1958 to 1965.
Late January- Early March, 1958.
Elvis films and records for his fourth motion picture, King Creole.
March 24, 1958.
Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army at the Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number 53310761.
March 25, 1958.
Elvis gets his famous G.I. haircut at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.
March 29, 1958.
Private Presley arrives at Fort Hood, Texas for basic training and is stationed there for six months. His parents soon move to a temporary home near the base.
June 10, 1958.
After basic training, while on his first leave, Elvis has a recording session, his last until 1960.
July, 1958.
King Creole, Elvis’ fourth motion picture opens nationally and the reviews are the best he will ever have for his acting. Its impressive list of co-stars and supporting cast includes Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger and Vic Morrow. It becomes a top five film at the box office. This Michael (Casablanca) Curtiz-directed movie, set in New Orleans and based upon the Harold Robbins novel, "A Stone for Danny Fisher," will come to be regarded as Elvis’ finest film, his greatest acting performance, and proof positive of his potential to have become a respected serious actor, though the realization of this desire will remain forever out of his grasp.
August, 1958.
Gladys Presley becomes ill and returns to Memphis to be hospitalized with acute hepatitis. Elvis is granted emergency leave and arrives in Memphis on the afternoon of August 12th. He visits her that night, and the next day and night. A few hours after Elvis goes home to Graceland to rest, she dies in the early hours of August 14 at age 46. Her body lies in state at Graceland that afternoon. Services are at the Memphis Funeral Home on the 15th, with the Blackwood Brothers singing "Precious Memories" and "Rock of Ages," two of Gladys Presley’s favorite hymns. She is laid to rest at Forest Hill Cemetery, a few miles down the road from Graceland. Elvis is devastated.
August 25, 1958.
Elvis reports back to Fort Hood.
September/October 1958.
September 19, Elvis boards a troop train to New York, later boards the USS. Randall and sails to Germany, arriving on October 1. He will be stationed in Friedberg for 18 months, maintaining an off-base residence in Bad Nauheim, shared with his father and grandmother, and some friends from Memphis. He finds the fans in Europe to be as enthusiastic as those in America.
January 8, 1959.
Elvis is interviewed off-camera via trans-Atlantic telephone by Dick Clark on his American Bandstand show on ABC-TV. The show commemorates the star’s twenty-fourth birthday. (Elvis never performed on American Bandstand.)
On a two-week leave, Elvis visits Munich, then goes clubbing in Paris, which includes a visit to the Lido.
Colonel Parker continues to keep Elvis’ career alive with promotions and hit record releases.
November 1959.
Captain Joseph Beaulieu is transferred from Texas to Weisbaden Air Force Base near Friedberg, accompanied by his wife and children, including his fourteen-and-a-half- year-old stepdaughter, Priscilla Ann. (Priscilla is the only child from Ann Beaulieu’s marriage to her first husband, James Wagner, a Navy pilot who was killed in a plane crash when Priscilla was an infant.) Through a mutual friend, Priscilla is invited to a party at Elvis’ home soon after her arrival in Germany. They meet, and the rest is history.
1958 to 1965.
January 20, 1960.
Elvis is promoted to Sergeant.
March 1960.
Elvis leaves Germany on March 1, arriving in New Jersey the next day for a press conference, and is officially discharged from active duty on March 5, 1960. He boards a train for Memphis, arriving on March 7. Press and crowds of fans are everywhere for this historic series of events. He holds a press conference at Graceland in his father’s office behind the mansion on March 8.
He has served his country just like any other GI, with no special privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him. These two years away from his career have been a time to mature. He has also worried constantly that his lengthy absence might have damaged his career progress. But, he has yet to see his greatest stardom.
Late March, 1960.
Elvis has his first post-army recording session. Some of the recording work is for the album Elvis is Back!, which will hit number two on the Billboard pop chart. (Sessions will continue in early April.) On March 21 he receives his first degree black belt in karate, an interest he developed while in the army. On March 26 he tapes a special "Welcome Home, Elvis" edition of Frank Sinatra’s ABC-TV variety show, for which he is paid $125,000, a record sum for a variety show appearance at the time.
Late April, 1960.
Elvis begins filming and recording for his first post-army movie, his fifth film, "GI Blues" for Paramount, the first of nine to be produced (not consecutively) by Hal Wallis. "GI Blues" co-stars dancer/actress Juliet Prowse.
