...Elvis Presley: A Revolutionist Gage E. Trollinger Elvis Presley is the single most significant figure in rock and roll history. He completely changed music and he also changed entertainment through his influences. In the 1950’s Presley’s music broke past these racial barriers. He allowed Caucasian and African Americans listen to the same type of music. Elvis challenged the social and moral values because his music and his dance moves created a new generation. By 1955 Elvis had gone to a national sensation. People quickly fell in love with his style of music and dancing, Critics loved and hated him at the same time altho girls were in awe with him. The fact that Elvis shook his hips, thrust his pelvis, and danced passionately on stage, turned parents against his music. Elvis posed a threat to the values and morals of wight american cicity. Presly “set in motion a style of music that dominated the world for the rest of the century. It was the beginning of youth culture, the breakdown of sexual inhibition, and the end of racial segregation.”...
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...EElvis Presley When someone says “The King of Rock n’ Roll” we all automatically know whom they are talking about. No matter how old or young we all know the King is Elvis Presley. Known for his good looks and amazing talent, he shook the newly found rock n’ roll world. Ladies adored him and guys wanted to be him. However, Elvis had a tough growing up but once he hit it big in Memphis, he shot right off to stardom carrying his gospel and R&B influences with him on a journey that no one would expect. Elvis Aaron and Jesse Garon Presley, twins, were born January 8, 1935 to Vernon and Gladys Presley. Jesse was a stillborn and was buried the next day leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. Things were hard in the Presley house as Elvis grew up. His dad and uncle had been “sentenced to three years in Mississippi State Penitentiary for altering a $4 check from Orville Bean in payment for a hog in 1937” (Guralnick 2). In 1939 Vernon was released early on good behavior but by then Gladys had lost their house due to not being able to make payments on it alone. Work was hard to find and Vernon jumped from job to job. In 1942 when Elvis had just started the first grade, his father had to leave again. This time it was to move to Alabama for work leaving Elvis and Gladys in Mississippi. A year later Vernon returns to his wife and son and finds work in their hometown, Tupelo. Things started to look up for the Presleys by 1945. They had moved into a new four-bedroom home, Vernon had...
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...you who think Elvis is a cultural icon because of his ways of persuading his audience, are correct. In fact, I want to argue that he’s a champion cultural icon, the King of Rock and Roll, the Eternal Great. There are many reasons why this is true and I will lay these out in this paper. Elvis Presley is in fact, the ultimate cultural icon. He will never be replaced by anyone for many reasons. Thus, in this paper, I will argue that Elvis Presley is the ultimate cultural icon. For example, Elvis Presley and The Beatles represent the two poles of pop music superstardom. “On one side is the patriotic American truck driver with a voice that conquered the world over a two-decade career, and on the other hand, there are the four sharp-tongued Liverpudlians who came and went with the 60’s” (Webb). Former Beatle, John Lennon, once said, “Before Elvis, there was nothing” (Elvis Presley Quotes). “The question is, why Elvis? Why is Elvis—more so than Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and J.F.K.—consistently held up as an ‘icon of the twentieth century’” (Doss 2)? The reason Elvis is an icon is because he made an everlasting impression during his time. He was revolutionary. He influenced the teenage culture of the fifties and his music has shaped the styles of many recent artists. Musician Rod Stewart said, “Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps” (Elvis Presley Quotes). Presley still has admirers...
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...radios, television, entertainment, music and the style of fashion. The arrival of American movies and films and the invention of television have also contributed to the Americanisation to Australia. American films were released in Australia, and they became more popular than Australian films. American movies and films such as “I love Lucy”, have been blasted onto many Australian TV screens. Films were a great influence to teenagers, films such as ‘The wild one’ and ‘rebel without a cause’ this therefore showed a new type of teenager. One of the most significant changes to have occurred in the Australian popular culture was the change in music. American music would not have been possible without the radio. Bodgies and widgies were influenced by the culture of rock n roll music. Music such as Rock n roll became popular and had control over American lifestyle. Radios were playing music by Elvis Presley and Col Joye which influenced Australia’s society to where we are today. Australian’s fell under the influence of American rock n roll music. Rock n roll stars such Elvis Presley became very successful because teenagers adored him, his hairstyle, fashion and his moves which drove teenagers wild and he was an idol for the teenager’s generation. Australian fashion has also changed as a result of Americanisation. New fashion and clothing worn by American movie stars were referred as fashionable and influenced many teenagers and even older people to follow American way of life. Many...
