Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley (1935–1977) is the defining figure of rock and roll — 'The King' — whose recordings for Sun Records in 1954 and subsequent global stardom for RCA Victor transformed popular music forever. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis absorbed gospel, country, and rhythm and blues and synthesized them into a new sound that shocked and electrified a generation. He never wrote a single song in his career; every record, every chart-topping hit, every iconic performance was built on material handed to him by professional songwriters including Otis Blackwell, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, and dozens of others. What Elvis contributed was something harder to quantify than composition: a transformative interpretive gift that could take another writer's words and make them feel inevitable. He sold over one billion records worldwide, starred in 33 films, and remains the best-selling solo music artist in history.