Elvis may have passed away in 1977 but his music certainly didn't die. It lives on.
Elvis was an inspiration to those who heard him, to those who saw him perform. He moved a generation, indeed he moved the world. Presley was inducted into four music halls of fame: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2007. That in and of itself is remarkable how an artist could be so recognized by so many different genres. Presley also posthumously received the W.C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation and the first Golden Hat Award given out by the Academy of Country Music. In 1987, Elvis was posthumously cited by the American Music Awards' Award of Merit. In 2005, 17 Elvis singles were reissued in the U.K. (all of which made the Top 10) and three--"Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung", and "It's Now or Never" reached #1.
People of all ages from all walks of life and all countries of the world are interested in the Presley legacy. The Graceland Mansion attracts over half a million people annually, making it the second most-visited home in the United States to the White House. Not only that, but over 50% of that number are visitors under 35, meaning the Presley legacy is now carrying over into a third generation. In 2006, Graceland was declared a National Historic Landmark. The annual Elvis Weekevents from August 10-16 in and around the Graceland estate draws as many as 70,000 people. There are Memorabilia auctions, Elvis lectures, special movie screenings, music listening parties, and a nighttime candlelight vigil at his grave site in Meditation Garden. There are still over 500 active Elvis Presley Fan Clubs in the United States and 45 other countries.
(5)
Elvis was and is an icon of incredible proportion. There has never been an individual artist who so captured and captivated a nation and the world. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) now places an estimate of 1 billion records sold by
According to Little Richard, "They wouldn't let black musicians in. Elvis opened the door for black music." Legions of impersonators have sprung up in the years since Elvis died. Now, the Presley Estate embraces such performers, even having contests during Elvis Week at Graceland to determine the best performer. In nearly every poll that has taken place since his death, Elvis is recognized as one of the most important music artists of all-time. "Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century", composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein said. "He introduced the beat to everything and he changed everything—music, language, clothes. It's a whole new social revolution—the sixties came from it."ElvisPresley, with 400 million of those coming from outside the United States. This despite outside of five concerts in three Canadian cities in 1957, he never performed a note outside of the U.S.On the 25th anniversary of his death (2002), RCA Records released a Presley compilation called Elvisholds the all-time records for Top 10 hits (38), Top 40 hits with 104 and for Top 100 hits with 151 and is second in #1 hits with 18. In the U.K.Elvisholds records for British #1 songs (21) and hits (76).
ELVIS: 30 #1 Hits. RCA's marketing campaign was designed around the line: "Before anyone did anything, Elvis did everything." A clever catch line, but it is so true. It is impossible to imagine the Beatles, the Stones, the Eagles, CCR, or any of the rock music we have enjoyed without Elvis first paving the way. He not only championed rock & roll and its freedom of expression, in many ways he was rock & roll. The album sold 500,000 units its first week and debuted at #1 in 17 countries, including the U.S., Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates.
Internet sites all over the world continue to do well selling Elvis memorabilia 39 years after his last Top 10 hit and 34 years after this passing. In 2002, a Dutch deejay act, Junkie XL, remixed the Presley song "A Little Less Conversation" for a Nike World Cup commercial. When the song was released as a dance single, it became a Top 10 song in several countries.
(5) Keogh, Pamela Clarke. Elvis Presley: The Man, The Life, The Legend. Simon & Schuster; 2004, page 2.
Elvis was an inspiration to those who heard him, to those who saw him perform. He moved a generation, indeed he moved the world. Presley was inducted into four music halls of fame: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2007. That in and of itself is remarkable how an artist could be so recognized by so many different genres. Presley also posthumously received the W.C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation and the first Golden Hat Award given out by the Academy of Country Music. In 1987, Elvis was posthumously cited by the American Music Awards' Award of Merit. In 2005, 17 Elvis singles were reissued in the U.K. (all of which made the Top 10) and three--"Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung", and "It's Now or Never" reached #1.
People of all ages from all walks of life and all countries of the world are interested in the Presley legacy. The Graceland Mansion attracts over half a million people annually, making it the second most-visited home in the United States to the White House. Not only that, but over 50% of that number are visitors under 35, meaning the Presley legacy is now carrying over into a third generation. In 2006, Graceland was declared a National Historic Landmark. The annual Elvis Weekevents from August 10-16 in and around the Graceland estate draws as many as 70,000 people. There are Memorabilia auctions, Elvis lectures, special movie screenings, music listening parties, and a nighttime candlelight vigil at his grave site in Meditation Garden. There are still over 500 active Elvis Presley Fan Clubs in the United States and 45 other countries.
