So cool the new sound of the decade, thinks it's so fresh, not a post Elvis still - Nostalgic Pushead

ELVIS PRESLEY
(1935-77). One of the most successful entertainers ever, Elvis Presley dominated popular music in the United States from the release of his first big record, 'Heartbreak Hotel', in 1956. His records, 45 of which sold more than a million copies each, his 33 motion pictures, and his appearances on television and in live concerts made the young singer into a one-man industry who by the mid-1960s was the highest-paid performer in show business history. His death in 1977 in no way diminished his popularity with his fans. His records continued to sell, and his legend brought on a whole generation of imitators. (See also Music, Popular.)

Elvis Aron Presley was born on Jan. 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Miss. In 1949 the family moved to Memphis, Tenn., where young Presley attended L.C. Humes High School, graduating in 1953. That summer he came to the attention of Sam Phillips, president of the Sun Record Company, when he went there to make a personal recording intended as a present for his mother. Presley made his first commercial recording for Sun the following year, and Colonel Tom Parker, who managed his career from that time, arranged for him to make a series of personal appearances.

In 1955 RCA Victor bought his recording contract from Phillips, and by 1956 Presley was a best-selling recording artist and television star. His hip gyrations, which some viewers thought too suggestive, earned him the nickname Elvis the Pelvis. 'Love Me Tender', his first film, was released that same year.

Drafted into the Army in 1958, Presley went through regular training and then served as a truck driver in West Germany until his discharge in 1960. Resuming his career under Parker's supervision, he worked up a touring act, based in Las Vegas, Nev., and attracted an ever-expanding public. He bought Graceland, his lavish Memphis mansion, using it as a retreat from the enthusiasm of his public. In 1967 he married Priscilla Beaulieu. The couple, who had a daughter the following year, were divorced in 1973.

Unable to go anywhere without being mobbed by fans, Presley became increasingly reclusive. He gained weight and took various prescription drugs. He died of heart failure in Memphis on Aug. 16, 1977.