In the history of music, there are names that the public strongly associates with the genre they glorified. Elvis Presley remains the king of rock and roll decades later. It was this unspoken title that he received at the zenith of his career. Elvis passed away in 1977, but in all the years that the singer has not been with us, no one has been able to eclipse his glory. During this time, over 1 billion discs with recordings of the great performer were sold. Rock and roll chose its king back in the 50s, and has remained faithful to him for more than sixty years.
It all started in 1953, when 19-year-old Elvis decided to record several songs at a music studio in Memphis, the city where the family of the future star had lived since 1948. By paying the established fee, the guy was able to fulfill his dream, and at the same time be remembered by the studio owner, who noted the vocal abilities of the young performer. While still a teenager, Elvis became interested in popular music, played in an amateur group and desperately dreamed of becoming a famous singer. He was fascinated by blues and country music, although Elvis sang in a church choir from the age of 10. The combination of trendy melodies and gospel music formed Presley's special stylistic preferences: his repertoire will always contain echoes of both.
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However, recording at the Sun Records studio did not become an instant pass to the world of big music for the young performer, even despite the fact that his name was remembered by the producer. Six months later, Elvis decided to try his luck again and recorded two more songs. And again the singer’s expectations were not met: there was no job offer. Deciding to take a different path, Elvis tries to get a job at a music club and auditions for a position as a performer in a gospel quartet. But here, too, luck turns away from Presley: refusals follow one after another. Desperate, Elvis is already beginning to think that music is not his destiny. And when the guy was almost convinced that being a driver was the only thing he was capable of, he received a call from the Sun Records studio. Elvis was invited to record the song "Without You". The work was going very badly: studio owner Sam Phillips was dissatisfied with the result. In between recordings, Elvis began playing another composition - the song “That’s All Right” by Arthur Crudup. The musicians who participated in the work played along with Presley. Hearing the melody, Phillips realized that this was exactly what he wanted to hear and had been searching for a long time to no avail.
Having made a full recording, the producer took the song to the radio, where it was played several times a day. It was a success. Calls poured in: everyone wanted to know in more detail who performed the new hit. Offers from clubs began to arrive: the musician was invited to take part in the performance program. Elvis began to be invited to radio shows, where he instantly managed to win the favor of the audience. On the wave of his first success, Presley recorded several more singles, which immediately became popular.
But the real breakthrough happened in 1956, when the debut album under the simple name “Elvis Presley” was released. The record was released by the reputable label “RCA Records”, which shortly before signed a contract with the singer. Elvis Presley was the first true rock and roll album in music history. And although long before this event the genre was successfully developing and had its idols (in this sense, Elvis was not a pioneer), it was Presley’s debut album that became a real standard of style and the quintessence of all previous developments. The album included such great hits as "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Tutti Frutti". In addition, the “Elvis Presley” disc was released simultaneously with the single “Heartbreak Hotel” - one of the artist’s most famous songs, which it was decided to release as a separate record. The album and single immediately soared to the top of Billboard, which meant real full-scale success.
This event was followed by an invitation to television. In just a few months, Elvis went from a local celebrity to a national hero. Presley’s personal charisma also added fuel to the fire of popularity. Instantly, his bright style and unique manner of movement are recognized as true symbols of rock and roll. A general "pursuit" began - young people tried to be like their idol in everything, copying his image in everyday life.
In October 1956, Elvis received his famous title - Variety magazine was the first to call the singer the king of rock and roll, forever securing this title for him.
After the album's release, Elvis was bombarded with offers from film studios. Hollywood was eager to receive its dividends from the singer's fame. One after another, musicals with Presley's participation were released, which immediately became box office hits. Elvis recorded soundtracks for each film - no less popular than his full-length albums.
In 1958, Presley was drafted into the army, and he was forced to pause his career at the very peak. Despite the fact that the singer served in Germany, records that he prudently recorded during his vacation continue to be released in the States.
Returning from the army in 1960, Elvis began to make up for lost time: he was actively recording new songs. The album “Elvis Is Back!” is released, which took second place on the charts. At this time, the producers and the singer himself decided to bet on a film career - films with the singer’s participation were released one after another. In some of them, he performs songs that will forever go down in music history, including the famous “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
However, despite being in demand, Elvis gradually began to lose his popularity. New names are beginning to appear in music, including such cult names as “The Beatles”. Presley's songs began to be perceived as echoes of the past, and his film works ceased to be profitable. In the late 60s, the king of rock and roll made an attempt to change his style: Elvis filmed a very successful television concert and received an engagement for a series of performances in Las Vegas. Especially for the upcoming concerts, Elvis came up with a new style for himself: he began to appear in a white flared jumpsuit with an elaborate decor of rhinestones and stones. At this time, the king of rock and roll was actively touring, but almost never recorded in the studio. True, over time, endless shows became increasingly difficult for Elvis. Health problems that arose due to addiction to medications began to take their toll. Elvis gained weight, became suspicious, and was tormented by chronic illnesses.
