Abstract An examination of the effect of ElvisPresley's career and life had on American society and culture. It discusses how his music transformed rock n' roll not only in how it sounded but also in his appearance and sexuality. It further looks at his movie career and how he influenced musicians and entertainers including Madonna.
From the Paper "Elvis Presley openly acknowledged that black musicians and their unique blend of soul and blues were a major influence in his career. He grew up in a poor household in the rural South. He understood the problems faced by the poor in the South, many of whom were Black. He listened to their music, visited their clubs and bars, and brought their musical form to the attention of the world when he blended it with his country blues."
Abstract This paper examines how despite the many accounts detailing the death of ElvisPresley in 1977, speculation is still rife about whether "The King" really died. It discusses how many people believe that ElvisPresley faked his own death and lives a considerably quieter, simpler existence today. It explores the evidence proffered by supporters in doubting the plausibility of ElvisPresley's death by looking at circumstances surrounding Elvis's death and burial, the circumstances leading up to his death and the events that occurred immediately after his death. It concludes that if one looks at the events before and after his ?accidental death,? in conjunction with Elvis? strange behavior in the weeks leading up to it, it does seem plausible that Elvis's death is a sham and he continues to walk amongst us.
From the Paper "Then there is the inordinate weight gain. Upon death, Elvis was reported to weigh 250 pounds. But, when the pallbearers carried the coffin, it weighed 900 pounds. The "Wax Body" theory currently circulating posits the possibility that a wax body was made in the likeness of Elvis and put in the coffin. The extra weight of the coffin is a result of an air-conditioning unit installed in the coffin to keep the wax body from melting. This theory does provide an explanation for all the little discrepancies aforementioned. Then there are the discrepancies in the death certificate. A different weight figure is noted on the death certificate. It has Elvis down as 170 pounds instead of the 250 pounds Elvis is known to have weighed. In life, Elvis's vanity was renowned."
Abstract In this paper the author takes an in-depth look at ElvisPresley from his roots and early childhood right through until the day he died. The paper explores all aspects of Presley's life, including the influences that made him the legend he became. The author highlights many of Presley's songs and movies and the attitudes to them from all walks of life. The paper concludes with the undoubted opinion that ElvisPresley was the first rock and roll star and remains a legend today.
From the Paper " Meanwhile Presley's personal life had become the subject of countless tabloids. In February 1972, Presley separated from Priscilla and on his birthday in 1973, filed for divorce. Less than a week later the TV special Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii was broadcast over satellite to over a billion people in forty countries, an indication of his international appeal although, with the exception of three dates in Canada in 1957 and an impromptu performance in Paris while on leave in 1959, Presley never performed outside the United States. "
Tags: graceland, entertainment, music, songs, performance, artist
Abstract This paper discusses the life and career of ElvisPresley, and evaluates his leadership skills by comparing them with Thomas Nelson Maxwell's book, "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership." The writer describes how during Elvis' early career he remained true to his core principles and values, and had a strong sense of his personal goals. As he advanced in his career, his musical talents were diluted as he became subject to less positive and more rapacious influences, and allowed himself to be swayed by people who did not have his best interests at heart. The writer explains that from 1961 Presley quit performing and spent eight years making movies, which did not satisfy his artistic standards. When Elvis returned to the concert stage in the 1970s, his abilities began to be affected by his long-standing prescription drug abuse. The paper concludes that despite his leadership and influence Elvis died alone and unsatisfied, feeling he had lost his personal and professional integrity.
From the Paper "According to Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, the first and most important principle of showing leadership is "The Law of the Lid" which states that honing one's leadership ability and sense of mission determines success, not relying upon the promotional skills, ideas, and abilities of other people. Of course, Elvis Presley had great PR support in becoming "the first real rock and roll star," but his charisma was not manufactured, and his style was uniquely his own. Elvis' talent was spotted early on, but the nature of his appeal was not crafted in a public relations or advertising studio. He was a unique combination, a fusion of the two competing strains of popular music vying for teen attention: "A white southerner who singing blues laced with country and country tinged with gospel, Presley brought together music from both sides of the color line.""