May 8, 1960.
ABC airs Frank Sinatra’s Welcome Home, Elvis edition of his variety show, which attracts a 41.5% share of the national television audience.
July 3, 1960.
Vernon Presley marries divorcee and mother of three sons, Davada (Dee) Stanley, an American whom he met Germany, where she had been stationed with her military husband. They live at Graceland briefly, then move to a home nearby.
August/September 1960.
Elvis records and films for his sixth movie, Flaming Star, a drama with limited music. Elvis plays the son of a white father and a Native American mother, torn between the two cultures in the 1800's. The film co-stars Barbara Eden.
October, 1960.
The soundtrack album for GI Blues enters the Billboard album chart and soon goes to number one. It remains number one for ten weeks and stays on the chart for 111 weeks. It is to be the most successful album of Elvis’ entire career on the Billboard charts. (In terms of total record sales over time, it is uncertain which album stands as the most successful.)
November 1960.
Elvis begins recording and filming for his seventh film, Wild in the Country, which will be completed in January. GI Blues opens nationally to warm reviews and big box office sales and is among the fifteen top-grossing films of the year. It is a light comedy melodrama with lots of singing by Elvis, who is seen in uniform for most of the movie.
Late December, 1960.
Flaming Star opens nationally to warm reviews, but unlike GI Blues, this dramatic film with little singing does not set the box office on fire. However, Elvis earns recognition from a tribal council for his positive portrayal of a Native American in this racially charged drama. The film is banned in South Africa due to its interracial theme.
February 25, 1961.
Elvis appears in Memphis at a luncheon in his honor, and numerous recent awards Elvis has received are shown to the press and others attending. A press conference follows. Then, Elvis performs one afternoon show and one evening show at Ellis Auditorium to benefit around thirty-eight Memphis-area charities. Other than the Sinatra television show, these shows are, so far, Elvis’ only live performances since his army discharge. “Elvis Presley Day” is proclaimed by Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington. Every year after this, Elvis donates money to a list of Memphis-area charities, eventually reaching fifty or more, usually around Christmas time. Within a few years, to show their appreciation the city gives him a massive plaque listing fifty charities.
1966 to 1969.
February 1, 1968.
Priscilla gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley nine months to the day after her marriage to Elvis. It is a time of great happiness.
March 1968.
Stay Away, Joe opens to mixed reviews and doesn't do well at the box office, though like all of Elvis’ films, it makes a profit.
Soundtrack recording and filming for Elvis' twenty-eighth movie, Live a Little, Love a Little. It is a sexy, more adult kind of comedy/ melodrama. It, like Stay Away, Joe is a real departure from the typical Presley film. It is yet another breath of fresh air.
June 1968.
Speedway is released nationally and doesn’t do very well. The soundtrack album goes only as far up the chart as number 82.
Mid-to-Late June, 1968.
Elvis rehearses for the taping of his first television special. A press conference is held on June 25th. Videotaping is done June 27, 28, 29, and 30. Commonly referred to as The ‘68 Special or The ‘68 Comeback. the actual name of this landmark television special is Elvis.
The sixties have brought about great change in music and pop culture. Change for which Elvis helped pave the way over a decade earlier when he exploded onto the scene with his unique blending of pop, rock, country, R&B and gospel influences. Focusing on his Hollywood movie career in the sixties, Elvis has become less a part of the current pop cultural scene. He has been making one movie after another, and many of the records he has put out in these years have been movie soundtrack albums. In the fifties and early sixties, the films and film-related records were wonderfully successful, but as the sixties have worn on, the movies and records, though still profitable, have not been nearly so successful as they were before. Elvis has reached the supreme level of frustration with the state of his career and all its limitations on his creativity and artistic expression. He had hoped to become a serious actor, but Hollywood had other ideas and Elvis went along with them. His opportunities to show his true talents as an actor have been few. He is beyond ready for a change. By now, it has been more than seven years since Elvis has appeared in front of a live audience. Elvis has missed the closeness of his audience, the energy and excitement of live performing.