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In 1977, the great singer died suddenly at the age of 42, leaving behind hundreds of beautiful songs and the legend that his death was just a staged act. To this day, thousands of fans around the world are confident that Elvis is alive. Well, be that as it may, one thing remains obvious: the songs of the king of rock and roll remain popular to this day, which means that Elvis Presley really continues to live in each of his recordings, sounding in different parts of the world.
His hits from half a century ago are incredibly popular even today. And while the memory of the singer, who literally blew up the music world with his temperamental songs, lives on, the true spirit of rock and roll lives on.
Childhood and adolescence
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in the tiny town of Tupelo (Mississippi). Together with him, his twin brother Jesse Garon was born, who died shortly after his birth. 
Elvis's father, Vernon Presley, was a descendant of immigrants from Germany and Scotland; mother, Gladys Presley, had a richer pedigree: her ancestors were Scots, Irish, Normans, and Cherokee Indians.
The Presleys lived extremely modestly, since Vernon could not find a permanent job, and after his imprisonment (he was accused of forging checks), the family's financial situation worsened even more.
Despite financial restrictions, Elvis considered his childhood to be happy: Gladys loved her son dearly, spoiling him as much as possible. The boy always remembered how his mother, not having enough money to give him a much-desired bicycle, bought what she had enough money for - a guitar, which ultimately determined the main occupation of Elvis's entire life.
The boy loved music, which accompanied him constantly: all family members were believers, so for Elvis it was mandatory not only to regularly attend services, but also to rehearse in the church choir.
First steps towards your dream
It is not surprising that after moving to Memphis, Tennessee in November 1948, the teenage Elvis began to delve consciously and with deep interest into the features of pop music that sounded on the radio day and night. He listened to country tunes, comparing them with black blues, boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and traditional pop music. Often attending dance parties and concerts of famous singers, Elvis already at the age of 14 realized that he also wanted to become a pop singer.After graduating from high school, young Elvis worked as a truck driver, while simultaneously learning to become an electrician at evening courses. But such a high workload did not prevent the young man from devoting a lot of time to singing and polishing his masterful guitar playing. The first and most grateful listener of the aspiring singer was his mother, to whom Elvis dedicated songs as his closest friend in those years.
The turning point in the fate of the future King of Rock can confidently be called the young man’s chance acquaintance with Sam Phillips, the owner of a music studio, who immediately appreciated the young man’s enormous talent and sensual voice. The producer’s instincts didn’t let him down, who later became famous as the “discoverer” of Elvis Presley.
Soon Sam Phillips brought the young singer together with local musicians - double bassist Bill Black and guitarist Scotty Moore, and together they recorded those dynamic, catchy compositions that brought Presley deafening popularity.
Variety and cinematic activities
Elvis Presley's fame grew and expanded thanks to new recordings combined with continuous tours throughout the southern states. From the beginning of 1955, Tom Parker, who received the title of Colonel in the South of the United States, began promoting the singer. This experienced producer had a solid wealth of useful connections in American show business, so his patronage was a real success for the aspiring performer. 
In the summer of 1955, the demand for Presley's records exceeded the boundaries of the province: the most prominent music observers in the American capital called the singer a rising country star, which Parker did not fail to take advantage of. He persistently advised the management of the large recording company RCA Records to pay attention to the talented young man. And on November 21, 1955, the contract with Presley was finally signed. This important moment in the life of Elvis can be noted as a vertical take-off of his career.
Recorded on RCA Records, the debut album “Elvis Presley” and the single “Heartbreak Hotel” took leading positions in the American National Hit Parade. The discs, released in more than a million copies, were instantly sold out.
Elvis Presley - "Blue Suede Shoes" (1956)
Presley's first performance on central television created a real sensation, and the singer's name became known throughout the country. Invitations to participate in various shows came from all television studios. Without refusing these tempting offers, Elvis at the same time recorded new singles one after another, and also toured a lot, invariably causing an incredible stir with his person.
The widespread hysteria over Elvis Presley and his work is explained by the organic combination of the incendiary, clear rhythm of the singer’s compositions with the inexpressible charisma of his nature. The King of Rock and Roll, who was natural and relaxed on stage, revived the thirst for self-expression in the souls of his listeners. His songs are a synergy of feeling and energy that had an irresistible effect on the audience, which always filled the concert halls to capacity.
Top 10 Elvis Presley songs
Abroad, Presley was also widely known to fans of pop music: by the end of the 50s of the last century, his singles took first place in the charts in Canada, Germany, England, Italy, Australia, and South Africa. He was well known even in the USSR, despite the complete lack of Elvis Presley records on sale during the years of his worldwide popularity.
Elvis Presley in the movie "Love Me Tender"
Large Hollywood companies did not ignore the singer with their favorable attention. He was offered roles in such films as Love Me Tender (1956); "Prison Rock" (1957); "King Creole" (1958); "Blazing Star" (1960); "Blue Hawaii" (1961) and others. In total, more than 30 films were shot with Presley’s participation, almost each of which featured his unique music, and, most importantly, his unique organic nature and charisma were forever captured on film.