Abstract This paper discusses the legacy of ElvisPresley, the "King of Rock." It specifically focuses on three areas of American culture upon which he had a tremendous influence. The paper discusses his exposure of African-American musicians to the white, American public, his role in influencing a liberalization of American culture, which allowed other cultural icons to succeed and the awareness he created of the perils of drug addiction through his premature death.
Table of Contents:
Presley Opens Doors For African American Musicians
Presley Helps Liberalize American Culture
Drug Addiction
Conclusion
From the Paper "Culture critic David Marsh once wrote that "Unless you understand that Elvis Presley was more than anything a spiritual leader of our generation, there's really no way to assess his importance, much less the meaning of his music."20 Indeed, Presley's impact on American culture was transformative. Through his music, which was heavily influenced by black artists, he exposed white America to a new group of performers. By testing social boundaries, such as how America perceived sexuality, he helped liberalize American culture, opening new avenues of discussion and launching new trends in music. Finally, through Presley's tragic and untimely death, he allowed America to have a serious discussion on the perils of drug abuse and how, if left unchecked, it can threaten the lives of even our most valued national treasures."
Abstract The paper discusses the life story one of the best-known and loved entertainers in the world. The paper talks about ElvisPresley, the success story of his life, and his contribution to the world of music. The paper concludes that Elvis helped create a new kind of star, a new kind of music, and a new, enduring kind of legend. He truly was the "King" of his profession, and his enduring popularity indicates he is still the King today.
From the Paper "Elvis met the love of his life, Priscilla Presley, when she was only 14-years-old, while he was stationed in Germany during his stint in the army. In 1964, just before she turned 18, she came to the U.S. to visit him, and never left. They were married in Las Vegas in May 1967. On February 1, 1968, she gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley. They divorced in April 1973, but remained close friends. He dies of "heart failure" on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. His death sent shockwaves around the world, and fans still line up at the gates of his mansion, Graceland, in Memphis to celebrate the anniversary of his birth and death. He was one of the most important rock and roll artists of the 1950s and 1960s, because he not only created his own unique sound based on black, blues, and gospel roots, but he defined how a superstar created and maintained a career for over 20 years. He appeared on television, recorded dozens of albums and singles, and appeared in over 30 films. He was a true rock legend, and it is easy to speculate that had he lived, he would have continued to revive his career throughout his life."
This paper shows why ElvisPresley rose to fame so quickly. It examines the social, race, political and youth issues of the time and explains how each one of these factors had a major influence on his success as a rock star.
2,350 words (approx. 9.4 pages), 9 sources, 2001, $ 72.95
Abstract This paper shows why ElvisPresley rose to fame so quickly. It examines the social, race, political and youth issues of the time and explains how each one of these factors had a major influence on his success as a rock star.
From the paper:
"Though some like to recall it as a time of innocence, it was in 1956 that the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation on buses and trains unconstitutional, and the year of the Montgomery boycotts. Elvis, as he once told an interviewer, did not just happen to ?come along at the right time.? There is a social and cultural context to his success. Elvis mirrored the contradictions of the South. According to John Reed of the University of North Carolina, ?Aside from the way he moved his lower body, hell, he was a gospel-singing mama's boy.? Perhaps he also mirrored the contractions of post-war American youth seeking an identity apart from their parents."
Tags: rock, n, roll, music, social, war, expression
Abstract This paper discusses the life and music of ElvisPresley. It describes his background, his upbringing and his introduction into a career of music. The paper then describes Elvis' successes as a musician, both in the United States and internationally. It also looks into his personal downfall into drugs and alcohol and discusses the effect that celebrity had on him.
