Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an up-tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. Presley’s first single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” released in January 1956, was a number one hit. Because of the hit single, he was finally brought to national television. He made his first appearance on CBS’s Stage Show.
Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. He proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums.
Unfortunately Presley’s prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of forty-two. His final concert was held in Indianapolis at the Market Square Arena on June 26,1977.
A Junkie XL remix of Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation” in 2002 topped the charts in over twenty countries and was included in a compilation of Presley’s number one hits, ELVIS, which was also an international success.
Watch FIB’s 5 minute web-doco on Elvis above!
Film by Michael Pisciuneri
Read more about Elvis at FIB’s Masters of Music Vol. 15 “Rock” available now at Amazon!
