An Enduring Legacy

   If anyone ever epitomized the American dream it was Elvis Aaron Presley.

He was born on January 8, 1935 in a dirt floor shack in Tupelo, Mississippi.  His twin brother, Jesse Garon, did not survive birth.  He grew up in Memphis Tennessee. 

The Presley’s lived in African-American neighborhoods. As such they were considered and thus treated like “poor white trash.”  This ugliness clearly prepared Elvis to meet his fate in life. 

Sam Phillips founded Sun records in Memphis.  He became aware of Elvis when he stopped by his studio and paid to record a song for his mother.  Phillips had been looking for a white performer who had the feel for the black sound of gospel and rhythm and blues.  He strongly believed there could be a very lucrative market for this black sound.  However, because bigotry had a strong influence on American culture in the 1950’s, he also knew the market could not be tapped unless he could find a white performer with an authentic feel for the sound and music.  Phillips was hoping that Presley would be that performer. 

To market Elvis and see how he would be received by audiences, Phillips paired him with Scotty Moore and Bill Black and sent them out on the road as the “Blue Moon Boys.” While the response to the group was favorable it wasn’t very profitable.  Phillips needed to make money with Elvis or breakoff their relationship. A successful record needed to be produced. 

A private Sun Studio session was scheduled.  After what seemed like endless hours of working with Elvis to get the sound Phillips needed, he beckoned Scotty Moore to join him in the hallway outside the studio.  He told Scotty he had enough.  He was going to inform Elvis he was calling it quits.  Scotty told him he thought that would be a mistake.  He further told Phillips that in working and traveling with Elvis there was no doubt he had something special to offer.  He could, on occasion, mesmerize an audience. 

While they were chatting, Elvis and Bill Black began very casually playing around with a song.  When Phillips heard what they were doing he quickly rushed back into the studio.  When Presley and Black saw him enter the studio they paused believing that Phillips would once again want to give them some direction.  He did not.  He told them to keep playing and doing exactly what they were doing so he could get it on tape.  The song they were toying with was “That’s All Right Mama.”  Phillips loved it.  It was recorded on July 5, 1954. 

Because the recorded sound was unmistakably black in origin, local disc jockeys refused to air it.   After two days of refusing to play it, Dewey Phillips (no relation to Sam) at WHBQ agreed to both play it and promote it before he aired it.  Dewey told Sam he would play it only once and that was all.  Air date was set for the evening of July 7, 1954.

The Pressley’s invited friends and neighbors to all gather around the family radio.  As Elvis heard the promotions and lead-ins being aired for the song, he became violently ill.  Upon returning from the bathroom, he announced he was going for a walk.  Elvis did not hear his very first record played on the radio for the first time. 

The song led to the telephone at the radio station ringing off the hook.  Dewey called Sam and said they had a hit and he wanted Elvis to join him in the studio for an on-air interview.  Elvis’ mother, Gladys, told Sam they would send him to the station as soon as he returned home.  After far longer than Sam’s patience could bear, he called again and pleaded with the family to find Elvis, explaining they were losing a golden opportunity.  Gladys then announced to the family she would go and get him.  Vernon, Elvis’ father, was surprised that she knew where he was located.  Elvis always went to the movies to calm himself when he was in turmoil.  Gladys knew this.

As they walked out of the movie theater Elvis looked up at an ominous sky and said; “There’s a storm comin’ our way mama.”  Gladys replied; “Yes – the likes of which few have ever known.” 

During the interview at the radio station Dewey asked Elvis what high school he attended.  The only purpose for the question was to subtly establish Presley’s race.  

Elvis’ shaky legs, his quivering lip, his long sideburns, his unconventional style of dress and his African-American sounding music steeped in gospel and rhythm and blues, served to not only continue the loathing but spurred even greater scorn. 

Any negative feelings or ramifications that Elvis may have experienced from all of this hatred was never expressed publicly.

Elvis was the first American entertainer to gain overwhelming popularity despite unparalleled ridicule.  There could be no greater tribute to the man’s incredible talent and charisma.  

Elvis stood at the center of an American movement that could not be halted.  He was the leading force in spurring the music industry to far greater levels of creativity and imagination.  His impact went way beyond the music industry.  He permanently impacted American culture and society.  It was the Presley magic in large measure that provided black Americans with far greater access to mainstream America.  His influence as an entertainer continues to be unprecedented to this very day.  

His kindness and generosity are as legendary as his music legacy.  It was not uncommon for someone to be gifted a Presley possession if that someone simply complimented the possession.  Elvis was once angered when informed that Christmas traditions at Graceland would have to be altered.  Too many complete strangers had begun showing up at the Presley’s door for the elaborate gifts Elvis presented.  He finally agreed to the changes.

He overcame great storms of poverty and hatred to achieve worldwide admiration that very few Americans have ever known.    And while it is oh so sad that; “Elvis has left the building” we can rest assured that his music and all its precious memories, along with his remarkable influence, shall remain with us forever. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E48aMOVLgBY