From the Paper "Although a gifted and musician and a good and generous human being, by the end of his life, Elvis had fallen into a state of decadence, drunkenness, drug abuse, and physical deterioration (Simon 1995). He had become bitterly disappointed with his life, and almost a desolate person, for celebrity had basically chewed up his creativity (Simon 1995). Guralnick writes that there were "fewer and fewer opportunities to withdraw from the spotlight, and with the ability to withdraw from the spotlight," he simply became consumed by it (Simon 1995). Ironically, his manager Colonel Tom Parker understood that one of the key elements of success is limited exposure of the artist to the public, otherwise, the public will consume the artist. However, Guralnick notes, "I think that it didn't work for Elvis because his creative outlet were not maintained at the same time...but some one like Bob Dylan, for instance, sought to recreate himself over and over again," thus he withdrew from the spotlight to do different things, to do new things, and this is perhaps the only way to survive in a celebrity-consuming age (Simon 1995)."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that in order to examine the genuine roots of Elvis's music and its close connection to African-American musical traditions, several areas must be explored. First the writer provides a closer look at the black musical tradition of Elvis's own period. The writer then offers an examination of musical blending of these various strains and influences that occurred within Elvis's early career and lifetime. The writer analyzes Elvis's childhood and the influence of black musical traditions upon his later music. Finally, this essay offers analysis of his actual musical contributions and legacy to black Southern culture, the growing civil rights movement of his day, and mainstream American culture in general, then and now.
From the Paper "However many black musical; cultural, and other historians claim that Elvis's theft of their musical tradition is the epitome of the racism inherent within that era. The whole Elvis phenomenon in rock'n roll music yesterday and today only serves to further underscore, they contend, the foul way so many black writers and performers, such as Little Richard, were treated by the music industry in Elvis's own heyday. The enduring image of Elvis is a constant reflection of
Society's then-refusal to accept anything other than the non-threatening and subservient Negro. The legacy of Elvis as King of Rock and Roll has to be re-examined, those critics suggest, especially in the wake of better and more accurate scrutiny nowadays of the true origins of rock 'roll. These stem from deep African American musical traditions in blues and gospel music. Elvis himself admitted that his music is heavily influenced by the gospel of his childhood."
Abstract Over time, many musicians have shown us what good rock and roll music is all about. Musicians such as ElvisPresley (the king of rock and roll), Jim Morrison (lead singer and songwriter for the 'Doors'), and Kurt Cobain (musical genius from 'Nirvana'), are discussed in this paper to try and understand the fascination of rock and roll.
From the Paper "Kurt Cobain was the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana. He started the group with Krist Novoselic, a fellow punk rock devotee. They developed a style that became known as "Grunge Music". "It was a style that evolved as a reaction against the perceived superficiality of 1980s stadium rock and the over the top metal bands of the time" (5). Nirvana was an underground band with a devoted following. After four years of playing, the band just exploded into the mainstream. Cobain struggled with the band's success and felt the success was contradictory to their beliefs and what they stood for. The Nirvana song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", became the anthem for Generation X. (3)"
Abstract This paper explains that, although he died in a plane crash at the age of 22, Buddy Holly accomplished what some might only achieve in a lifetime; he is one of the greatest America musicians. The author relates that having met ElvisPresley in 1955, Buddy started writing songs like Elvis', Buddy started recording "Rock n' Roll", the new craze; his first hit was "That'll Be the Day", followed by the even bigger hit, "Peggy Sue". The paper concludes that, even in his short life, Buddy had written and sung over a 120 songs and influenced the British Music Invasion including the Beatles and the Hollies who sang his songs and copied his singing style.
From the Paper "Charles Hardin Holley was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. His parents thought that it was too long a name for a child, so they nicknamed him Buddy. Buddy's interest in music started early at the age of eight when he started playing the violin, however, like his nine-month piano career this affliction did not last long. It was not until late the ninth year of his life that he took up the guitar, which he eventually played for the rest of his life. With his talent forming for the guitar at the age of thirteen, he moved to a new school and met Bob Montgomery in the fall of 1949. Bob Montgomery had a lot of the same interests that Buddy did, including music and they began a country and blues band."
Abstract A discussion about the contribution to the music world today of influential musicians, "The Beatles", "Elvis" and "Woodie Guthrie", including short biographies of each. Analyses the songs "Yesterday", "Jailhouse Rock" and "This Land is Your Land".