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...time has moved forward, Elvis Pressley remains the greatest entertainer of all-time because of his award winning talent and the good looks sensuality, charisma, good humor, humility, respect, and kindness that endeared him to millions of his fans. Life and Times Elvis Presley was born to very humble beginnings in, Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. “The Presley family was very religious and regularly attended an Assembly of God church where Elvis sang gospel music in his youth,” (Petersen, 2005). At the tender age of 10, he won second prize at a fair in a singing competition that was backed by a neighborhood radio station. At 11 he received his first guitar and taught himself to play. Throughout his high school years he performed in talent shows, which inspired his career choice in the music industry. During the summer of 1953 Elvis made his first recording at Memphis Recording Service as a gift for his mother. When the owner heard his songs, he helped Elvis start a band and record another record that sold 6,000 copies within a week. One year later Elvis released his first nationwide hit. In August 1955, Elvis hired a manager “Colonel” Tom Parker, who helped him sign with RCA records. In one year’s time sold 300,000 copies of his hit release “Heartbreak Hotel,” along with five other number one hit songs and would maintain a place at the top of the charts for the next two years until he was drafted into the Army. Over the next 20 years Elvis would be given the title...
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...Fashion In the 1950s, America exerted a huge influence on Australia through cinema. Ripple-soled shoes, leather motorbike jacket, long jackets and thick-soled shoes. Young women would wear tight-waisted skirt with the equally tight jumper influenced by Marilyn Monroe Short back and sides haircut for young men were replaced by long styled hair. Young men would have their hair slicked back with grease and this was influenced by Elvis Presley. Black sweater, chunky costume jewellery and turned-up pants were worn as casual clothes when going to the cinema. A lot of fashion that were popular in Australia came from Hollywood through the movie industry. American fashion dominated the youth scene....
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...Screams,and hands shot into the air when Elvis sang and played his guitar. The Screams were almost deafening. From Elvis being born, to when he died, he was a rockstar. Elvis truly changed the way people looked at “Rock ‘n’ Roll”, in a good, and bad way.Elvis was incredibly important for the popularization of “Rock ‘n’ Roll” . From Elvis’ early life, to his rise to fame, and his legacy. It all started when Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, January 8, 1935. When he was very young, he had a stillborn brother, Jesse Garon Presley. Throughout his whole music career he would talk about his brother. When he was in high school, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and when he was there he enrolled in Humes High School. He signed up for music class, and halfway through the year his grades started slipping, and by the time it was the end of the year he failed music class. He failed because he was playing a different kind of music then everyone else, a mixture of gospel music, and country. Elvis was born in Mississippi a rockstar Following this, he eventually graduated high school in Memphis, and two years later he went to local Sun Studios to record his first single in 1954. After that his whole career rocketed. He recorded his first No.1 single “Heartbreak Hotel”. With his unusual dance moves he became very popular in America. He...
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...The impact of Elvis Presley on music University of New York Tirana Krist Babani Course: Composition II Instructor: Emily Hill Date: June 4, 2014 There are many factors and events that influence and change the history of a country, be that a war or a revolution. Despite the many areas changed throughout the decades, in America the art was radically changed through the impact a great man did to the pop culture through his music. His name was Elvis Presley. He reached an immediate success and many other well- known artists noticed it. Apart having an excellent voice, with his looks he stole many young women hearts. He created the music from his soul, even being raised with sacrifices and having a difficult past, these things did not stop him from being “The King” of Rock and Roll. Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. He was grown up as an only child because his twin Jessie Garon was stillborn. In 1948 he and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he graduated from high school in 1953. As a child he was shy and his nickname was Little Elvis. By the age of ten he showed his talent by singing Old Shep in a talent contest. Even though later girls would do anything just to touch him, he was rejected by them at this age. By the age of 12 he had the chance to sing live to a local radio but he was too scared to do it, so he gave up. His mom bought him a guitar by the age of 11 obviously noticing the talent of her son, so by the age...