(5)
Elvis was and is an icon of incredible proportion. There has never been an individual artist who so captured and captivated a nation and the world. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) now places an estimate of 1 billion records sold by
According to Little Richard, "They wouldn't let black musicians in. Elvis opened the door for black music." Legions of impersonators have sprung up in the years since Elvis died. Now, the Presley Estate embraces such performers, even having contests during Elvis Week at Graceland to determine the best performer. In nearly every poll that has taken place since his death, Elvis is recognized as one of the most important music artists of all-time. "Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century", composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein said. "He introduced the beat to everything and he changed everything—music, language, clothes. It's a whole new social revolution—the sixties came from it."ElvisPresley, with 400 million of those coming from outside the United States. This despite outside of five concerts in three Canadian cities in 1957, he never performed a note outside of the U.S.On the 25th anniversary of his death (2002), RCA Records released a Presley compilation called Elvisholds the all-time records for Top 10 hits (38), Top 40 hits with 104 and for Top 100 hits with 151 and is second in #1 hits with 18. In the U.K.Elvisholds records for British #1 songs (21) and hits (76).
ELVIS: 30 #1 Hits. RCA's marketing campaign was designed around the line: "Before anyone did anything, Elvis did everything." A clever catch line, but it is so true. It is impossible to imagine the Beatles, the Stones, the Eagles, CCR, or any of the rock music we have enjoyed without Elvis first paving the way. He not only championed rock & roll and its freedom of expression, in many ways he was rock & roll. The album sold 500,000 units its first week and debuted at #1 in 17 countries, including the U.S., Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates.
Internet sites all over the world continue to do well selling Elvis memorabilia 39 years after his last Top 10 hit and 34 years after this passing. In 2002, a Dutch deejay act, Junkie XL, remixed the Presley song "A Little Less Conversation" for a Nike World Cup commercial. When the song was released as a dance single, it became a Top 10 song in several countries.
Elvis Presley Hits List:
1956: "Heartbreak Hotel" (#1 for eight weeks)
"I Was the One" (#19)
"Blue Suede Shoes" (#20)
"Money Honey" (#76)
"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (#1 for 1 week)
"My Baby Left Me" (#31)
"Don't Be Cruel" (#1 for 11 weeks)
"Hound Dog" (#1 for 11 weeks)
"Blue Moon" (#55)
"I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine" (#55)
"Love Me Tender" (#1 for 5 weeks)
"Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)" (#20)
"Love Me" (#2 for 2 weeks)
"When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again" (#19)
"Paralyzed" (#59)
"Old Shep" (#47)
"Poor Boy" (#24)
1957: "Too Much" (#1 for 3 weeks)
"Playing for Keeps" (#21)
"All Shook Up" (#1 for 9 weeks)
"That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (#58)
"(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me) (#25)
"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" (#1 for 7 weeks)
"Loving You" (#20)
"Jailhouse Rock" (#1 for7 weeks)
"Treat Me Nice" (#18)
1958: "Don't" (#1 for 5 weeks)
"I Beg of You" (#8)
"Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" (#2 for 1 week)
"Doncha' Think It's Time" (#15)
"Hard Headed Woman" (#1 for 2 weeks)
"Don't Ask Me Why" (#25)
"One Night" (#4)
"I Need Your Love Tonight" (#4)
"A Big Hunk O' Love" (#1 for 2 weeks)
1960: "Stuck On You" (#1 for 4 weeks)
"Fame and Fortune" (#17)
"It's Now or Never" (#1 for 5 weeks)
"A Mess of Blues" (#32)
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (#1 for 6 weeks)
"I Gotta' Know" (#20)
1961: "Surrender" (#1 for 2 weeks)
"Lonely Man" (#32)
"Flaming Star" (#14)
"I Feel So Bad" (#5)
"Wild in the Country" (#26)
"(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" (#4, #2 for 2 weeks on the Easy Listening chart)