Personal life of Elvis Presley
In the late 50s (December 20, 1957) Presley was drafted into the army. He was assigned to the 2nd Panzer Division, which was located in West Germany, and it was there that Elvis met his future wife, Priscilla Bouillet, who was then only 14 years old.Presley's companion in the last months of his life was Ginger Alden, a fashion model and actress.
Premature death
The life of the King of Rock and Roll ended on August 16, 1977. Being in severe mental decline, he took an excessive dose of sedatives - and Presley’s heart stopped forever. 
Perhaps the singer would have been able to cope with his next depressive state, as he had managed before, but the situation worsened due to the betrayal of loved ones.
The singer's father fired Presley's closest friends, Red and Sonny West, along with David Gebler, who acted as bodyguards. In retaliation, they published a book detailing the singer’s aggressive escapades on tour, his addiction to drugs and bouts of morbid suspicion.
Elvis, shocked by this merciless blow to the back, plunged into a maelstrom of terrible experiences. Due to sad thoughts, he began to suffer from insomnia, so he decided to resort to medication. An excessive dose of drugs caused Elvis to fall asleep forever...
Elvis Presley. In the power of rock
However, for his loyal fans, Presley and his music remain alive to this day!
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935, into a poor family of Gladys and Vernon Presley. When my father was imprisoned for forging checks, the family situation worsened even more. As a child, Presley showed a talent for singing, so his parents sent their son to the church choir. Religion and music became an integral part of his early life.
At the age of 11, Elvis received his first award for performing the song "Old Shep" at a competition. The parents promised their son to buy a bicycle, but there was not enough money, so they gave him a guitar. He taught himself the chords and was soon playing popular hits.
In 1948, the family moved to Memphis in search of work. Elvis began to take an active interest in popular music. He listened to traditional pop music, country music, and also became interested in African-American music - the blues. Presley often went to listen to black bluesmen play.
In 1953, after graduating from school, Elvis began working as a truck driver. At the same time, he did not give up making music. One day Presley walked past Sam Phillips' recording studio and decided to stop by. For $8, he recorded two songs, which were printed in one copy. For a long time he said that he recorded the record for his mother’s birthday, although he later admitted that he wanted to hear what his voice would sound like in the recorded version.
Presley finally decided to become a musician, but could not decide in which genre to sing. He even thought about singing church hymns, but then discarded the idea. A year later, Phillips needed a vocalist, and he remembered Presley. Together with double bassist Bill Black and guitarist Scotty Moore, they formed the trio "Blue Moon Boys".
At first, the guys didn't succeed. Their country songs sounded inexpressive, and then the musicians changed the rhythm. Hearing Arthur Crudup's blues song "That"s All Right" in a new sound, Sam Phillips was delighted. He asked to repeat the experiment, only now with Bill Monroe's composition "Blue Moon Of Kentucky". The effect was amazing and, one might say, stunned the musicians Thus rock and roll was born.
Worldwide popularity
Listeners and critics did not immediately accept the new music. She was too revolutionary. In the summer of 1954, Presley began giving concerts in Memphis as part of the Blue Moon Boys, and a little later he began to be played on radio stations. But it was his performances on stage that made the musician famous. His signature choreography, which consisted of frantic swinging of his hips along with emotional movements of his arms, gradually began to gain popularity.
In 1955, Elvis signed a contract with RCA Records, and after the release of the sensual composition “Heartbreak Hotel”, he woke up famous. The single took 1st place in the American charts and sold more than 1 million copies. Next was the release of the album "Elvis" (1956), which for the first time in history also crossed the million mark. Presley's first television performances followed, causing delight among millions of teenagers and shock among the older generation. The music, movements, manners and clothing of the musician - everything was unlike the country singers of that time. With his music and his behavior, Elvis Presley changed the idea of the stage.
Best of the day
Elvis' success in music paved the way for him to Hollywood. His producer Tom Parker immediately took advantage of the musician's popularity and signed a contract with Paramount and 20th Century Fox studios. In 1956, Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, was released, and a year later, Prison Rock and Loving You.
In 1958, Elvis Presley was drafted into the army. He was sent to Germany, provided with good living conditions. In his free time, he visited Italy and France, bought cars and even recorded in a studio. In Germany, Presley met Priscilla Bouillet, whose relationship soon grew from friendship to love.
After demobilization, Elvis returned to the United States, where he recorded the album "Elvis Is Back!" (1960), considered one of the best in the musician’s work. However, his musical activity gradually faded into the background, giving way to cinema. In the 60s, Elvis practically did not give concerts or record songs, performing compositions mainly in films. The film "Blue Hawaii" (1961) collected a huge box office, making the musician incredibly popular. In 1967, Presley married Priscilla, and a year later their daughter Lisa Marie was born.
The incredible "Beatlemania" that swept America reduced Elvis's popularity. This forced the musician to return to the roots of his work. And, as it turned out, not in vain. The album "From Elvis In Memphis" (1969), performed in the style of blues and soul, returned public interest to Presley.
