“…every dream I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times... I learned very early in life that: 'Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song. So, I keep singing a song.” Elvis Aaron Presley (1971 Jaycees)
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“The American Dream” isn’t touted very often these days. Back in the 1950’s and ‘60’s it was an unwavering concept in the hearts of Americans. We believed in it.
Nothing
epitomized that belief more than a baby boy born in a dirt floor shack in
Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. “The boy” and his family were
considered “Poor White Trash” in
the Jim Crow era of the deep southern United States. Veron, “The
Boy’s” father, served nine months of a three-year prison sentence
at Parchman Penitentiary for check fraud centering around the sale of a
hog. Due to “The Boy’s” underprivileged and downtrodden status his
education was minimal, which, in the old deep south, could be accurately
described as almost nonexistent. This
would hamper and plague him later in life.
There was NOTHING in those dirt poor, strive filled, underprivileged
beginnings that gave any hint of even moderate success or happiness in life.
Sometimes in life we see someone placed on a path from which there is no escape. This boy didn’t do what he did to become wildly famous or rich. He loved music. He was excellent and skilled in performing it, even though he could NOT read music. When he was singing and playing the guitar, he was happiest, mainly because others fond joy in what he brought to them. Yet that wasn’t enough to be successful.
Sam
Phillips owned Sun Records, a very small recording studio in Memphis. Phillips’ thought there was some promise in “The Boy’s” ability to reach an
untapped musical audience. So, he paired
“The Boy” with guitarist
Winfield “Scotty” Moore and upright bass player Bill Black. Phillips sent them out on the road as the “Blue
Moon Boys.” While they were
moderately successful Phillips was losing money. He needed a regional hit record.
On July 5, 1954 a private Sun studio session was scheduled. After
what seemed like endless hours of work 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 “The Boy” he was calling it quits. Scotty told Phillips he
thought that would be a mistake. He further elaborated that “The Boy” had something special to offer. He could, on occasion, mesmerize an
audience. A lot of that stemmed from “The Boy’s” experienced in church
services. If an audience was not responding
well, he would mimic much of what he witnessed in the music presentations that
excited congregations.
While they were chatting, “The Boy” and Bill Black began very casually playing around and acting silly with a song. When Phillips heard what they were doing he hurried back into the studio. When “The Boy” and Black saw him enter, they paused believing that Phillips would once again want to give them 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. He had his hit record which started the snowball rolling. This could never happen today.
“The Boy” hit the national scene in January 1956. In addition to his talent and good looks, he brought with him an irresistible charisma that no other performers of the era could match. This was enhanced with shaky legs, a quivering lip, natural but unorthodox body mannerisms, long hair and sideburns, and an unconventional style of dress. “The Boy’s” first recording for RCA Victor Records went to number one on the music charts.
Naturally, at some point the enormous pressures of money and fame couldn’t be ignored. Those pressures were far more than the “The Boy” was equipped to deal with. Yet, time and again “The Boy” demonstrated that all the money and fame in the world would never supplant his love of music and how it could inspire people. For in the final analysis all he really wanted to do was just sing his songs. “So, I keep singing a song.”
Not everyone was enamored by “The Boy.” He terrified American bigots and the traditional music establishment. The “Black Sound” of his music, along with his appearance and stage presence, led to characterizing him as an extension of the devil incarnate. Once again, he became the subject of abject hatred something he had become accustomed to growing up as “Poor White Trash.” Their fears were justified, for his impact went way beyond the music industry.
This “Poor White Trash” was largely responsible for providing black Americans with far greater access to mainstream America. His influence as an entertainer permanently impacted American culture and society which remains unprecedented. This “Poor White Trash” was the first American entertainer to gain overwhelming popularity despite unparalleled ridicule. There could be no greater tribute to “The Boy’s” unprecedented talent and charisma. Those who liked him really loved him, especially when measured by the sheer numbers in his popularity. Any negative feelings or ramifications that “The Boy” experienced from lifelong hatreds were never expressed publicly.
He was a good man. His kindness and generosity are legendary. He was never condescending aloof or arrogant to anyone. Ordinary People as well as those of high professional and social standing often commented on his humble and polite demeanor. He could transpose any feeling of inferiority they may have experienced while in “The Boy’s” presence, to making them feel comfortable during their interaction. Undoubtedly this was due to his southern upbringing along with knowing full well the pain of being ridiculed and disrespected.
Rudyard Kipling best described this “Poor White Trash” in his poem “IF”
(If) “being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
and yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:”
“If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch,…”
(Then)“…yours is the earth and
everything that’s in it,
and--which is more--you’ll be a MAN, my son!”
“The Boy” never forgot where he came from and the harsh realities of life. He once said: “The Lord giveth and the Lord Taketh away. I Might be herding sheep next year.”
It is best to end with the way he ended his concerts. Yet an unconventional thought arises here. Wouldn’t it be most apropos if we altered the lyrics from: “I can’t help…” to WE can’t help… when singing it?? For still, some 69 years later, just a single word – just a single name - “ELVIS” - is still recognized and revered worldwide; all resulting from this “Poor White Trash” achieving “The American Dream.”
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