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Musical artist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elvis Aaron Presley[1][3] (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977; middle name sometimes written Aron)a was an American singer, actor and musician He is commonly known simply as "Elvis", or as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll".
Elvis Presley | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Elvis Aaron Presley[1] |
Also known as | Elvis, The King, The King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis the Pelvis, The Hillbilly Cat[2] |
Genres | Rock & roll, pop, rockabilly, Blues, Country. |
Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, actor |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
Years active | 1954–1977 |
Labels | Sun, RCA Victor |
Website | Elvis.com |
In 1954, Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial[4][5]—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice[6] and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, country, ballads and pop. To date, he has been inducted into four music halls of fame.
In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-one movies. In 1968, he returned to playing live in a television special,[7] and later performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas. In 1973, Presley staged the first global live concert via satellite (Aloha from Hawaii).[8] Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales.[9] He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health problems and drug dependency[10] led to his death at age 42.