The name Elvis Presley brings many other words to mind: musical innovator, a rock n’ roller, extremely well known celebrity, epic downfall, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, The King. However, to most of his fans, he was much more than a commonly-used name in 1950’s tabloids. He was their idol and served as a way to express them. Elvis Presley was a true American success story that changed the music industry, creating conflict throughout his entire career.
He started with nothing, basically. He was born into a poor, struggling family in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. While his father, Vernon, struggled to find work, Elvis developed a very close relationship with his mother, Gladys (Elvis Presley). According to one of …show more content…
Teenagers flipped. They loved everything about Elvis: his style, his music, his dancing (his hips and legs wiggled around whenever he sang), and his overall image of rebellion. Their parents, however, were repulsed. Across the country, adults and newspapers criticized him. They said he had no musical talent whatsoever and that his dancing was vulgar, obscene, indecent, and animalistic (Daily 51). They blamed him and his rebel image for juvenile delinquency, drug addiction and race riots. Basically, they thought he crushed minor’s morals all across the country, and adults weren’t happy about it (Daily 52). Some found a way to stop teenagers from seeing his dance moves: on the Ed Sullivan Show, he was only shown from the waist up (Daily 58). Elvis ended up helping to create The Generation Gap. Adults negative opinion of Elvis did not stop him from becoming a superstar, but eventually his popularity
He started with nothing, basically. He was born into a poor, struggling family in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. While his father, Vernon, struggled to find work, Elvis developed a very close relationship with his mother, Gladys (Elvis Presley). According to one of …show more content…
Teenagers flipped. They loved everything about Elvis: his style, his music, his dancing (his hips and legs wiggled around whenever he sang), and his overall image of rebellion. Their parents, however, were repulsed. Across the country, adults and newspapers criticized him. They said he had no musical talent whatsoever and that his dancing was vulgar, obscene, indecent, and animalistic (Daily 51). They blamed him and his rebel image for juvenile delinquency, drug addiction and race riots. Basically, they thought he crushed minor’s morals all across the country, and adults weren’t happy about it (Daily 52). Some found a way to stop teenagers from seeing his dance moves: on the Ed Sullivan Show, he was only shown from the waist up (Daily 58). Elvis ended up helping to create The Generation Gap. Adults negative opinion of Elvis did not stop him from becoming a superstar, but eventually his popularity