Elvis Presley – The most magical socio-cultural phenomenon of the 20th century

For more than 40 years, in the city of Memphis, in the US state of Tennessee, August 16 every year has always been the start of the week commemorating the death anniversary of Elvis Presley. In the hearts of many generations, he is the “King of Rock and Roll”, the number one singer, and a magical phenomenon in the world.

The King of “Rock and Roll”

On January 8, 1935, in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, young couple Vernon and Gladys happily welcomed the birth of twin brothers. But only one of the two children survived and was named Elvis after his father’s middle name. Elvis’s childhood was very deprived, but in return, his small family gave him all the love and everything possible. On his 11th birthday, Elvis was given a guitar by his parents, a toy that he always slept with. And just a few years later, on American stages a handsome guy began to appear, performing with all his heart with his sweet voice and extremely sexy dance. He became famous at the age of 18. At the age of 20, he signed his first recording contract worth 30,000 USD, and just one year later, he surprised the whole world by winning consecutive number one positions on the charts. rank and quickly become a millionaire. During his career, Elvis released 81 albums, all of which were very popular. The song “Suspicious Minds” was voted as Elvis Presley’s life’s work and topped the Billboard charts 149 times. From a white boy from a poor family, Elvis brought black music into the mainstream of American music. world, creating the strangest phenomenon of the twentieth century.

Elvis is rock and roll and most of Elvis’s work is perfect. During his 24-year singing career, Elvis Presley set and broke records for audience attendance and record sales – 600 million records. Elvis Presley is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of songs taking the top spot (18 songs). However, this star always adheres to the rule: not performing anywhere outside the US, except for one exception who performed a “show” in Canada.

Marriage: Happiness and bitterness

While at the peak of his career, Elvis had to join the army. While stationed in Germany, Elvis became acquainted with Priscilla Beaulieu and after 8 years (1967) they decided to get married. After completing his military service, Presley returned to the spotlight. In the 70s, Elvis held an endless series of concerts reaching a record of 300 shows/year, but the most memorable was the performance in January 13, 1972 with more than 1.5 billion people in more than 40 countries watching on television – a number second only to the number of people watching the television broadcast of American astronaut Armstrong setting foot on the moon.

But after this event, his health plummeted and his broken marriage in 1973 caused Elvis to lose balance in life. This condition lasted and Elvis had to use sleeping pills almost every night. The star gradually faded and on August 16, 1977, completely disappeared from the music sky, leaving many regrets for fans.

The hobby of spending money is like no other

In addition to his artistic peak, winning a black belt in karate and participating in 33 movies in the 1960s, Elvis Presley’s spending habits are what caused the media to spend the most ink. One of the things Elvis liked to buy the most was cars and giving gifts with cars. Not only did Elvis give it to family members, but he also gave it to people he didn’t know. One day Elvis bought 14 Cadillacs or one time he signed a check to buy 7 Harley Davidson motorbikes at once. During his 40 years of life, Elvis bought about 2,000 cars. In addition to cars, Elvis also liked to collect mansions, eyeglasses, jewelry and especially pistols. When he had a child, Elvis spent $1.2 million to buy a four-engine plane and named the plane after his daughter Lisa Maria. Afterwards, Elvis also spent $750,000 to turn that plane into a hotel with many bathrooms, bedrooms and bars. According to an investigation by the American press, in his life, Elvis earned 4.3 billion USD, but by the time of his death, the king’s assets were only over 10 million and after paying inheritance tax. , Elvis’s beloved daughter only received less than 3 million USD.