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...Shosanna Spill Tricia Swoope ENG 112 03 July 2010 Rock Music Rock is a popular form of music that has evolved over the past couple of decades starting in the 1950s until present day. Rock music has been known to be used as a form of expression over the years. Despite its sometimes negative and defiant lyrics, rock is a form of art that allows one to release his/her feelings through singing in an expressive tone. Later styles of heavy rock music in the 1990s, such as grunge, the typical example being Seattle's Nirvana, show influences of heavy metal but are typically not labelled sub-genres of heavy metal, as opposed to thrash metal and glam metal. The general absence of virtuosic guitar solos is perhaps one reason grunge bands haven't been considered heavy metal bands. Another key artist during this time was Megadeth, which combined the relentless, speedy thrash metal riffs with the fancy guitar soloing of speed metal like Judas Priest. Rock-n-Roll has never just been music. Heavy metal, Rhythm & Blues, Art Rock, New Wave, and the rest may be primary styles or genres but as sub-categories of rock, or rockin’ roll they do not cumulatively add up to the whole. Rock n’ Roll is a movement, a lifestyle, in many ways a belief system and all that Rock n Roll is today it owes to history: two years, no more than three when the fabric of American popular culture was torn apart and rewoven, and a new era explosively began. Rock n Roll started with slavery. To understand we must understand...
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...There were many influential musicians in the 20th century, but we were able to narrow the list down to our top five most influential musicians. The Musicians we picked were Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Nirvana, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. We chose these musicians because they all left a lasting impact on America, not just on the music industry. All of these musicians are remembered for both their music and their impact on society. Michael Jackson was born in 1958, part of the first generation of Americans who never knew a world without TV, Jackson didn't just grow up with TV. He grew up on it. He was the first great televisual entertainer (Atlantic). You could say that because of Michael Jackson, music videos mean more today. Michael...
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...Peter Clark Professor James Smethurst AFROAM 151 December 5, 2012 The History Of Rock and Roll: Copyright Not Included The history of black America is one filled with exploitation and abuse. Time and time again we see the “cultural rape” of the black community. Whether it be style, lingo, or music white culture has been “borrowing” from black culture since the early history of the United States. It is so obvious it almost passes unnoticed. For example the handshake has largely been replaced in youth culture by a dap or a fist pound, both remnant of black culture in the 60’s. Even hello has been replaced with “yo” an interjection made popular in the black vernacular. One cultural phenomena that has been largely covered up as African-American in origin. The history of rock and roll is long and intricate drawing its roots from early American R&B, among other places. While most of the true innovators of rock music have been widely overlooked, white musicians have been profiting greatly off of the innovations made in music by black recording artists, specifically in the arena of rock and roll. It is widely accepted that rock music has its roots in the american blues. The history of the blues dates all the way back to slave plantations. This genre comes specifically from African-American folk music. Julio Finn the author of The Bluesman stated that: [White blues performers] can never be bluespeople...because the blues is not something they live but something they...
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..."Rock Around the Clock" "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song written in 1952. And the version that we have just listened to was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954. Compared with the first recording by another band and the various cover versions afterwards, Haley recording is considered as to be the best-known and most successful rendition of the song. When first released in the spring of 1954, it gained only limited sales. However, the song was popularized by its use in the social commentary film “Blackboard Jungle” in 1955 and became an anthem for the rebellious Fifties youth. Haley's recording of "Rock Around the Clock" is generally labeled to be the song that, more than any other, brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world. Popular music of the 1950s When the 1950s are mentioned, the first type of music to come to most people's minds is rock 'n roll. But music in the fifties was more than just rock 'n roll. The early 1950s era Pop music focusd on the song’s story and emotional delivery and was essentially a continuation of the crooner sound of the previous decade. Crooner sound refers to the sentimental songs, especially the love songs of the 1930s and 1940s It was not until the middle of the decade, Rock and roll entered the mainstream and became a major force in American record sales. And with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records, popular artists such as Bill Haley, Elvis Presley...