The '68 Special opens with Elvis singing a hot new version of the gutsy "Trouble", from his 1958 film King Creole. This segues into Guitar Man, which, with its semi-autobiographical lyrics, becomes the underlying theme of the show. Then, Elvis is reunited with two of his original fifties band members, guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana. (Bass player Bill Black has been deceased for several years by this time.) They sit together on stage in the round, along with several other friends and associates of Elvis for an informal session of singing, jamming, and swapping stories. Parts of this jam session are woven throughout the show. There are also sequences of Elvis taking the stage alone and performing many of his greatest hit rockers and ballads, and he introduces a new song, Memories.
One can surmise that he pours out years of career frustration and pent-up creative energy into the performance of these songs. His natural talent, charisma, sensuality and stage presence have not been diminished by the years in Hollywood. In fact, he looks, sounds, moves and grooves better than he ever has. At 33, he is better than he has ever been. Better than anybody in the business. For the group jam session segments and solo stage performances Elvis wears a two-piece black leather outfit specially designed for the show by Bill Belew, who also designed all the other wardrobe Elvis and the cast wear in the show. The look evokes the era of James Dean and the Marlon Brando type motorcycle films of the fifties, the era when Elvis was first proclaimed the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
In one of the jam session segments, Elvis speaks of the gospel origins of rock and roll. This segues into the gospel music portion of the show, which has Elvis wearing a two-piece burgundy suit, singing "Where Could I Go But to the Lord," "Up Above My Head" and "I’m Saved," backed by the female vocal group, The Blossoms, and accompanied by a troupe of dancers - all of this for a rousing gospel production number.
Toward the end of the special Elvis appears in a lengthy production number that, through song, dance, karate, and various situations, traces a young man’s journey from a struggling guitar player, through the challenges, dangers and compromises on the path to his dreams of success and superstardom. Something is lost along the way. Once the dream is achieved, the man realizes that he remains unfulfilled, that he has abandoned his true self. He decides to return to his roots, doing what made him happiest, what he does best. He sings “I’ll never be more than what I am... a swingin’ little guitar man.” The parallels to Elvis' own life are clear and deliberate, and his doing the ‘68 special represents his own return to his true self, to his roots. Free from the confines of his Hollywood grind, this is Elvis the singer, the performer, the musician, the man - the real Elvis.
At the end of the special, Elvis appears alone wearing a simple white two-piece suit, standing in front of the towering backdrop of red lights that spell ELVIS. He sings a brand new song, "If I Can Dream," especially written for the show. The writers created the song based in part upon conversations with Elvis about his own thoughts on what was happening in the turbulent sixties. It seemed appropriate that he close the show with some sort of personal statement. His powerful and passionate performance of this song of hope for mankind is one of the most brilliant moments of his singing career.
1970 to 1977.
January/February 1970.
Some say it is a mistake to go back to Vegas so soon, especially during the slowest season for the city. Can he fill the seats? But, Elvis returns to the International Hotel for another month-long engagement. This time he breaks his own attendance records. Another live album is recorded, On Stage, February 1970.
February/March 1970.
A press conference in Houston on the 27th. Elvis performs afternoon and evening shows at the Houston Astrodome. Two more shows follow on the 28th. Two more follow on March 1. A closing press conference and banquet follow, and Elvis is presented an armload of recent gold record awards. The six shows attract 207,494 people and set records. There is speculation among the press and the public that Elvis might tour in concert for the first time since the fifties.
June 1970.
Elvis has recording sessions in Nashville.
July/September 1970.
Back to Las Vegas for rehearsals for another month-long engagement at the International. He opens on August 10 and closes on September 7. MGM is on hand to shoot a documentary film called Elvis -That’s the Way It Is that will show Elvis off stage, in rehearsals, in the recording studio, and on stage. RCA will also release an album with the same title.
September 1970.
From the 9th through the 14th Elvis takes his show on a nine-city tour. It is a smashing success, the first tour since 1957, only these days the show is much more elaborate . MGM films portions of the first show on this tour for use in Elvis - That’s the Way It Is.
Elvis has a recording session in Nashville.
November 1970.
Elvis, That’s the Way It Is, Elvis thirty-second film, opens in theaters to good reviews and good box office. Documentaries traditionally do not do well at the box office, but this one makes a respectable showing. It, like other Elvis movies will go on to have a life on television and home video in years to come. An album of the same title is released, but only one song, I Just Can't Help Believin', is actually from a stage performance included in the film. The other songs are studio recordings, some of which Elvis performs live on stage or in rehearsal footage in the film.