In 1969, Elvis played a concert for the first time in 8 years, and after some time announced a world tour. His performances in dazzling white suits with embellishments and rhinestones created an image of the musician that remains recognizable and imitated to this day. In the 70s, Presley toured a lot, giving much of his money to charity. Between 1969 and 1977, the musician played more than 1,100 concerts in the United States.
The personal life of the king of rock and roll was not as good as his career. In 1972, Priscilla left Elvis, claiming that he did not pay enough attention to her. Presley made a new girlfriend, Linda Thompson, and in 1976 began dating Ginger Alden.
“Dear Mr. President.
First of all, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Elvis Presley, and I admire you and have deep respect for your entire office. In Palm Springs three weeks ago, I spoke with Vice President Agnew and expressed to him my concerns about our country. Drug culture, hippie elements, German socialist students, Black Panthers, etc. do not consider me their enemy, or, as they say, the establishment.
I love America. Sir, I am ready to render any service to the country. I have no other considerations or motives other than the desire to help my country. I could be of much more use in light of my connection with people of all ages if you would make me a Federal Special Agent. First and foremost, I'm an artist, so all I need is federal credentials.
Sir, I will be staying at the Washington Hotel, room 505-506-507. I registered under the name John Burrows. I'll be there as long as it takes to become a federal agent. I have done in-depth research into drug abuse and communist brainwashing techniques. I'm in the middle of it all, Sir. I am enclosing a short autobiography so that you can better understand my proposal. I'd really like to meet you just to say hi if you're not too busy."
Elvis wrote this letter after a conversation with Senator George Murphy on board a plane flying from Memphis to Washington. Upon arrival, Presley personally delivered the dispatch to the northwest wing of the White House.
A year earlier
The Graceland mansion now resembled more of a warehouse. Several rooms are filled with costumes - giant buckles in a row, white suits with sequins, blue suits with sequins, hundreds of trousers, thousands of shirts. No matter how hard Priscilla tried, she could not keep the rapidly growing farm under control. She tried to talk to her husband, establish contact and return the spark to the relationship, but everything was in vain. Elvis threw himself headlong into concert activities.
Graceland Estate. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Maha
The "King of Rock and Roll" has just signed a contract with the International Hotel. According to it, Presley will give grandiose concerts in one of the most luxurious halls in Las Vegas for another five years. More than 130 thousand people came to the first series of performances - 58 concerts in four weeks. There were all the elite in the hall and all the journalists who were worth anything.
Immediately after this, “From Elvis in Memphis” and “Back in Memphis”, recorded back in winter, went on sale. The single "Suspicious Minds" reached number one on the charts at the end of August. The concerts at the Internationale brought in a total of half a million dollars, and the public greeted the star’s return with a bang. This served as a signal for a shift in emphasis towards concert activities.
The idea of a film career failed, the new generation leaned towards The Rolling Stones and Simon & Garfunkel. The King's repertoire was already supported by covers of The Beatles. They, however, reciprocated Elvis's feelings.
Elvis soon found a new style. In February 1970, Presley first appeared on stage in a white flared suit embroidered with sequins. The “King” put on shining armor and set out to storm the musical Olympus again.
Photo: www.globallookpress.com / Flickr upload bot
Over time, the performances themselves began to resemble a series of rituals. The audience went into ecstasy when the “King” began to dance along with the diamonds in the multi-colored laser spotlights. The program began with the action short "Hound Dog," followed by the classic Carl Perkins rock 'n' roll standard "Blue Suede Shoes." “All Shook Up” the audience sang in chorus, while at “In the Ghetto” they cried in chorus.
People went to concerts in droves. The right mothers took the right daughters to listen to the right songs about love, duty and suffering. Tickets cost a lot of money, but there were enough conservatives among the wealthy middle class in Vegas to fill the International.
Studio work faded into the background. People wanted to see “The King,” and the public was less and less interested in Elvis’ records. The albums continued to hover around the top ten, with some singles popping up occasionally, but overall 1970 was a step back in terms of recordings.
It soon became clear that playing two concerts a day was not so easy. Elvis himself became bored with performing after the first few times. To keep himself fit and in good spirits, he ate dozens of pills. While still in the army, ten years ago, he became addicted to stimulants, and after demobilization he also needed sedatives and sleeping pills. Soon the “menu” was replenished with drugs for weight loss - without them, Presley could no longer keep himself in shape. For the most part, Elvis was satisfied with what he received from prescriptions, but on tour he did not disdain either ecstasy or cocaine.
Nervous exhaustion and uncontrolled use of stimulants drove Presley into extravagance and completely deprived him of prudence. He became increasingly interested in connections with the mafia world, for which he had great respect. The way Elvis imagined the “mafioso code” allowed the musician to build a harmonious relationship with the world. On the one hand, the wife and family were considered saints, on the other hand, this code allowed one to do anything in secret, regardless of the point of view of the law. After concerts, they say, Presley organized unbridled orgies.
Meanwhile, people at home became concerned about Elvis's increasingly provocative behavior. Priscilla is tired of feeling like a servant to a star. Although she did not know any other life, since she met Presley at the age of 14, such a life did not suit her: her husband had ten times more clothes and whims. The disintegration of his son and his senseless spending was watched with difficulty by his father, a former prisoner and hard worker, who carefully counted every dollar.