From the Paper "The Beatles are quite possibly THE single most influential band that ever lived. They emerged into a music world that thrived off of conformity, and everyone was trying to be like everyone else. Because there was no room for extreme creativity, artists made their living off of music written by people who were paid to write, and did covers of other artists songs. The Beatles changed all that, and set the foundation for the musical world that dominates today. The Beatles? legendary writing duo composed of John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote songs that were covered numerous times, and the songs they wrote lasted the test of time. They opened the door to creativity and introduced the notion of the band as a self-contained unit who could stand on their own and control their music."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth examination of the Blues. It begins by taking a look at the Deep South roots of the original Blues during slavery and how it began to spread north to Harlem in the late 1900s. The birth of contemporary Blues in the 1940s is detailed and it looks at some of the musicians, such as Scott Joplin who began incorporating these rhythms into their music. The next area covered is the building of the Blues, and traces the growth of different genres from the original blues. According to this author, the legacy of the blues was set, when it reached the ears of ElvisPresley, which led to the birth of rock and roll.
From the Paper "The music that was originally known as the blues developed from a variety of hereditary and regional musical influences and practices popular among the people of the southern portion of the United States. The roots of all varieties of blues music can be traced to the southern states, particularly those that comprise the area of the nation known as the Deep South. The music originating in the hills and backwoods of Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, music that has become most commonly associated with "hillbilly" bands and rhythms, is in fact a variety of the blues genre that is often referred to as "country blues" (Pooley 86). The style and genre that is most commonly associated with the blues, however, is also commonly associated with the nation's African-American sector and stems from the "Delta blues", a form of the blues that originated among the slave populations of the antebellum south and developed alongside its country "cousin" (86). This distinct musical style and form developed from the West African rhythms and beats that were brought to America by African slaves imported during the early years of slavery, rhythms and beats that were kept alive and passed down from generation to generation by the traditional music and songs of southern slaves."
Tags: musicians, south, deep, harlem, genre, rhythm, slavery, music, american, ragtime, emancipation, style, note, rock, roll
This paper examines the forgotten black roots of rock music in America, its influence on rebelling youth, and the evolution of new popular musical genres.
Abstract Rock and Roll music was both influenced by and influenced the youth movement of the 1960s. The beginnings of Rock music during the 1950s were actually quite rebellious and controversial. This paper puts the development of rock music into a cultural and historical context, drawing on examples such as Wynonnie Harris, ElvisPresley, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. The paper also mentions beatniks and the psychadelic counterculture.
From the Paper "Rock and Roll music broke into the forefront of American culture as the baby boomer generation came of age. During the 1950s, the new musical style helped young people begin to rebel against their parents? generation in a stylistic, subtle, and symbolic way, generating more differences and encouraging a widening of the generation gap. Popular culture tends to disregard the 1950s as a sterile and orderly decade, however, the youth of the 1950s were beginning to rebel much more drastically and blatantly than we are led to believe, and more so than what remains as the lasting image in the historical memory of Americans who were alive at that time. While this music that we now call "oldies" seems so boring and unhip by today's standards, the earliest Rock and Roll music contained sexual implications and a gift of immediate gratification that spoke to the so-called juvenile delinquents of the time. By the early Sixties and the beginnings of the ?movement,? Rock and Roll music had already established itself as a successful form of cultural radicalism, that is, an individuality of spirit and expressive form of defiance against the norm. (The "movement" collectively refers a shift to the "New Left" which supported the Civil Rights Movement, was against the Vietnam War, and opposed the Old Left Liberal methods of working within the system to end poverty and racism by means of a technocracy.) The more the youth rebelled, the more the music changed to suit this rebellion. The lyrics became more overtly political and explicit, and Rock and Roll music began to ?evolve out of artistic necessity,? when new ways to rebel were necessary, in order to keep on rebelling, as it were. Folk musicians began to blend their lyrics and style with Rock music, and wrote songs that were true reflections and reactions to the times and responded to the changing world. By the mid 60s, a youth "counterculture" hit the scene, and Rock and Roll had split into two breeds of music: one which served an industry and popular culture, and another type of music for political activism, which eventually infused itself in the drug-laden hippie subculture."
