Elvis Presley And The American Dream

Elvis Aaron Presley is a name you may have heard of, he was a very popular musician and actor. He also is known as the King of Rock and Roll and has starred in several . He once said, “I’m not trying to be sexy. It’s just my way of expressing myself when I move around.” (“E.P.Bio” 1) Elvis was a very popular artist, and his music is still played on the radio. Elvis was looked at in both positive and negative opinions due to his gyrating hips and how they were too sexual and some videos of him dancing had to be of only his waist up. Presley chose not to get affected by the people’s opinions and decided to express himself no matter what others thought. This inspired people of all ages and taught them that you can express yourself in anyway you want. Elvis was named The King of Rock and Roll, but the name wasn’t just given to him, it was earned. Elvis had several life accomplishments that helped him earn the title, because of this Elvis had a large impact on America when it came to being an inspiration and knowing how to ignore the hate in the world.

On January 8th, 1935 one of the greatest influences to pop and country was born. Elvis Aaron Presley changed the way people heard and saw music through his songs and the way he performed them. Elvis’ music was stunning, he had eighteen American No. 1s and hundreds of gold records from around the world. He brought a way of performing that people had never experienced before, he was electrifying when he performed on stage. Elvis Presley was the first rock'n'roll star, he brought rebellion to the youth of that time and was able to grasp the listener and draw them into his songs which few artist have ever been able to accomplish.

Dr. Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King led the civil rights movement. Dr. King made speeches about the unfair laws in the US. A whole lot of people came to hear his I Have a Dream speech. The I Have a Dream speech made people change their way of acting. Dr. King also wanted justice in the world. He explained how black were treated unfairly. He wanted to change that. He told people how to settle fights with no violence. He used speeches, statements, and boycotts to change America. He got assassinated on April 4th, 1968 in the Lorraine Motel in Tennessee. People were sad on that day.

The words, laziness and discipline are descriptive words that normally do not appear in the same context. Laziness is driven from the desire of comfort while discipline is conquering the discomfort and embracing the grind. We live in a world where we may not consider ourselves lazy, but we are. A verse from the Bible, Proverbs 26:14 says, “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.” This verse is a riddle and it is saying as a door moves on its hinges the door in not going anywhere. Similarly, the individual lying in bed, turning over and you can almost imagine the individual pressing the snooze button. In the era of the Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King Jr. decided not to press the snooze button. He knew “if we are

Elvis Presley was not a remarkable singer when he started out. For many years, he worked diligently with his work to try to get his music heard by other people. His success finally came when people gave him a chance. Elvis later received a slew of awards for his musical works. Although most people see Elvis Presley as only a great singer, Elvis created a style of music that led to the music we have today.

Elvis Presley has had more impact on American society and culture than any other person in history for the three following reasons; his large contribution to the start of the generation gap in the 1950’s, his huge impact on rock ‘n’ roll music, and finally, his music opened a door for some integration between races.

With tension rising in Berlin, Germany, between Capitalism and Communism, a war of hostility broke out: the Cold War. The Cold War was a war between the western democracy capitalist United States and the totalitarian communist Soviet Union. These two superpowers held the fate of the world in their hands. Tension rose to an unbearable level during the Cold War, almost entering into World War III. The Cold War started for a variety of reasons some being communication, “weapons,” and ideas.

The well-known musician and performer, Elvis Presley, was born on January 8th, 1935 in Mississippi (Torr 196). He was one of the many men who created rock and roll music. Millions of people, including the president of the United States at the time, loved him not only for his music, but for who he was: a polite, southern man who brought joy to crowds across America (“Elvis Presley”). Overall, I think that he had a positive impact on the world for many reasons.

