Today is the anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley, who was born on this date in 1935. Elvis died of a life of excess and drug abuse at an absurdly young age. He had been a superstar for more than 20 years by the time he died, entombed in his own celebrity.
When Elvis, Scotty and Bill found their way to the heart of American music with their recording of “That’s Alright, Mama” in 1954, they (and Sun Records owner/producer Sam Phillips) knew they had done something special. Elvis found the heart of America — the place where country, blues, and gospel meet — many times over in his music. Indeed, after his artistic decline in the ’60s, he willed himself to a second period of creative genius and genuine accomplishment at the end of the ’60s and early ’70s. Am I wrong in thinking that listening closely to the music all by itself can make us love our country more?
With his superb two-volume biography of Elvis, Peter Guralnick has made himself the essential chronicler of Elvis’s story. Guralnick of course tells the true story of the day in December 1970 when Elvis met Nixon in the White House. The story of the visit provides insight into Elvis’s patriotism as well as comic relief in the denoument of Elvis’s life.
(more…)
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
|
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Tips & Feedback