Elvis Presley: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Elvis Aron Presley (1935—1977) is one of the best-known and most influential figures in popular music. Throughout his career, Elvis incorporated pop, gospel, country, and blues elements into creating his trademark style and earning his mainstream success.

This recording is the first of Elvis's many albums that he made for RCA. The company took a major risk in releasing a full album from this new "rock & roll" artist, as teenagers were more likely to buy 45 rpm singles than a full LP. The Elvis Presley album included recording sessions Elvis did for RCA and five previously unissued songs recorded earlier with Sun Records. After the album's release in March 1956, Elvis Presley eventually went on to become the first rock & roll album to reach number one on national record sales charts, and RCA's first million-dollar-earning pop album.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1956
• recording artist: Presley, Elvis
• manufacturer: RCA Victor
• Object Name: sound recording
• Physical Description: vinyl (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 12 in; x 30.48 cm
• Place Made: United States
• ID Number: 2000.3053.1039
• nonaccession number: 2000.3053
• catalog number: 2000.3053.1039
• label number: LPM-1254
• Credit Line: The Sam DeVincent Collection of American Sheet Music
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.