Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 to Vernon, a truck driver and Gladys, a sewing machine operator. He was the second of identical twins. His brother, Jesse Garon, was still born. He grew up to be an only child. He was very close to his mother.
Elvis grew up being teased by his fellow classmates. They threw rotten fruit at him. They thought he was different because he stuttered.
His first public performance was when he was 10 years old. It was a singing contest held at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. He was dressed as a cowboy and sang Red Foley's Old Shep. He won second place.
Wanting a rifle, he was bought a guitar instead. After two years, the Presley's moved to Memphis. Elvis practiced playing his guitar in the laundry room. He was also part of a band with the other tenants.
In order to help with the family expenses, Elvis worked during the evening. He also started growing his sideburns and often dressed in flashy clothes. He stood out and again, he was bullied and mocked for it. He performed in the Annual Minstrel Show where he received a round of applause after singing Cold Cold Icy Fingers.
Living in Memphis, Elvis musical horizons expanded. He often hung out at listening booths and played old records. He loved music. He then went on to blues and hillbilly hot spots. In time, he wanted to hear what his voice sounded like recorded.
He made a demo acetate which included recordings of I'll Never Stand In Your Way and It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You. He returned to the Sun Studios to present his demo.
Alongside his band mates Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass (who left their previous band The Starlight Wranglers so they could work full time with the King), Elvis started doing regular live performances all around Memphis promoting his first single.
The famous trademark moves of leg shaking and hip gyrating was all because of Elvis nervousness whenever he performed onstage and in front of a huge crowd of women. This was how he concealed his anxiousness.
Audiences had never heard the kind of music Elvis played. Neither had they seen anybody perform the way he did. It was amazing to see the once polite, shy and mumbling boy gain self-confidence at every public appearance and performance.
The rest, they say, is history.
Learn more about the life of the King at my Elvis Presley Biography website:http://www.elvis-presley-forever.com
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