Elvis Presley's Influence On Youth Culture

Elvis Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King". Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi as a twin, and when he was 13 years old, he and his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. His music career began there in 1954, when he recorded a song with producer Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Elvis Presley was an early singer of rockabilly, an up-tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United

During the 1950s, teenagers had begun to think of themselves as being different from their parents’ generation. Because of the economic prosperity of the period, teens enjoyed a disposable income that they could spend on themselves instead of contributing toward family survival. With that money they dressed themselves in fashions marketed to their age group, went to movies that featured stars of their generation, and listened to music that appealed to them. So it wasn’t a surprise when Presley’s rock ’n’ roll music, his hairstyle, and his fashion sense became a part of this new culture for teenagers. A backlash from alarmed religious, parental and white supremacist groups who began warning about the breakdown of morals and the poisoning of impressionable young minds that rock and roll was causing. Many conservative southerners found it disturbing to see white girls hyperventilating over black singers. As segregation was big in that part of the country at this time, this was not acceptable by many. Since the beginning of his career, Elvis Presley has had an extensive cultural impact. His recordings, dance moves, attitude and clothing came to be seen as embodiments of rock and