Some of the most major accomplishments he had earned were he had earned 14 Grammy nominations, and NARAS gave Elvis the Lifetime Achievement Award (Torr,2001). Also in 1956 after 25 weeks Elvis had 5 number one hits and 12 top 40 hits which, put him at the top of the charts (Chris,1999). Another thing that happened in 1956 Elvis had had his first RCA recording “Heartbreaking Hotel” which reached top in blues, rhythm, and country (2018). In 1957 Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” “Teddy Bear” and “All Shook Up” were big hits which made Elvis the idol for many teens (2018). Also many years after his death, Elvis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Plasketes,1991). Presley was the most successful solo artist commercially to ever live after he had sold over 1 billion songs and albums (Meachan, Rumer, 2017). Even though Elvis had had a successful career, he also had many

Elvis faced many obstacles during his 24 years as the “King” he faced racial controversy, musical barriers, and bad press in order to help create Rock and Roll music. Long before Rock n Roll was created or even thought of, the musical world was divided over petty differences. One of the many reasons why music was divided was the heavy racism that plagued the United States since the end of slavery. Another reason why music was divided was the fact of a huge generation gap, or difference between parent and child. These are some of the challenges that Elvis faced.

In the 1950’s, America was just starting to develop a common culture. Platforms like The Ed Sullivan Show, were uniting Americans while maintaining the conservative values of the time. Many Americans tried to hold onto the lifestyle and values they were so used to, but the times were changing. The number of women in the workforce doubled, African Americans were fighting segregation, and a new teenage culture was developing. Music, rock n’ roll at that time, became a way to make up the differences between Americans. Elvis Presley, a poor southern boy, made major waves by singing what most considered solely race music enticing teenagers and angering disapproving parents. This changed the common culture of the time by breaking down at least some of the barriers between whites and blacks through teenagers love of music.

According to the documentary, When America was Rocked, Elvis Presley was a rock ‘n’ roll teenage icon in the 1950’s. When he was signed for The Ed Sullivan Show, in September of 1956, fans all over were aroused. The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the most prestigious and popular shows in the 1950’s. Elvis Presley’s appearance on this show bolstered ratings and represented a huge moment in American Pop Culture history because of the influence of teenage consumerism, the mass impact of television, and the cultural and social challenges presented by rock ‘n’ roll music.

The reading I will focus on this week is an article written by the journalist Kays Gary for the Charlotte Observer in June 1956. In the reading, Gary recalls his time spent with Elvis Presley during an interview with the local press before an early performance in North Carolina. Although Elvis was evidently being very flirtatious and open with his young female fans on the afternoon of the interview, his attitude towards the media is notably more hostile, with the singer remarking that “them critics don’t like to see nobody win doing any kind of music they don’t know nothin’ about” (p. 19). This bitter response to the criticism faced by Presley after his appearance on the Milton Bearle Show appears to indicate that Elvis believed rock and roll to have a high cultural value that made it inaccessible and unintelligible to certain groups of people (in this specific instance, journalists). However, when asked why he does what he does, Presley retorts with the disappointingly honest line that he performs for the money and would be willing to abandon rock and roll should a new style become more lucrative (p. 20).

“The army teaches boys to think like men.” Elvis Presley is the king of rock and roll he has a huge impact on America. Elvis actually enjoyed joining the army and helping his country with his service. He was known for his music in the 1950’s in America. He used different kinds of music and combined to make different types of music. Rock and roll, a type of popular dance music originating in the 1950s, characterized by a heavy beat and simple melodies. Rock and roll was an amalgam of black rhythm and blues and white country music, usually based on a twelve-bar structure and an instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drums.

Elvis Arron Presley was born 1935 and so was his brother. Jessie Garon Presley was the twin brother of Elvis which sadly he died at birth (Watson 14.) Elvis was very poor has a child and so was his whole family (Watson 12.)But In 1954 is when he started his music career with sun records and the fame began (“Elvis.”) In 1957 Elvis found his love priscilla and married her, and lived in graceland in his mansion (Watson 72.) To truly understand Elvis Presley, ONe must understand His early, middle and later life.