ElvisPresley

Interesting facts: - Black artists experience unprecedented success in terms of music - Presley came along when pop music was dominated by orchestral arrangements and crooning singers dressed in sweaters or formal clothes - Elvis influenced hundreds of thousands of kids to pick up guitars and learn to sing and play. Guitar sales in 1950 were about 228,000 and by 1959 had jumped to 400,000. - His recordings, dance moves, attitude and clothing came to be seen as embodiments of rock and roll - His music was heavily influenced by African-American blues, Christian gospel, and Southern country. - Presley triggered a juggernaut of demand for his records by near-teens and early teens aged ten and up

-Many loyal fans believe that Elvis is "still alive" and merely faked a death or disappearance -Elvis' provocative dance moves caused Elvis to have the lower half of his body not shown on certain TV channels. Instead he would only be shown from the head up. -Elvis has a very well known look that is copied by many people.

Historical analysis: - Described as "an American music giant of the 20th century who single-handedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s." - Along with Presley's "ducktail" haircut, the demand for black slacks and loose, open-necked shirts resulted in new lines of clothing for teenage boys whereas a girl might get a pink portable 45 rpm record player for her bedroom - American teenagers began buying newly available portable transistor radios and listened to rock n roll on them - He died of a heart attack; later it was revealed that the cause of the heart attack was related to prescription drug-abuse problems. Pictures: