upon signing with RCA/Victor in 1955, he scored 18 Number One Hits, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “It’s Now Or Never,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” and his final Number One “Suspicious Minds” in 1969. Despite all his success in rock n’ roll, all three of his Grammys were awarded for his gospel recordings. In 2008, Elvis fans were up in arms over a recent change in Billboard policy which has demoted “The King’s” ranking on the Billboard charts from being Number Three in the list of top acts of the rock era with 17 Number One hits, down to Number 14 — with only seven chart-toppers. In the trade’s new series of charts commemorating the past 50 years of Billboard‘s weekly Hot 100 singles chart, the rock era has been pushed forward to start with the Hot 100‘s first appearance on August 4th, 1958 — which excludes Presley’s 10 Number One hits that predated the Hot 100‘s launch. On May 1, 1967, he married Priscilla Beaulieu. Elvis and Priscilla were married on May 1st, 1967 at Las Vegas’ Aladdin Hotel. The short eight-minute ceremony, which took place at 9:00 a.m., was officiated by State Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff. Following the vows, a special banquet was held below the hotel’s casino for around 100 guests who dined on “ham, eggs, Southern fried chicken, Oysters Rockefeller, roast suckling pig, poached and candied salmon, lobster, Eggs Minnette, and champagne.” Following the banquet, the Presley’s held a press conference before flying out of Las Vegas. Elvis met future wife Priscilla Beaulieu in 1960 while he was stationed in the Army in Germany. Her father was an Air Force officer also stationed there. In 1963 Priscilla moved to Memphis to be with Elvis, first living with his father and stepmother while she finished high school, before eventually moving into Graceland with Elvis. https://youtu.be/U035RCjVKJU They had a daughter, Lisa Marie, on Feb. 1, 1968. Priscilla and Elvis divorced in 1973. The couple had one child together, Lisa Marie Presley, who was born nearly nine months to the day after their wedding. Priscilla has said that although they had been living together for several years, they did not consummate the relationship until they were married. Elvis and Priscilla separated in 1972, and divorced in 1973. Elvis died Aug. 16, 1977, at his home, Graceland, at the age of 42. According to the website, Elvis starred in 33 movies, sold more than one billion records and has 14 Grammy nominations and three wins. Elvis starred in 31 movies between 1956 and 1973. Most of them were musical comedies like Blue Hawaii (1961), Viva Las Vegas (1964) with Ann Margaret, and Clambake (1967) — yet several of his films, such as King Creole (1958) with Walter Matthau, Flaming Star (1960), Charro (1969), and Change of Habit (1969) with Mary Tyler Moore, were dramatic pieces that proved him to be a serious actor with true talent. Elvis also released two concert films. Elvis: That’s The Way It Is chronicled the rehearsals and opening week of his July 1970 Las Vegas stint, while 1972’s Elvis On Tour featured footage from that year’s U.S. Tour. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award when he was just 36 years old. He also starred in several incredibly successful TV specials including 1968’s Singer Presents Elvis — more commonly known as “The ’68 Comeback Special” — which spurred a triumphant resurgence in his career, and Elvis: Aloha, From Hawaii which featured him live in concert and was broadcast worldwide in 1973. (Source: PennLive and 94.7 WLS) Here are Some of our favorite Elvis songs: "It's Now or Never," 1960 https://youtu.be/QkMVscR5YOo "Are You Lonesome Tonight," 1961 https://youtu.be/rlPazQMcNW8 "The Wonder of You," 1970 https://youtu.be/mAwZQw-Zrag "All Shook Up," 1957 https://youtu.be/wX7zTyb7B3s "Suspicious Minds," 1969 https://youtu.be/SBmAPYkPeYU "Return to Sender," 1962 https://youtu.be/PU5xxh5UX4U "In the Ghetto," 1969 https://youtu.be/2Ox1Tore9nw "Hound Dog," 1956 https://youtu.be/lzQ8GDBA8Is "Can't Help Falling In Love," 1961 https://youtu.be/al7tPCvhCdQ "Jailhouse Rock," 1957 https://youtu.be/qka6JrKUM5U (Source: PennLive) What's your favorite Elvis Presley Song?