At some point, Priscilla and “Daddy” Vernon decided to talk to Elvis, but he did not listen to them. Instead, he quickly packed his bags and headed to the airport.
In the White House administration
Letter from Elvis Presley to the administration Richard Nixon came as a complete surprise. It was received at 6:30 am on December 21st. The rating of the head of state at this moment was steadily falling.
Following the deployment of troops to Cambodia in March, the country was once again swept by student anti-war marches. By May, tensions culminated in the massacre at Kent State University, where four students were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard. Two of those killed did not take part in the demonstrations. By October, Nixon surrendered and withdrew soldiers from Cambodia, and de-escalation of the conflict began in Vietnam. At the same time, the army personnel were mired in drugs, while the officers were mired in corruption. Americans stopped trusting the president, who, in turn, expected to be re-elected for a second term.In just a few hours Nixon legal counsel Egil Krogh called the Washington Hotel to set up a meeting between the “King” and the President. After the call, Elvis and a couple of friends went to the White House. In the Oval Office, Presley talked at length about the sense of patriotism and duty, recalling that he served two years in the US Army and knows well how anti-Americanists work. Elvis stated that he had the necessary influence and only needed the badge of a federal agent on various issues so that his help could finally become truly effective. “The Beatles are the focus of anti-Americanism,” the “King” said knowingly that day.
In those years, the badge of a federal agent allowed you to stop any car and search any person on the street. FBI agents had the same powers. Presley expected to become an agent of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. In January 1971, after a series of allegations of corruption, this bureau came under the control of the CIA, but then it was a department of the Department of Justice.
After some deliberation, Nixon personally issued a badge to Elvis. The handshake between Nixon and Presley was widely documented in newspapers and broadcast on television. The White House soon achieved some success in foreign policy, and Nixon subsequently won the 1972 election through an aggressive campaign.
Presley and US President R. Nixon, 1970. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Agent Presley also offered his services to the headquarters of the National Sheriff's Association and the Federal Bureau of Investigation within days of his appointment. Elvis was never able to personally meet with bureau director Edgar Hoover, but he soon responded in writing. “The FBI is aware of your proposal,” it said.
Suspect - Hamburger
After receiving his agent badge, Elvis completely lost his taste for work. Now he was bored not only in the studio, but also at concerts. The performances were only successful if the “King” was in the mood. Meanwhile, Priscilla left Elvis in February 1972.
Presley was not an exemplary family man; he married only at the insistence of his parents and manager, but the breakup with his wife was a blow to his pride. In addition, this certainly did not fit into the “mafia code”. The divorce was officially formalized only in 1973. Daughter Lisa-Marie, although she regularly visited Graceland, remained to live with her mother.Soon Elvis began to move away from his father. This relationship cracked ten years ago - Elvis did not like that “Daddy” Vernon married for the second time. Vernon himself, in turn, was against his son’s communication with the “mafia.” “These guys were hangers,” he said. But Presley no longer listened to the old man.
Presley now appeared on stage to the overture to Strauss’s poem “Thus Spoke Zarathustra.” He went backstage to loud trumpets and drums. True, all that remained from the “King’s” previous possessions was “Graceland”, an icon and the “Memphis Mafia” - friends from among Elvis’ entourage.
He was furious. Elvis learned that Hamburger was about to fly out of town and headed to the airport with his "Mafia" buddies. Using his federal agent ID, Presley stopped the plane on the runway and pulled Hamburger out of the cabin. After that, the whole company went back to Graceland, where, according to contemporaries, Elvis interrogated the suspect “like in a movie.”
By that time, “The King” had not been filmed in a real movie for a long time. Films with his participation ceased to generate income and had difficulty recouping costs. At first, the studio refused to release separate soundtracks for Elvis' films. Then the number of songs was reduced to two or three compositions. Trying to do something new in "Charro!" and “Change of Habit” was not successful. This was the end of his film career.
Elvis Presley's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Flickr upload bot
At the same time, in the winter of 1973, a grandiose television concert “Aloha from Hawaii” took place. Elvis's performance in Honolulu was broadcast via satellite in 38 countries around the world. It is believed that the performance was watched by more than a billion people. Presley received a fee of 900 thousand dollars, and the released bootleg took first place in the American chart.
However, the “King” was no longer capable of more. He didn't want to record or tour. Elvis gained excess weight, and during concerts he stood in one position. Presley dispersed his apathy with drugs, which led to regular outbursts of anger. The bodyguards he fired a year later published the book “What Happened, Elvis?”, in which the unsightly life of the “King” was exposed.
From the uproar, Presley went into an even deeper depression. He felt betrayed. A year ago, Linda Thompson left, now the “King” wanted to marry Ginger Alden, the fashion model was 20 years younger than the singer.
It was Alden who discovered Elvis' body in the bathroom on August 16, 1977. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was an overdose of medications. True, there is a lot of disagreement about Presley’s death and even a conspiracy theory that the “King of Rock and Roll” is still alive, but is being hidden by the FBI.
