Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis has become even more famous in death as an icon of American music and TV-era celebrity. Presley hit the charts as a rock 'n roll rebel in the 1950s. His 9 September 1956 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show (with Presley shown only from the waist up to hide his swivelling hips) turned him into one of the era's biggest stars. His many hits included "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes." He also appeared in dozens of lighthearted movies designed to let him cavort and play the guitar onscreen, including King Creole (1958, with Walter Matthau) and Blue Hawaii (1961, with Angela Lansbury). In the late 1960s, after a period of declining fame, he remade himself into "The King," a melodramatic icon known for his sequined karate-style jumpsuits and megaconcerts. The loyalty of his fans is famous; though he died in 1977, sightings of a supposedly surviving Elvis became a kind of international running joke. Elvis's Memphis home, Graceland, has become a permanent shrine to the singer.