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...Taylor Rice History of Rock and Roll Mixtape Project February 25, 2016 Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson Hound Dog by Elvis Presley This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard Unforgettable by Nat King Cole Miserlou by Dick Dale & the Del Tones Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & the Comets Surfin’ USA by Beach Boys Maybellene by Chuck Berry The Times They Are A-Changin by Bob Dylan Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” (Crossroads) released in 1937. Robert Johnson is a legend, known as a figure in defining the foundation of the birth of Blues. His blues style was also very influential in the shaping of Rock and Roll. Before his young death at the young age of 27, he only ever recorded 29 of his compositions, which is very little material in comparison to other legends. His songs were seen as remarkable and inspiring since his music had a shockingly raw feel for the era. “Cross Road Blues” is in the blues genre, more specifically the Delta blues style. The song gives life to the legend of Robert Johnson who supposedly met the Devil at a crossroads outside of town and sold his sole in return for the Devil to tune his guitar and give him the talent to become a great musician. The song represents the blues genre of the era from the spiritual and religious roots, however, rather than using the usual saxophone as the lead instrument in a jazz song, he played the acoustic guitar. Woody Guthrie’s “This Land...
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...Classifications of Rock and Roll Music It is said that music makes the world go round. That is a very true fact. If there was no music the world would be a much lonelier, quieter and boring place to live. Music fills our lives with happiness and sadness. Sometimes it makes us mad. Sometimes it makes us want to dance. It has been around since the invention of man. The love of music starts at a very young age and continues into adulthood and old age. Whatever type of music you listen to is your choice. There are many types of music to choose from. There is Country & Western, Rhythm & Blues, Rap and Hip Hop. There is Jazz and Big Band style music. And lastly but by far not the least is Rock & Roll. Everywhere you go you can hear these types of music. You can hear it in the local shopping malls as background music, and in the churches being sung by the choir or the congregation. You can hear it on your radio at your home or in your car. You can even hear it at your favorite night club being played on a juke box or by a live band. The style of music I listen to is Rock & Roll; therefore, it is what I will be talking about in this essay. Rock & Roll got its start in the 1950’s. It is comprised of Country & Western, and Rhythm & Blues, but played at a much faster upbeat tempo. It was made popular by people like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, who is considered to be the King of Rock & Roll. Rock & Roll music became popular...
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...How Rock n’ Roll Changed America Music has been an influence on all people for years now. The music of rock n roll in the 1950s impacted all music genres then and today. Glenn C. Altschuler’s book, All Shook Up: How Rock n’ Roll Changed America, elaborated on how this era changed the view on music through race and sexuality. There were many problems that were caused between the two generations during the 1950s era because of the music influences of rock n’ roll. Whites were refraining their children from listening to such music that the teenagers enjoyed, for they did not want them to listen to black artists or bring out any sexuality they might have. Race and sexuality have been touchy subjects that make so many people uncomfortable and skeptical on accepting it just as is. Music and musicians during the times of the rock n roll ages of the 1950’s brought these delicate subjects out. Rock n’ roll was seen as a way of symbolizing black empowerment to the whites. Altschuler talks about how it was a moment where Black people were beginning to identify and assert themselves racially (35-37). During this time white older folks were very familiarized to separating blacks and whites. Doing such other made the folks upset and uncomfortable. They felt rock n’ roll was mixing and bringing the races together. There was a saying that was called “jungle music”, that meant the rock n roll music performed by the black race was causing young white teens to become disobedient and lose their...
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