Elvis Presley became a star by copying and covering this black musician. James Brown repeated his performances and even impersonated him. His song “Tutti Frutti” seemed to David Bowie to be sung by the voice of God, and Keith Richards said that it seemed to turn the world from black and white into color. Pianist Reginald Dwight, having opened for this musician, changed his name and became Elton John. Bob Dylan and Freddie Mercury began their musical careers with covers of his songs, and Lou Reed and Patti Smith decided to become rock musicians under his influence. We tell the story of the rise to fame and greatness of the first King of Rock and Roll.
Leva Penniman became a mother at fifteen. She was seventeen when she gave birth to her third, the future king of rock and roll, Richard Wayne Penniman, on December 5, 1932. In total, Leva and Bud Penniman had twelve offspring. Bud Penniman was the son of a minister and a deacon in the church and made a good living selling moonshine during Prohibition. Repeatedly encountering the police, he always got away with it. He buried alcohol under the lawn of an elderly neighbor, and to ensure that no one would turn him in, he helped the entire black community with money. The Penniman family was not wealthy, but it was never poor either.
Richard was born with one leg shorter than the other and endured ridicule from his brothers and peers throughout his childhood because of this. But he was by no means a patient and compensated for the defect with mischief and even hooliganism. He was constantly beaten for his pranks - but if he got it for everything, he would not have survived childhood. One day, little Richard carefully wrapped his poop in gift wrapping, looked like an angel, came to his old neighbor’s birthday party and gave her a gift. When the birthday girl proudly unwrapped the gift in front of her friends, Richard ran away, experiencing unimaginable pleasure. Another time, while helping his mother in the kitchen, he slipped excrement into a box of jelly. He was beaten, of course, but he was freed from household duties forever.
Richard loved his mother very much and wanted to be like her. When she wasn't looking, he put on her dresses and applied makeup, coming to the conclusion that it was a shame that he had been born a boy - it would have been better to be a girl. The desire to be a girl intensified when he fell in love with his brother's friend. And although Richard lost his virginity to an older woman, he didn’t particularly like it. Then his first contact with a man happened. It was a family friend whom everyone called Madame Up because of his open homosexuality. Madame Up paid men to let him give them blowjobs. When Richard found out that he could earn money, although he did not like the idea, the money turned out to be more expensive.
The religiosity of African Americans has always been strongly tied to music. At services in churches, in church circles, in Sunday schools - there was music and singing everywhere. Richard began singing gospel music to a children's group organized by old Ma Sweetie. On Wednesdays, he and his brothers would come to her and sing Bible passages, prayers and hymns. Their singing could be heard for three blocks around. No one played instruments; they were accompanied by simple footsteps and clapping. Singing accompanied people in all their everyday activities: someone was sweeping the yard and began to sing “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”, the neighbors picked up - and now the whole street was singing in chorus another church hymn. Richard ran around the city and sang along with everyone at the top of his ability: he liked not just to sing, but to scream with all his might. Richard's whole family also performed as the Penniman Singers. They sang in churches and participated in so-called gospel battles with other family groups. Richard was called the War Hawk because the volume of his thin voice made it difficult for the rest of the choir to sing.
Richard wanted to be a priest and at the age of ten even worked as a healer. He came to the sick, sang a prayer, laid his hands on them and with a sly smile took payment, and the people were slightly relieved of their illness. But Richard's main income was selling Coca-Cola at concerts. It was there that he first heard the best musicians of the time and met his favorite performer, the founder of rock and roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Once, before her performance, Richard demonstratively sang one of her songs, then another. Rosetta appreciated his attempts and offered to sing with her that evening. This is how he earned his first money from music: 35 dollars - a fortune for a boy. Members of the black community in America tried to help each other: difficult conditions and racial discrimination marginalized blacks in the United States - but at the same time united them. Despite the fact that Richard did very poorly at school (which he never completed), his musical abilities were recognized and they began to teach him how to play the saxophone, and then took him to the school band.
Richard's homosexual tendencies progressed with age. This upset his father very much: “My father had seven sons, and I wanted seven sons. You ruined everything! You are only half a son!” - the father moaned and beat Richard. But he couldn’t help himself. At the age of fourteen, he left home and became a traveling musician, gradually gaining popularity until he ended up in the vaudeville show Sugarfoot Sam. There he performed for the first time as a girl - one of the singers fell ill, and Richard was put in as a replacement. He put on a dress and applied makeup, and since he didn’t know how to walk in heels, they simply put him in front of a microphone, the curtain rose, Richard sang in a high voice - and the curtain came down so that he did not have to take a step in front of the audience. Then Richard joined another vaudeville act and again performed as a woman - in this show many men dressed as women. He became part of the gay community, and more and more people recognized his musical abilities
The heyday of his early career found him in Atlantic City, where Richard performed successfully every night, albeit without a dress, but with makeup, which later became his signature feature. Richard was proud to wear makeup long before it became commonplace for men in American show business. In Atlantic City, Richard recorded his music in the studio for the first time and one of the songs, “Every Hour,” became a local hit on the radio. However, this did not bring him the expected fame, since soon his senior colleague, Lee Magid, recorded his version of Richard’s song with the same musicians and complete plagiarism of the vocals, calling it “Every Evening”. Magid's version eclipsed Richard's original. In upset feelings, he returned to his hometown to his parents.
