Early life of Elvis Presley: History and Key Facts

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), popularly known by his first name Elvis, was an American singer and actor. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at age 13. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades.

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