(1935 – 1977) A legend whose life and career can hardly be captured or even hinted at in so brief a space as this, Elvis Presley was one of the biggest stars of the twentieth century.

Recording for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records in Memphis, TN in 1954–5, Presley released a series of singles with a country side backed with a blues side. His cover of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right (Mama)” (1954) signaled the arrival of an explosive and unique new performer. Combining the impassioned singing of the Pentecostal churches with the country and blues music he heard on the radio, Presley defined the mixture of black and white Southern sounds which was rockabilly.

In November 1955, now under the management of Tom Parker, Presley’s contract was sold to RCA for the then exorbitant sum of $35,000. Presley continued to record startling and hugely successful rock ’n’ roll songs, but increasingly his debt to Dean Martin was highlighted. He recorded more pop-oriented songs, with lush productions, and embarked on a film career. By the time he emerged from a two-year stint in the army in 1960, he had largely abandoned rock for pop. For most of the 1960s, Presley eschewed performing, instead filming two or three movies a year and recording the generally mediocre soundtracks. A stunning 1968 television special proved that Elvis could still rock. “Suspicious Minds” (1969) and “In the Ghetto” (1969) were both popular and critical successes. Presley spent much of the 1970s performing in Las Vegas, taking drugs and getting fat at his Graceland mansion in Memphis.