Richard continued to perform and one day met a gay musician named Esquerita. Esquerita taught Richard to play the piano - and this skill made Richard a complete musician. Esquerita had huge hands with which he struck the piano keys, producing an extremely deep and powerful sound. Richard, who sang very loudly, liked the equally loud piano playing, and this sonic excess became his signature feature.
The father, who rejected Richard for his sexual inclinations, eventually began to recognize his son's talent and even began to be proud of him - every evening he played his son's record on the jukebox. One day there was a fight in the bar and Richard's father was shot. The killer was never sent to prison because the family did not have money for a lawyer, and Richard had to become the family's breadwinner.
Every evening, the pomaded, eccentric Richard gave concerts in clubs, starting his performances with the words: “This is Little Richard, the King of the Blues,” and then adding: “And the Queen too.” By the age of twenty-one, Richard had become a confident musician, recorded several songs, which, however, failed in the charts - and was waiting for the opportunity to hit his stride. Richard's manager arranged for him to tour, but said that to be completely happy he needed to get a band. Richard found a drummer and two saxophonists. This is how the group The Upsetters appeared, with which Richard’s career took off to a new level. He received recognition from other musicians and the love of the public. Still playing the blues, he began to develop the sound that would become rock and roll. One of the songs Richard wrote during this time was "Tutti Frutti": it became a cornerstone of rock and roll. Initially, the lyrics of this song openly played on homosexual love: “Tutti Frutti is a good ass: if it doesn’t fit, don’t push it - you need to lubricate it to make it easier” ( “Tutti Frutti good booty - if it don"t fit don"t force it - you can grease it, make it easy").
Richard's success allowed him not only to feed his family, but also to buy a black Cadillac and begin to lead a lifestyle worthy of an aspiring star. He did not drink or smoke at that time, but in his sexual life he behaved extremely eccentrically. Richard was a voyeur and often took girlfriends just to watch them have sex with other men. One of his girlfriends got into his car, spread her legs, and they drove around the city in search of willing men. Once in this form they encountered cops at a gas station. Richard was arrested and sent to prison. На суде адвокат добился освобождения Ричарда словами: «Этот ниггер уедет из города и никогда больше здесь не покажется». Fate pushed Richard out of his native place and forced him to take up his career with new enthusiasm.
The Second World War brought several million African Americans from the provinces to large cities: the industrial machine was working at full speed, and factories needed workers. African Americans found decent jobs and salaries for those times, some of which they wanted to spend on entertainment. However, segregation still remained in society: blacks were not allowed into theaters, concert halls and many nightclubs. Blacks wanted to hear music from blacks, so the demand for black musicians grew day by day, and separate music labels were formed. Their owners were still white, specializing in black music. One such label was Specialty Records in Hollywood. A musician named Bumps Blackwell worked for Specialty and scouted talented black musicians across the country, listening to hundreds of demos. He had to find an equivalent to Ray Charles, an aspiring star from Atlantic Records. He came across a demo recording of Little Richard: he didn’t look like Ray Charles, but still sunk into Bump’s soul. Bump tried to convince management that Richard was stellar material and needed to be recorded as soon as possible, but management had strong doubts. Then Richard himself got involved: he started calling the studio every two days and terrorizing management with the question “when will you record me?” After seven months of persuasion, the label gave in and decided to record an album. This is how one of the most important recordings in the history of music of the twentieth century appeared - the 1957 album “Here's Little Richard”.
At the time of recording his first album, Richard was already famous for his performances, but it turned out that without an audience he could not sing as well. Richard played the first half of the six-hour studio session without much enthusiasm. During the break, the whole team went to have lunch at the bar where there was a piano. And there Richard, inspired by the presence of the audience, suddenly played completely differently and sang a song that should not have been on the first album - “Tutti Frutti”. Richard's producer was indescribably delighted and realized that this was the very hit that could make the record gold. The only problem was the words: they were too obscene for the radio of that time. So the producer gave the sheet of paper with the words to a young girl, Dorothy La Bostry, for revision - she needed money and worked part-time at the studio. Fifteen minutes before the end of the studio session, Dorothy returned with a rewritten song. Richard refused to sing because after six o'clock his voice was already breaking. But the manager insisted. “Tutti Frutti” as we know it today was born.
Richard received $600 for recording the album. From the sale of each copy, under the standard contracts for black musicians of the time, the artist received one percent of ninety percent of the cost of the record. However, Richard's contract cut his fee in half: for each record sold, Richard received a shameful half a cent.
“The tragedy for blacks in show business at that time was that, like me, most of the performers were young, inexperienced and uneducated. We just wanted to leave our parents' house and travel around the country. So we were exploited, we were abused, we were cheated and we were just ripped off by the record companies and management who quickly realized the money that could be made in the early era of rock 'n' roll."
