Role of the Performer: Elvis Presley
The Beginning
Elvis Presley, often called the "King of Rock and Roll," was born on January 8, 1935 in Mississippi. He learned to play the guitar as a kid and he sang for the same reasons anyone would sing. This included singing in school and in talent shows, but it wasn't until around 1953 that people recognized there was something different about his singing. Elvis began singing demos for recording studios. It took some time for the recording companies to recognize his talent and why they should record him instead of other singers at the time. Although he co-wrote some of his songs later in his career, at that point he didn't write songs. He was only singing what others were writing and singing. Elvis sang the music he had heard and become familiar with throughout his life up until that point. According to Peter Guralnick, author of the book Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, Elvis had a "lack of confidence" when he was recording his demos. Eventually, his lack of confidence gave way to talent and Elvis began recording music to release into the world.
The Music and Why It's Different
One of the first songs Elvis recorded is called "Blue Moon of Kentucky," which was originally written by Bill Monroe in 1946. Bill Monroe was an American artist who wrote and sung bluegrass music with his group, the Bluegrass Boys.
Conclusion
While I am not the biggest fan of Elvis Presley's music and I haven't spent a lot of time listening to it, I enjoyed learning more about him and his music while researching this topic. I also enjoyed hearing his unique sound. It certainly has its own special qualities that aren't often found in other music. I hope you enjoyed hearing it as well!
Sources
Guralnick, Peter. Last train to Memphis: the rise of Elvis Presley. Little, Brown, 2012.
Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley: A Life in Music. Macmillan, 2000.
Song Facts. "Can't Help Falling In Love." Songfacts, LLC. Accessed November 7, 2020. https://www.songfacts.com/search/songs/cant-help-falling-in-love
Many artists do seem to start to find their joy in music as kids and begin to interact and engage in different activities growing up. I've never really taken the time to listen to many songs by Elvis but just by hearing these ones you shared and knowing a few of the common ones he does have a very unique sound and is able to use his voice over a variety of rhythms which makes him great as a performer. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMy dad listened to Elvis Presley so it was that much more interesting to read your blog. I also learned that Elvis never performed outside the United States! This music class has been so much fun, learning more in-depth about singers and music has changed perspective and I find myself listening to the instruments being played rather than just the beat and vocals!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid I would wake up on a Saturday morning after spending the night at my grandma's house to hear Elvis Presley playing as she would be cooking breakfast. Aside from the times I listened to him with my grandma I also haven't listened to him much since. I agree with your statement that he did have a few sentimental songs even with the title of "King of Rock and Roll". I would have liked to see more of how Elvis became the "King". According to http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-king.html, it states, "As rock ’n’ roll was first cranking up in 1955 and early 1956, journalists who covered his personal appearances were referring to Elvis as a “country” or “hillbilly” singer" It wasn't until "Heart Break Hotel" that writers began associating Elvis with Rock and Roll.
ReplyDeleteOver all wonderful blog post! Thank you for sharing.
I've always been a huge fan of Elvis. Even though he doesn't have the greatest voice or music, it's so iconic and catchy it's hard not to like it. Another thing he was known for was his on-stage persona. His dance style was seen as very unnatural for his day, so he started sort of a new way to perform. He wasn't just known for his music, but his style as well. Even though he mostly copied music from other artists, he still had his own unique style with whatever he performed. Great post!
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