BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY
credit: Getty Images
Graceland, the former home and current museum of everything Elvis, celebrates “Elvis Week” every August. So we thought we’d join the party and make Mr. Presley this week’s reason to smile.
Elvis Aaron Presley is one of the most important figures in American music and popular culture. Elvis was so popular he was known by just his first name, becoming the first mononymous recording artist.
In 1954, Elvis got his start singing rockabilly, a fusion of country and rhythm and blues. He then embraced the new sound coming out of Detroit: rock ‘n’ roll. Up to that point, rock ‘n’ roll had been the purview of then-marginalized Black artists. As a white singer during the early civil rights era, he was able to bring the new genre to a wider audience.
The “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was the complete package: great voice, movie-idol handsome with charisma to spare. All this helped popularize rock ‘n’ roll worldwide. He added to his and the genre’s popularity by making movie musicals. One of his most famous songs, “Jailhouse Rock,” is the title track from his first film.
Because of his promotion of “Black music” and his sexually suggestive performances — his dance moves would be considered tame by today’s standards — he was deemed a threat to the morality of the country’s young people. What a quaint notion.
If you’re in Memphis this week, you can stop by Graceland, where you can watch an Elvis movie marathon, walk through the mansion’s meditation garden, or catch Elvis tribute musicians (I think that’s a fancy way of saying impersonators).
All a reason to smile.
If you want to enjoy all the songs chosen for A Reason To Smile, you can listen to this Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly.
NYA Thanks Dan Rather and Team Steady!