Elvis Presley the King of Rock and Roll will always evoke a mixture of strange memories and emotions. Obesity, hamburgers, star spangled suits and a legion of impersonators. An incredible sexual presence which produced great envy, as Bob Neal wrote: "It was almost frightening, the reaction... from [white] teenage boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him. Films in Hawaii and Honolulu, that look which makes women wet below, white suits, guitars, and a plethora of impersonators and a sad death.

The King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley was born on January 8th 1935, lived for forty-two years and died on August 16th 1977.

Christened, ‘Elvis Aaron Presley’ Elvis Presley began his career playing rockabilly. His style evolved and Presley’s music became known as rock and roll. Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock were two examples of this type of music.

Elvis was also an actor, starring in thirty-one films altogether, most of which were genuinely received as being quite awful; but which have in many ways lent a cult edge to those who loved him for his music. It is both the tackiness as well as the talent of Elvis which, as well as his death, have contributed him to being a musical demagogue.

Elvis Presley was born to Vernon Elvis Presley, who was a sharecropper and trucker and Gladys Love Smith (April 25, 1912 – August 14, 1958) who worked as a sewing machinist. Elvis was born in what wikipedia have called a “ two-room shotgun house” built by his father, in East Tupelo.

Incredibly Evlis was born as an identical twin; his brother was stillborn and given the name Jesse Garon. It is incredible to think that there could have been a second Elvis Presley, strutting his stuff just like the original. What would the outcome have been? Maybe with two Elvises we would never have appreciated the one, and he might have gone on to develop complexes, bad eyesight and gone on to become the American equivalent of the Proclaimers. Maybe they would have gone on to star several soft porn movies, for example, “The Rock and Roll Lovers”. Maybe Elvis would have always been Elvis and his brother would have ended up working in the local convenience store, occasionally letting out uncontrollable eruptions of envy and spite as he’s packing the corned beef (do they eat corned beef in the States?).

It was said in wikipedia that, “Growing up as an only child he "was, everyone agreed, unusually close to his mother." Unusually close has slightly sinister connotations but it all seemed to be above board. In fact there is nothing unusual about an only child being close to his or her mother, the Joseph of the family, the firstborn is always loved more, to the envy of all the other children. It was perhaps Elvis’ dependency on his mothers love that meant he never really toughened up, and he always lived and ultimately died for the love and desire of other people.

According to wikipedia Elvis’ family lived just above the poverty line.

Elvis’ family attended the Assembly of God church.

Elvis really got into music at the age of eleven when his parents bought him a guitar for his birthday. Elvis’ uncle gave him guitar lessons.

At the age of thirteen, Elvis’ family moved to Memphis, Tennessee.

Accounts of Elvis’ personality suggest that Elvis was a shy boy, not very well respected by his compatriots. His story is almost a secular equivalent of the story of Jesus Christ. Elvis’ shyness can be seen in the way he performs, he always looks dreadfully shy when performing, dramatic but shy, barely being able to make eye contact with anyone in the audience, staring at the audience, as if there wasn’t a person in the place, and if he was staring into the eyes of some imaginary person.

However by the 1950s, Elvis had changed. According to wikipedia, “He began to grow his sideburns and, when he could afford to, dress in the wild, flashy clothes of Lansky Brothers on Beale Street. He stood out, especially in the conservative Deep South of the 1950s, and was mocked and bullied for it. Childhood friend Red West said: "In the sea of 1600 pink-scalped kids at school, Elvis stood out like a camel in the arctic. ... [but] ... his appearance expressed a defiance which his demeanor did not match..."

Elvis musical influences included gospel. Wikipedia quoted Presley as stating "Since I was two years old, all I knew was gospel music. That music became such a part of my life it was as natural as dancing. A way to escape from the problems. And my way of release." They also included blues music, of which there was a strong tradition in Memphis.

Elvis Presley did not write his own songs.

Elvis first made his name when he recorded Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)". The record was aired on July 8, 1954, by DJ Dewey Phillips. According to wikipedia, “Listeners to the show began phoning in, eager to find out who the singer was…. During an interview on the show, Phillips asked Presley what high school he attended—to clarify Presley's color for listeners who assumed he must be black.” Yessir, we’re talking about the United States, in the 1950s, where the Blacks were treated like dogs, and no white man would readily associate himself with a Black man, no matter how damned good the music sounded. Elvis, then was often, just like the Rolling Stones later, characterized as a white man with a black man’s voice. According to wikipedia, “When "That's All Right" was played, many listeners were sure Presley must be black, prompting white disc-jockeys to ignore his Sun singles. However, black disc-jockeys did not want anything to do with any record they knew was made by a white man. To many black adults, Presley had undoubtedly "stolen" or at least "derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s", though such criticism ignored Presley's use of "white" musical styles.”

The first release of Presley's music featured "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky". Elvis started playing with Moore and Black under the name “The Blue Moon Boys”. According to wikipedia, “A nervous Presley's legs were said to have shaken uncontrollably during this show: his wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing females in the audience to go "crazy".” However, continues wikipedia, “Scotty Moore claims it was just the natural way he moved and had nothing to do with "nerves."

Elvis’ performances went from strength to strength. Wikipedia states, “According to one source, regarding Presley's engagements from that time, "Audiences had never before heard [such] music... [or] seen anyone who performed like Presley either. The shy, polite, mumbling boy gained self-confidence with every appearance... People watching the show were astounded and shocked, both by the ferocity of his performance, and the crowd’s reaction to it... Roy Orbison saw Presley for the first time in Odessa, Texas: 'His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing... I just didn’t know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it.'"”