Presley, Elvis (Aaron)
美國流行歌手，「搖滾樂之王」。出生於密西西比州圖珀洛，在孟菲斯長大，從小唱的是五旬節教會音樂，聽的是黑人音樂家的藍調音樂和電台大奧普里（Grand Ole Opry）廣播。還聽過黑人音樂家的藍調音樂。1954年他開始為製作人菲利普斯（Sam Phillips）錄唱片，這位製作人一直在尋找一位聲音酷似黑人的白人歌手。1956年在新經理人「團長」派克（Tom Parker）的掌控下，他發行了專輯《心碎旅店》，這張包括了〈獵犬〉、〈全身擺動〉的歌曲成為了他的首張白金唱片，此後還有無數張白金唱片問世。同年，他還主演了全部三十三部演技普通電影中的第一部《温柔地愛我》，還出現在許多電視節目中，其中最着名的是「埃德.沙利文劇場」。他的無數歌迷，其中大多數為女性，狂熱的崇拜他。1958年到1960年的軍隊服役結束後，他重新開始了錄音和表演，在早期的那種沙啞的風格已有所緩和。1968年他開始了一場以拉斯維加斯為基地的與管絃樂隊和福音唱詩班合作的巡迴演出。普里斯萊開始對抗強大的公眾壓力、體重增加和對毒品的依賴，經歷了人生的最低潮時期。四十二歲時去世，原因是自然死亡。數十萬的歌迷在他孟菲斯的豪宅格雷斯蘭為他哀悼，這棟房子至今仍是其仰慕者的朝聖地。普利斯萊在世時其唱片銷量超過了五億張，這也使他成為唱片史上最成功的獨唱藝術家。
1935～1977年
Presley, Elvis (Aaron)
U.S. popular singer, the “King of Rock and Roll.” Born in Tupelo, Miss., Presley was raised in Memphis, where he sang Pentecostal church music and listened to black bluesmen and Grand Ole Opry broadcasts. In 1954 he began to record for the producer Sam Phillips, who had been searching for a white singer who sounded like a black man. In 1956, under his new manager, “Colonel” Tom Parker, he released “Heartbreak Hotel,” the first of numerous million-selling hits, including “Hound Dog” and “All Shook Up.” In the same year, he appeared in Love Me Tender, the first of 33 mediocre films, and on several TV shows, notably the “Ed Sullivan Show.” Presley's intensely charismatic style—including his sexy hip shaking, ducktail haircut, and characteristic sneer—excited young fans, especially females, to wild adulation. After a stint in the army (1958-60) he resumed recording and acting, but his earlier raucous style was moderated. In 1968 he introduced a Las Vegas-based touring act with orchestra and gospel-type choir. Battling public pressures, weight gain, and drug dependence, he underwent a personal decline. His death at 42, attributed to natural causes, was mourned by hundreds of thousands of fans at Graceland, his Memphis estate, which remains a place of pilgrimage. Over 500 million of his records are claimed to have been sold during his lifetime, making him the most successful solo recording artist in history.