"Little Sister" (#5)
1962: "Can't Help Fallin' in Love" (#2 for 1 week, #1 for 6 weeks on Easy Listening chart)
"Rock-A-Hula Baby" (#23)
"Good Luck Charm" (#1 for 2 weeks)
"Anything That's Partof You" (#6 Easy Listening)
"Follow That Dream" (#15, #5 Easy Listening)
"She's Not You" (#5, #2 for 2 weeks Easy Listening)
"Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" (#55)
"King of the Whole Wide World" (#30)
"Return to Sender" (#2 for 5 weeks)
"Where Do You Come From" (#99)
1963: "One Broken Heart for Sale" (#11)
"They Remind Me Too Much of You" (#53)
"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" (#3)
"Bossa Nova Baby" (#8)
"Witchcraft" (#32)
1964: "Kissin' Cousins" (#12)
"It Hurts Me" (#29)
"Kiss Me Quick" (#34)
"What'd I Say" (#21)
"Viva Las Vegas" (#29)
"Viva Las Vegas", from EP (#92)
"Such a Night" (#16)
"Ask Me" (#12)
"Ain't That Loving You Baby" (#16)
"Blue Christmas"
1965: "Do the Clam" (#21)
"Crying in the Chapel" (#3, #1 for 7 weeks Easy Listening)
"(Such An) Easy Question" (#11, #1 for 2 weeks Easy Listening)
"It Feels So Right" (#55)
"Tickle Me", from EP (#70)
"I'm Yours" (#11, #1 for 3 weeks Easy Listening)
"Puppet On a String" (#14, #3 Easy Listening)
1966: "Tell Me Why" (#33)
"Blue River" #95)
"Frankie and Johnny" (#25, #3 Easy Listening)
"Please Don't Stop Loving Me" (#45)
"Love Letters" (#19, #38 Easy Listening)
"Spinout" (#40)
"All That I Am" (#41, #9 Easy Listening)
"If Every Day Was Like Christmas"
1967: "Indescribably Blue" (#33)
"Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On)" (#63)
"That's Someone You Never Forget" (#92)
"There's Always Me" (#56)
"Judy" (#78)
"Big Boss Man" (#38)
"You Don't Know Me" (#44, #34 Easy Listening)
1968: "Guitar Man" (#43)
"Stay Away" (#67)
"You'll Never Walk Alone" (#90)
"Let Yourself Go" (#71)
"Your Time Hasn't Come Yet, Baby" (#72)
"A Little Less Conversation" (#69)
"Almost in Love" (#95)
1969: "If I Can Dream" (#12)
"Memories" (#35, #7 Easy Listening)
"In the Ghetto" (#3, #8 Easy Listening)
"Clean Up Your Own Back Yard" (#35, #7 Easy Listening)
"Suspicious Minds" (#1 for 1 week, #4 Easy Listening)
1970: "Don't Cry Daddy" (#6, #3 Easy Listening)
"Rubberneckin'"
"Kentucky Rain" (#16, #3 Easy Listening)
"The Wonder of You" (#9, #1 for 1 week Easy Listening)
"Mama Liked the Roses"
"I've Lost You" (#32, #5 Easy Listening)
"The Next Step is Love"
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (#11, #1 for 1 week Easy Listening)
"Patch It Up"
1971: "I Really Don't Want To Know" (#21, #2 for 2 weeks Easy Listening)
"There Goes My Everything"
"Where Did They Go, Lord" (#33, #18 Easy Listening)
"Rags To Riches"
"Life" (#73, #8 Easy Listening)
"Only Believe"
"I'm Leavin'" (#36, #2 Easy Listening)
"It's Only Love" (#51, #19 Easy Listening)
1972: "Until It's Time for You to Go" (#40, #9 Easy Listening)
"An American Trilogy" (#66, #31 Easy Listening)
"Burning Love" (#2 for 1 week, #9 Easy Listening)
"It's a Matter of Time" (#9 Easy Listening)
1973: "Separate Ways" (#20, #3 Easy Listening)
"Steamroller Blues" (#17)
"Fool" (#12 Easy Listening)
"Raised on Rock" (#41, #27 Easy Listening)
"For Ol' Times Sake
1974: "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" (#39)
"Take Good Care of Her" (#27 Easy Listening)
"If You Talk in Your Sleep" (#17, #6 Easy Listening)
"It's Midnight" (#8 Easy Listening)
"Promised Land" (#14)
1975: "My Boy" (#20, #1 for a week Easy Listening)
"T-R-O-U-B-L-E" (#35, #42 Easy Listening)
"Bringing It Back" (#65)
1976: "Hurt" (#28, #7 Easy Listening)
"For the Heart"
1977: "Moody Blue" (#31, #2 for 2 weeks Adult Contemporary)
"She Thinks I Still Care"
"Way Down" (#18, #14 Adult Contemporary)
1978: "My Way" (#22, #6 Adult Contemporary)
1981: "Guitar Man" (#28, #16 Adult Contemporary)
1982: "The Elvis Medley" (#71, #31 AC)
1956: Love Me Tender (Elvis played Clint Reno; co-stars Richard Egan and Debra Paget)
1961: Wild in the Country (Glenn Tyler; co-stars Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, Millie Perkins)
Blue Hawai'i (Chad Gates; co-stars Joan Blackman and Angela Lansbury)
