Some people never die. It has
been 40 years since the death of Elvis and still there are millions of people
who can’t get enough of the singer. He did not last to be old, he died at the
age of 42 years old. Four decades have passed and products and his albums are
still selling. He surely is not a forgotten man. This year his granddaughter
Riley Keough was nominated for a Golden Globe award. They still call Elvis the
King of Rock and Roll. How did he survive fame when there were clearly other
great folks who contributed to the rise of rock and roll music?
Elvis was young and ruggedly
handsome at 19 years old who got a big break in Memphis in 1954 while working
as a truck driver who as of yet never even sang with a band but there he was
recording his first song called That’s All Right. Two years later he was on TV
performing the song called Heartbreak Hotel. There people saw his hip thrusting
brand of sexuality never ever seen before by any performer when he performed
the song called Hound Dog. Even the back -up singers noticed that Elvis was
different in even the way he took the mike and stand in his hands and walked
around with it. Before that, guys would just stand straight behind the microphone
stand. Even just his little movements or his string of hair hanging down his
forehead got noticed by all.
Read the book “A Little Thing
Called Life’ by Linda Thompson who was a college student that had a
relationship with then 37 year old Elvis. She saw his decline with drug use,
weight gain and ultimate death a few years later. Linda was also married to
Olympic decathlon winner Bruce Jenner. Her book reveals the soft relationship
she had with Elvis. In those days there wasn’t dancers, smoke machines and fire torches going off on performer’s
stages. There were just guys like Elvis and he was the best to capture the
attention of men and women alike. Elvis will always be remembered as that
rugged sexy guy with the smooth voice. We saw him decline but we never saw him
age. Although he abused himself with drug use it is nice in a warped way to
never see icons get old. He is on that pedestal with James Dean, Anna Nicole
Smith and Marilyn Monroe never tarnished by aging.
Graceland is a 13 acre property
with a mansion on it where Elvis lived. The place draws millions of tourists
every year. The museum there has all sorts of items he touched on display. His
family has a candelight vigil on the property in remembrance of the remarkable
entertainer.
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