King Of USA Essay, Research Paper
The King of the USA
Thesis: Elvis Presley greatly influenced people, music, and style throughout
his life through his songs and performances.
I. Elvis’s impact on Music
A. Made a transition between black and white style of music
1 Sang at black radio stations.
2. Sang at black Churches.
B. Musical Versatility
1. Rock.
2. Country
3. Ballads
II. Elvis’s impact on People
A. Imitators.
1. Andy Kaufman
2. Bill Belew
B. Teenagers
1. Fan Craze
a. Shrines
b. Screaming
2. Dancing.
III. Elvis’s impact on Style
A. Hair
1. Greaser look
2. Long hair
B. Clothing.
1. Cape.
2. His own style.
3. Pink
IV. Conclusion
A bust sits, with brightly colored pictures and buttons surrounding it.
Candles are
lit all around; the soft candle’s shadow allows the bust to appear as though
it is alive and
moving. Even a few fresh flowers are arranged beneath the head of the man who
distracted us from our fear of annihilation at the height of the cold war. He
made teens
turn off the Mickey Mouse show and start turning on the radio; he showed
teens it was o.k. to be drafted and served on foreign soils; he showed teens
that they could be happy
with their body.
The man and his music represented nothing less than freedom; a siren call for
a nation.
When Elvis was young, his mother worked in a cotton field pulling crops along
side of colored people. To help pass the time, the Negroes would sing songs;
this was
Elvis’s first introduction to colored music (Brown and Broeske 8).
Elvis enjoyed all types of music, and refused to be labeled. He went down
every week to
Black radio stations not only to listen but also to sing along. His mother
even took him
"Church hopping" (Brown and Broeske 8) many times to southern black
churches to sing
along with the choirs. Many record producers where very astonished to find
that he was white.
On record he sounded exactly like a Negro (Guralnick 16). One factor that
lead to this was once when
Elvis, at the time age 5, and his mother were watching a Negro choir perform
when he got
Loose from his mother and ran to the front of the church. He then stood
facing the choir and began to lip sync to their music (Brown and Broeske 13). He
sang and lived desegregation; this demonstrated an outstanding range and
influence on both black and white music (Presley).