Elvis Presley was an American singer who had an effect on world culture rivaled only by The Beatles and Chuck Berry. Exposed to gospel music from childhood, Presley began playing guitar before his adolescence. Early in his career he was referred to as The Hillbilly Cat and was soon nicknamed Elvis the Pelvis because of his sexually suggestive performance style. In terms of sheer record sales, Elvis' impact is utterly phenomenal and eclipses any other recording artist. He was famous in life, Elvis Presley has become even more famous in death as an icon of American music and TV-era celebrity.
The Elvis Presley biography reads like the ultimate fulfillment of the American dream. The rags to riches Elvis biography allowed every teenager of the mid 1950's dream that anything is possible. Since then just about every rock star has wanted to re-live the history of Elvis.
Elvis Presley Biography
Elvis Presley was born on January 8. 1935, in a one-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, the only child of poor sharecroppers; the family moved to Memphis in 1948. The boy from humble beginnings to Elvis Army days, to Elvis in Hollywood to Elvis in Concert to become the King of rock roll.
Childhood of Elvis:
Presley's family moved when he was 13. He had a twin brother (Jesse Garon Presley) who died at birth. They would move to Lauderdale Courts public housing development in 1949. It was here where Elvis would be near Memphis music and cultural influences like Beale Street, Ellis Auditorium, Poplar Tunes record store with Sun Studio about a mile away. It is said that Elvis was a fan of the comic book superhero Captain Marvel, Jr. as a boy, and modeled what would later become his trademark hairstyle on that of the comic book character. Elvis took up guitar at 11 and would practice in the basement laundry room at Lauderdale Courts. He would play gigs in the malls and courtyards of the Courts with other musicians that lived there. After high school he worked at Precision Tool Company and then drove a truck for the Crown Electric Company.
Elvis and Women: Dating
Elvis was a sex symbol who sent legions of women swooning. He had a string of girlfriends, before and after he became famous, including celebrities such as Mamie Van Doren, Natalie Wood, Tuesday Weld, Cybill Shepherd and Ann-Margret. He lived with Memphis girfriend Anita Woods until he met Priscilla Beaulieu while stationed in the U.S. Army base in Germany.
On May 1, 1967 he married Priscilla Anne Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Priscilla had been the step-daughter of Presley's commanding officer in Germany during his Army stint. Incredibly, Elvis managed to talk Priscilla's mother and step-father into allowing the underaged girl to live with him at Graceland. In her autobiography, Priscilla recounted how Elvis would stay up all night and sleep most of the day; if he wanted to go out, he'd rent out the venue so no fans would bother him. Although he would spend hours alone with her in her bedroom, Priscilla wrote that Elvis never made any advances toward her. Indeed, their wedding night was the first time they were intimate; their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born exactly nine months later on February 1, 1968.
After their divorce in 1973, Lisa lived with Priscilla but spent a great deal of time with Elvis. Elvis then began a relationship with Linda Thompson who moved into Graceland almost immediately and stayed there for four years until Presley dropped her for Ginger Alden. Alden was living with him at the time of his death.
Apart from these relationships to women, Elvis spent most of his time with men from the so-called "Memphis Mafia", among them Sonny West, Red West, Billy Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike. They used to hang with Elvis all day and night. Similar to the real Mafia, there was a code of silence within the group during Elvis's lifetime, and they protected his name and image. After the death of Elvis, several Memphis Mafia members wrote books on his life.
Elvis: The Hollywood Years, a 2002 biography by David Bret, claims Presley was gay. Bret, who has made a career on sensationalized claims of homosexuality of deceased male celebrities, says Colonel Tom Parker "held secret information about a homosexual affair between Elvis and actor Nick Adams over his head like a sword. ... That is why Parker had so much control over him." According to Bret, many journalists' attempts to "out" Elvis in the past were thwarted by his manager. In her manuscript book The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis and an unfavorable article in the National Enquirer, Dee Presley, Elvis's stepmother, also says that Elvis had sexual encounters with men and mentions his affair with Nick Adams. Other testimonies have also been said to point to homosexuality. In Elvis by the Presleys (2005) his ex-wife, Priscilla Presley claims that Elvis was not overtly sexual towards her and that they did not have sex until the night of the wedding. Parts of the lyrics to the song "Jail-house Rock" may also be interpreted as being homo-erotic. Despite these statements, just about every other author, writing in the vein of the worldwide Elvis industry which has a tendency toward supporting only a 'favorable' view of the singer, believes that Elvis was heterosexual.
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Awards & Nominations for Elvis Presley:
CableACE Awards
1985 Nominated ACE Performance in a Music Special
for: Elvis: One Night with You (1984) (TV)
Golden Apple Awards:
1966 Won Sour Apple Least Cooperative Actor
1960 Won Sour Apple Least Cooperative Actor
Grammy Awards:
1962 Nominated Grammy Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from Motion Picture or Television
for: Blue Hawaii (1961)
1961 Nominated Grammy Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from a Motion Picture or TV
for: G.I. Blues (1960)
Laurel Awards:
1966 Won Golden Laurel Musical Performance, Male for: Tickle Me (1965)
Nominated Golden Laurel Male Star 11th place.
1965 3rd place Golden Laurel Musical Performance, Male
for: Viva Las Vegas (1964)
1964 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star
12th place.
1963 2nd place Golden Laurel Top Male Musical Performance
for: Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)
Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star
10th place.
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