Elvis Presley Influence

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Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis always loved music, even when he was a young boy. Living in Mississippi, he was exposed to many different from of music from, white country, popular radio, and jamboree to gospel music and possibly even the field hollers and work songs of local black farm workers. He got his first guitar at age eleven. Two years later the Presley’s moved to Memphis, Tennessee. In his late teens, in the early 1950’s Elvis was often seen on Beale Street, the place where Blues music began. He was shy and lacked confidence, but loved music that moved him and wanted to be a star. The Great Depression had swept the nation and the Civil Rights movement was gaining power. The world around him was changing and he was destined to be a part of it. Once when asked why he became a phenomenon, Elvis humbly replied, “The people were looking for something different and I came along just in time. I was lucky.” …show more content…
He dared to go were no man had gone before. He took his music to a whole new depth, a whole new place, where he could make a difference. He made a bond through music with black and whites alike. Many great people, often do not know the effect their choices and actions will make on the world around them. Elvis could not predict the effect he would have, not only in America, but across the globe. He may never have even realized it in his own life time. William McKeen, a University of Florida journalism professor wrote a book “Norton Book of Rock n’ Roll", said “Everyone is aware of Elvis as a character, but he is important may beyond music. He was part of a movement to knock down barriers in society.” Elvis wasn’t like any other. In only a few short years he was able to inspire a new generation of change and possibility. His legacy is still felt to this day. To the world he is the King of Rock n’ Roll, but his impact on us all goes much farther than music