1964: Kissin' Cousins (Josh Morgan and Jodie Tatum; co-stars Arthur O'Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson, Pamela Austin, Yvonne Craig)
1982: "The Elvis Medley" (#71, #31 AC)
Filmography:
(top-grossing movies)
- Viva Las Vegas (May, 1964, MGM), no. 11 on the list of the top grossing movies of the year in the U.S., $36,479,931
- Jailhouse Rock (October, 1957, MGM), no. 12, $30,432,028
- Blue Hawaii (November, 1961, Paramount), no. 13, $34,505,134
- G.I. Blues (August, 1960, Paramount), no. 15, $31,888,839
- Loving You (July, 1957, Paramount), tied for no. 15, $28,871,412
- Girls! Girls! Girls! (November, 1962, Paramount), no. 19, $26,137,748
- Love Me Tender (November, 1956, Twentieth Century Fox), no. 20, $33,940,541
- Girl Happy (1965, MGM), no. 25, $21,578,624
- Kissin' Cousins (1964, MGM), no. 26, $19,826,050
- Roustabout (1964, Paramount), no. 28, $21,242,196
1956: Love Me Tender (Elvis played Clint Reno; co-stars Richard Egan and Debra Paget)
1957: Loving You (Role: Jimmy Topkins; co-stars Lizabeth Scott, Wendell Corey & Dolores Hart)
Jailhouse Rock (Vince Everett; co-stars Judy Tyler & Mickey Shaughnessy)
1958: King Creole (Danny Fisher; co-stars Walter Matthau, Carolyn Jones, Dean Jagger, Dolores Hart)
1960: G.I. Blues (Tulsa McLean; co-stars Juliet Prowse)
1961: Wild in the Country (Glenn Tyler; co-stars Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, Millie Perkins)
Blue Hawai'i (Chad Gates; co-stars Joan Blackman and Angela Lansbury)
1962: Follow That Dream (Toby Kwimper; co-stars Arthur O'Connell, Anne Helm)
Kid Galahad (Walter Gulick, Dustin Holmes and Kid Galahad; co-stars Charles Broncon, Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman)
Girls! Girls! Girls! (Ross Carpenter; co-stars Stella Stevens, Jeremy Slate, Laurel Goodwin)
1963: It Happened at the World's Fair (Mike Edwards; co-stars Joan O'Brien, Gary Lockwood, Vicky Tiu)
Fun in Acapulco (Mike Windgren; co-stars Ursula Andress, Elsa Cardenas, Alejandro Rey)
1964: Kissin' Cousins (Josh Morgan and Jodie Tatum; co-stars Arthur O'Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson, Pamela Austin, Yvonne Craig)
Viva Las Vegas (Lucky Jackson; co-stars Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest)
Roustabout (Charlie Rogers; co-stars Barbara Stanwyck, Leif Erickson, Joan Freeman)
1965: Girl Happy (Rusty Wells; co-stars Shelley Fabares, Harold J. Stone, Mary Ann Mobley, Nita Talbot)
Tickle Me (Lonnie Beale & Panhandle Kid; co-stars Julie Adams, Jocelyn Lane, Jack Mullaney)
Harum Scarum (Johnny Tyronne; co-stars Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries)
1966: Frankie and Johnny (Johnny; co-stars Donna Douglas, Harry Morgan, Sue Anne Langdon)
Paradise, Hawai'ian Style (Rick Richards; co-stars Suzanna Leigh, James Shigeta, Donna Butterworth)
Spinout (Mike McCoy; co-stars Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, Deborah Walley, Carl Betz)
1967: Easy Come, Easy Go (Lt. Ted Jackson; co-stars Dodie Marshall, Pat Priest, Pat Harrington, Jr., Elsa Lanchester)
Double Trouble (Guy Lambert; co-stars Annette Day, John Williams, Norman Rossington)
Clambake (Scott Heyward & Tom Wilson; co-stars Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins, Gary Merrill, Bill Bixby)
1968: Stay Away, Joe (Joe Lightcloud; co-stars Burgess Meredith, Joan Blondell, Katy Jurado)
Speedway (Steve Grayson; co-stars Nancy Sinatra, Bill Bixby, Gale Gordon, William Schallert)
Live a Little, Love a Little (Greg Nolan; co-stars Michele Carey, Rudy Vallee, Don Porter, Dick Sargent)
1969: Charro! (Jess Wade; co-stars Ina Balin, Victor French
The Trouble with Girls (Walter Hale; co-stars Marlyn Mason, Sheree North)
Change of Habit (Dr. John Carpenter; co-stars Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara McNair, Edward Asner)
1970: Elvis: That's the Way It Is (Himself; co-stars the Imperials, the Sweet Inspirations--shot in Presley's third season in Las Vegas)
1972: Elvis On Tour (Himself; co-stars J.D. Sumner & the Stamps--concert footage that won a Golden Globe Award)
(5) Keogh, Pamela Clarke. Elvis Presley: The Man, The Life, The Legend. Simon & Schuster; 2004, page 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.