Some believe that Elvis personified the self-destructive rock star phenom. He wasn’t the first. A whole bevy of jazz singers preceded him. But he managed to make 42 into 62, amazing for a man who had the women screaming in the aisles until his death.
Elvis wasn’t just a singer. He was the first Elvis.
I can see that. He was the first “modern” superstar. His Hawaii concert—later in his career—reminds me of a KISS concert more than anything else. He had the larger-than-life, comic book persona. And of course, chicks dug him. In the end, was it just fame snowballing? Did he end up being famous because he was famous?
Elvis wasn’t the first Elvis. Frank Sinatra had the swooning women before anybody ever heard of Elvis.
Elvis took “race music” songs and made them mainstream. He was one of the first and probably the best. He took a Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton blues tune and made it immortal.
I always wondered what the record producers were thinking when they started having him sing Hollywood movie tunes.