Elvis Presley : The King of Rock and Roll

 

   Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

   Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades.  

   Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States and a No.2 hit in the UK. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll.  He is the best-selling solo music artist of all time, and was commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, R&B, adult contemporary, and gospel. He won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. Presley holds several records; the most RIAA certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, and the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart and the most number-one singles by any act on the UK Singles Chart. In 2018, Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. According to RIAA, he has sold over 139 million albums units only in the United States, making him the second best selling solo albums artist of all time in this country, and the biggest selling solo artist of all time. He is in the U.S second overall, behind The Beatles and Garth Brooks.

 Out of his 24 studio albums, four reached the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, while more four peaked within the top ten tier. Of his 18 soundtrack albums, four reached the top of the aforementioned chart, as seven more peaked within the top-ten group. One of his live albums peaked at top of the tally as did one of his posthumous compilations from 2002. He collected a wholesome 18 number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the most for any male act in the music history. Additionally, he topped the equivalent US Country chart on several occasions along with the Hip-Hop/R&B charts, as well other charting territories such as the UK. 

To this day, Presley remains the best-selling solo artist, with sales estimates ranging from 600 million to 1 billion sales. Presley holds the records for most songs charting in Billboard's top 40—11, and top 100: 152, according to chart statistician Joel Whitburn.. As an album artist, Presley is credited by Billboard with the record for the most albums charting in the Billboard 200: 129, far ahead of second-place Frank Sinatra's 82. He also holds the record for most time spent at number one on the Billboard 200: 67 weeks. In 2015 and 2016, two albums setting Presley's vocals against music by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, If I Can Dream and The Wonder of You, both reached number one in the United Kingdom. This gave him a new record for number-one UK albums by a solo artist with 13, and extended his record for longest span between number-one albums by anybody—Presley had first topped the British chart in 1956 with his self-titled debut.

Courtesy : Wikipedia