ABOUT THE BOOK “If he did things like that in the street, we’d lock him up.” —Oakland, CA Officer 230, assigned to security at Elvis Presley’s June 3, 1956 show at the Oakland Auditorium, in reference to Elvis' dance style You may know him by his epithets: The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, or maybe just The King. Memphis Flash. The Hillbilly Cat. Elvis the Pelvis. Sir Swivel, perhaps. Elvis Presley was a teen girl’s heartthrob, a studio’s golden goose, a movie star, a sexual icon, a rock legend. He battled both internal demons and management fiascos. He loved music, and both loved and loathed the fame it brought him. He influenced singers and bands as diverse as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Tom Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Pat Benatar, Queen, The Clash, Billy Idol, and Elton John. He found his sound in African-American gospel music and blended it with country and blues to produce a newfangled thing called “rock ‘n’ roll.” He started out with nothing and ended his life as a wealthy and generous man. He never performed a concert outside of North America (he played five shows in Canada in 1957), and yet his records went gold and platinum in countries such as Belgium, Sweden, Germany, France, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Japan, England, Australia, and Norway. He is known throughout the world by his first name. He has spurred fan clubs, blogs, impersonators, and tribute acts galore. Sometimes he’s spotted leaving the building, decades after his death. Graceland, his beloved Memphis mansion, is a mecca for fans worldwide. His records and outlandish costumes are on display, as well as his more personal mementos from an incredible life. Although his image has often descended into camp, Elvis was first and foremost an artist who was deeply engaged with the history and future of music and with blurring the racial divides in mid-century America. His 1950s material showcases the “musical idiot savant” with the “golden voice” and sensitive readings of popular ballads, while his 1960s and 1970s songs often belie Elvis' confident, stylized exterior. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll came from humble beginnings. Elvis Aaron (later Aron) and his twin brother, Jesse Garon, were born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8th, 1935, to Gladys Love and Vernon Elvis Presley. Jesse was stillborn, and as the Presleys did not have any other children, Elvis grew up as an only child. Gladys was 22 years old and Vernon only 18 when they had the future King. During morning prayers one day at East Tupelo Consolidated, ten-year-old Elvis sang the song “Old Shep” by Red Foley. One of his teachers, dazzled by the performance, encouraged him to enter a singing contest at the 1945 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Elvis placed fifth. After graduating high school in 1953, Elvis decided to cut his first record. He paid Sun Records to make a two-song disc, ostensibly as a present for his mother. While this motivation is indeed likely, Elvis seems to have had other, grander ideas: he wanted to be discovered. The receptionist at Sun Records, Marion Keisker, noted his talents, writing, “Good ballad singer. Hold” under his name. Sam Phillips, the boss over at Sun Records, invited Elvis back to the studio to record as many songs as he knew. None of them were quite right, and the day looked to be a failure. After they had all called it quits, Elvis began horsing around with his guitar, belting out Arthur Crudup’s 1946 “That’s All Right.” The rest of the band joined in. This was exactly the “white man [with] the Negro sound and the Negro feel” that Phillips was looking for. When the song hit the radio three days later, listeners called in to ask who the singer was... ...buy the book to read more!

You've probably heard of Elvis... He is dead famous for: ...being the King of Rock 'n' Roll ...having trouble fitting into his spangly white jumpsuits ...causing a riot with a wiggle of his pelvis. But have you heard that Elvis ...escaped from tornadoes by hidiing in a cave ...flew halfway across America for 22 giant sandwiches ...had a tooth stuck in his lung? Yes, even though he's dead, Elvis is still full of surprises. Now you can get the inside story with Elvis's lost diary, peek in the pages of 'The Hillbilly Herald', and check out our exclusive guide to Elvis impersonating.

Can’t get enough of the King? A lively romp through all things Presley, this sassy guide covers what you really want to know about the man who continues to leave generations of females “All Shook Up.” “It’s just like being in junior high again. This book offers the scoop on Elvis’s way with women–the wives, the girlfriends, the screaming fans–and leaves plenty of room for ever important hair and wardrobe discussions...[and] films and concert highlights too.”–Time The first book explicitly fashioned for Elvis Presley’s largest fan base, The Girls’ Guide to Elvis offers a fabulously fun look at the man who begged us to love him tender. This kitschy, dishy, gossip-filled guidebook is packed with never-before-seen photographs and tasty tidbits about the King of Rock and Roll and his insatiable appetite for females, finery, and good old down-home food. Discover Elvis’s bedroom do’s and don’ts. Dig into details about his relationships with Priscilla, Ann-Margret, and Nancy Sinatra. Peek at snapshots of Presley on dates with local girls we never even knew about. Delve into his infamous shopping sprees and analyze his predilection for jewel-encrusted jumpsuits. Get the skinny on how Elvis felt about his weight–and even learn to cook low-fat versions of his favorite foods. Plus much, much more. For Elvis fans of all ages--from those who screamed at Elvis the Pelvis in concert to those who know the immortal icon from CDs and DVDs--The Girls’ Guide to Elvis is a must-have keepsake.

This informative title covers the life Elvis Presley. Readers learn of his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi and his family's relocation to Memphis, Tennessee. Presley's musical work is discussed, from his beginning singing Ole Shep at a state fair to his collaboration with Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis to his recording of That's All Right, and his introduction to Colonel Tom Parker to his signing with RCA and his first hits Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, and Hound Dog through his television appearances Ed Sullivan and live performances such as 68 Comeback Special and Aloha From Hawaii. Opposition to his controversial dance moves by parents, ministers and lawmakers is included, including his censorship on the Steve Allen Show and public banning of his music. Elvis's movie career is included with hits such as Love Me Tender, Viva Las Vegas, Jailhouse Rock, and Blue Hawaii as is his military service in the US Army. Presley's courtship with Priscilla Beaulieu is included, as is their marriage and the birth of their daughter Lisa Marie, their home Graceland, and their eventual divorce. Elvis's descent into drug use is included, leading to his death by heart failure at age 42. This book includes details of Elvis's life and covers the controversies surrounding his life and death. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Elvis Presley was celebrity's perfect storm. His sole but substantial contribution was talent, a fact Charles L. Ponce de Leon is careful to demonstrate throughout his wonderfully contextual Fortunate Son. Even as the moments of lucidity necessary to exercise that talent grew rarer and rarer, Elvis proved his musical gifts right up to the end of his life. Beyond that, however, he was fortune's child. Fortunate Son succinctly traces out the larger shifts that repeatedly redefined the cultural landscape during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, using Elvis's life to present a brief history of American popular culture during these tumultuous decades.

Provides an in-depth biography of this rock legend and the places, people, and inspirations that made him the man he was, such as his formative years in Tupelo, his early music years, his years in the army, and his incredible rise to stardom as "The King." Reprint.

A vibrant, sympathetic portrait of the once and future king of rock 'n' roll by the award-winning author of Shiloh and In Country To this clear-eyed portrait of the first rock 'n' roll superstar, Bobbie Ann Mason brings a novelist's insight and the empathy of a fellow Southerner who, from the first time she heard his voice on the family radio, knew that Elvis was "one of us." Elvis Presley deftly braids the mythic and human aspects of his story, capturing both the charismatic, boundary-breaking singer who reveled in his celebrity and the soft-spoken, working-class Southern boy who was fatally unprepared for his success. The result is a riveting, tragic book that goes to the heart of the American dream.