16th August is not just a date it’s, the end of a sensation of “Rock n Roll.” It is the death anniversary of the king of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. He was the world’s best selling solo artist, with 1 billion sales worldwide. He was born on 8th January 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. At the age of 11, he got his first guitar as a birthday present. In the 8th class, his music teacher told him that he has no aptitude for music. He had stage fright in his early days and was very shy to perform in public.
Early Career:
Presley started his career with Sun Records in 1954 but, nothing came of his first two recordings. He faced rejection in an audition for a local vocal quartet. He also faced rejection in a tryout as a vocalist in a professional band. Therefore, he took the job of a truck driver for Crown Electric Company in April. In 1954 he performed on Louisiana Hayride and until 1955 became a regional star. In 1956 his first album released on RCA Victor Records. The album, however, spent ten weeks at No.1 spot on the Billboard Top Pop Album chart.
More Success:
Persley appeared three times on the Ed Sullivan show which, was also the top-rated show of the time. His performance Love Me Tender, Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel. All of them went to the top of Billboard. Love Me Tender prompted a record-shattering million advance orders. He also appeared on Steve Allen Show. He, like many of the singers, also made an acting debut, with his motion picture, “Love Me Tender.” Presley appeared in 31 feature films and, two documentary films, all of them were financially a huge success.
Personal life:
On 24th March 1958, Presley joined the U.S. Army as a private. Although Presley served in the army for only two years. Presley got married to Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. He had one daughter Lisa Marie Presley.
Priscilla and Persley got divorced in 1973. The failure of their marriage was a blow from which Presley never recovered. After his marriage broke down, he had a relationship with Linda Thompson. After Linda, he also had a relationship with Ginger Alden.
Health issues and death:
Presley was also a drug addict. In 1973 he overdosed on Barbiturates spending three days in a comma. Towards the end of 1973, he was, hospitalized from the effects of Pethidine addiction. He grew overweight and also suffered from glaucoma, high blood pressure, and liver damage. On 16th August 1977, he was found dead on his bathroom floor at his Memphis home. The cause of death was cardiac arrest.