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Remembering Elvis Presley, King of Rock'n Roll

2010-01-08 18:21 BJT

 

January 8th marks the birthday of Elvis Presley.

If he were alive, the King of Rock'n Roll would be 75 years old. Now Xu Jiaying takes us to Los Angeles to find out how the legend and music of Elvis are still deeply remembered.

To his millions of fans, the man is known simply as " Elvis".

He was the King of music in the fifties.

At the age of 21, he became an international sensation.

"Elvis Presley no longer has that rock'n roll beat, the tempo is hop two three four for private Presley. He's at camp Chaffee, Arkansas, beginning his two-year army hitch, courtesy of the Memphis."

And after two years of military service, Elvis returned to the recording studios, and to his success.

And he married Prescilla in 1967, when his bride was only 14 years old.

To this day, Elvis, the man and his music, remain legendary.

To his millions of fans, the man is known simply as " Elvis".
To his millions of fans, the man is known simply as " Elvis".

Bob Santelli, Executive Director of Grammy Museum, said, "Elvis more than anything else allowed us, meaning America, to hear a combination of black and white music, put together in this brand new hybird form that sounded no just exciting but revolutionary. And of course the rest is history with the Beatles, with Bob Dlyan, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, all of these artists. All of those artists came in the wake of Elvis, But Elvis broke the ground, he's the one who blazed the path."

Globally, Elvis has sold over one billion records, more than any other artist. His American sales have earned him gold, platinum or multi-platinum awards for 150 different albums and singles. And Elvis's career wasn't limited only to music. He starred in 33 films.

During his 42 years on earth, Elvis was awarded 14 Grammy nominations. When he was just 36, he was crowned with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.