Little Richard
"Tutti Frutti" was a runaway hit on the black music charts, but it didn't make Richard much money. Moreover, the song was shamelessly covered by two aspiring white performers - Pat Boone and Elvis Presley. She instantly brought them millions and insane fame.
And yet Richard became more popular and richer. Despite the fact that Penniman received only half a penny for the records, sales volumes were so large that it brought in substantial money. And along with the popularity of the songs came a serious demand for concert performances, which were even more vibrant than the recordings. One day, a sixteen-year-old girl came to Richard's music producer with a song for Little Richard. Her aunt is sick and she needs money to put her aunt in the hospital. The song's lyrics were written on a piece of toilet paper, but the girl "hasn't figured out the melody yet." The song told a real story: a young lady caught her uncle in the park with another woman, and when her aunt appeared in the park, her uncle hid in the bushes. Only three lines came out:
"Saw Uncle John with Long Tall Sally"
They saw Aunt Mary comin"
So they ducked back in the alley."
The story was told to Richard, and he undertook to help the girl. A couple of days later he wrote the music and the song “Long Tall Sally” was born. It became an even bigger hit than “Tutti Frutti”, finally established Little Richard as the king of rock and roll and brought him even more money.
Covers of Little Richard's simple songs and copying of his performance style made stars out of such musicians as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly and a whole echelon of other white performers.
Little Richard's stage performances have gone down in history as the most wild and energetic rock concerts, often ending in mass hysteria. Already in the status of a rock star, Richard constantly competed with other musicians performing at group concerts: who would “fuck” the audience and lead the listeners into a greater frenzy. Jerry Lewis, Janis Joplin, The Doors and all the hottest stars of the time lost the competition and tipped their hats to Richard. When John Lennon refused to give Richard the right to perform last (the most important musicians performed last), Richard gave such a performance that Lennon and Yoko Ono, who came on stage after him, were booed by the audience and began to leave the hall. Richard's concerts were often stopped by the police several times during the evening, because the audience fell into a violent rhythmic ecstasy and began to go wild: girls threw their underwear on the stage, people jumped from balconies
Richard paid a lot of attention to his stage image, costumes, makeup, and wore long hair combed up, which Elvis Presley later copied. Richard opened each show with the song "Lucille", which he wrote in honor of a drag queen from his city - everyone called him Queen Sonja. As the performance progressed, Richard became enraged and undressed, throwing clothes, watches and jewelry into the hall to the delight of the frenzied audience. Due to racial segregation in some states, black and white audiences were seated in different parts of the hall with a partition between them. By the end of Richard's concerts, the audience usually mixed, barriers crumbled. Critics wrote that "Richard's voice naturally sends listeners into ecstasy, as if they had snorted a gram of cocaine, drank a bottle of Jack Daniels and had an orgasm - all at the same time." Little Richard himself acquired bad habits much later than fame. His main dope was sex: on tour, he organized orgies in his rooms every evening, he had lovers and mistresses, and he himself admitted that he masturbated seven to eight times a day.
Richard became the first black rock musician to be featured in a movie. He sang in the rock musical “The Girl Can't Help It” with the rising star Jayne Mansfield. For teenagers around the world, Richard became a star on the level of Marlon Brando and James Dean. Richard was swimming in fame and money, which he did not keep track of and distributed to everyone There were many who wanted it: tens of thousands of dollars were simply stolen from Richard by his lovers, mistresses and hangers-on. Despite the wild orgies that he organized, Richard carried the Bible with him everywhere and spent every morning after a night of fun reading the book out loud. , which he felt since childhood due to his sexual orientation, and his religious upbringing made itself felt. One day he was resting after another tour, and Richard from the Church of the Lord of the Ten Commandments called him at home and frankly told him that he felt dirty, not. sees meaning in show business and longs for the salvation of the soul. The pastor brought several more people of God's word into the dialogue, and a few months later Richard shocked millions of fans with the announcement that he was leaving music and devoting himself to serving the Lord. The final point of his musical career was the fireball that Richard saw flying over the stadium during one of the concerts of his farewell tour, on the day the Soviet Union launched the first satellite. After this, he decided to immediately cut off the tour and flew to America ten days ahead of schedule. The plane he was originally scheduled to fly on after the tour crashed over the Pacific Ocean. Richard retired from music and became a preacher.
After several years of preaching, Richard could not stand it and returned to show business. Unbeknownst to the church, he gave two small tours in England. On the first tour he had the young Beatles as his opening act, on the second – the young Rolling Stones. Beatles manager Brian Epstein even offered Richard to own the Beatles in half, but Richard refused because he did not believe in their success. Nevertheless, he communicated very warmly with all the Beatles, especially with Paul McCartney, who literally idolized Richard. When Richard returned to America and recruited a new group, the lineup included a young, unknown guitarist, who later became Jimi Hendrix. Musically and monetarily, Little Richard was a true King Midas throughout his career: everything and everyone he touched turned to gold. Little Richard was and remains the ultimate King of Rock and Roll. More precisely, as he himself said, the Queen.