Elvis does a successful eight-city concert tour.
December 1970.
Elvis’ famous visit with President Richard Nixon at the White House occurs.
January 16, 1971.
Elvis attends a day of functions culminating in an evening awards banquet. He and nine others accept the honor of being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). He is nervous about his acceptance speech. He is touched, excited and deeply proud. This national honor has been given each year since the late 1930’s and recognizes young men who have made great achievements in their field of endeavor, illustrating the opportunities available in the free enterprise system. It also applauds humanitarianism and community service. Scientists, inventors, performers, film makers, politicians bound for the Presidency, and men of greatness in all fields, have been selected for this award over the years. For Elvis, a man who grew up poor, and, in his early career knew the sting of ridicule from the Establishment, who, through the years has known criticism of his work, this is one of his proudest moments. It is a sign that he has achieved acceptance, recognition, and respect for his work and for the kind of person he is.
Late January/February 1971.
Elvis plays another month-long engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas.
March 1971.
Elvis begins a recording session in Nashville, but cancels it due to pain and inflammation in an eye. He is treated at a Nashville hospital where he is diagnosed with secondary glaucoma. This eye condition will plague him from time to time in varying degrees for the rest of his life.
May 1971.
Elvis is featured on the cover of Look Magazine, which carries an installment of the forthcoming biography on Elvis by Jerry Hopkins. Many books and articles have been written over the years, but this is the first in-depth, serious biography. The book Elvis : A Biography will be released in October.
Elvis has recording sessions in Nashville. Much of the work is for his forthcoming album Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas.
1970 to 1977.
January 1973.
Elvis makes television and entertainment history with his Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite special. Performed at the Honolulu International Center Arena on January 14, 1973, broadcast live at 12:30 AM Hawaiian time, beamed via Globecam Satellite to Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Phillipines, South Vietnam and other countries. It is seen on a delayed basis in around thirty European countries. A tape of the show will be seen in America on April 4th on NBC. The live broadcast in January attracts 37.8% of the viewers in Japan, 91.8% in the Philippines, 70% in Hong Kong, and 70-80% of the viewers in Korea. The April showing in America will attract 51% of the television viewing audience, and will be seen in more American households than man’s first walk on the moon. In all, it will be seen in about forty countries by one billion to 1.5 billion people. Elvis commissions an American Eagle design for his jumpsuit for this show, his patriotic message to his worldwide audience.* Never has one performer held the world’s attention in such a way. Elvis is in top form physically and vocally. This is probably the pinnacle of his superstardom, one of the all-time great moments of his career.
Audience tickets for the January 14 concert and its January 12 pre-broadcast rehearsal show carry no price. Each audience member is asked to pay whatever he or she can. The performances and concert merchandise sales are a benefit raising $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii. (Kui Lee was a Hawaiian composer who had died of cancer while still in his thirties.)
On stage with Elvis is an orchestra and his current show cast: Joe Guercio (conductor), J.D. Sumner & the Stamps (vocals), The Sweet Inspirations (vocals), Kathy Westmoreland (soprano vocals), Charlie Hodge (guitar/vocals/on-stage assistance), James Burton (lead guitar), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass guitar), Glen D. Hardin (piano), and Ronnie Tutt (drums).
The soundtrack album is soon released and goes to number one on the Billboard pop album chart, and stays on the chart at various positions for 52 weeks. The show will later have continued life on television and eventually home video.
In the special, Elvis' recording of the theme song from his 1965 movie Paradise, Hawaiian Style plays over the opening credits and scenes of Elvis' helicopter arrival at the airport and his walking among the fans who are there to greet him. The concert opens with Elvis' band playing his traditional introduction for his seventies concerts, Theme from 2001. He sings See, See Rider, Burning Love, Something, You Gave Me a Mountain, Steamroller Blues, My Way, Love Me, Johnny B. Goode, It’s Over, Blue Suede Shoes, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, I Can’t Stop Loving You, Hound Dog, What Now, My Love, Fever, Welcome to My World, Suspicious Minds, I’ll Remember You (A Kui Lee composition Elvis sings after announcing the sum raised for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.), Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, An American Trilogy (Elvis tosses his belt into the audience), A Big Hunk o’ Love, and Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis tosses his cape into the audience). The show is one hour, including commercials. After the show, Elvis and his bandmates come back out on stage in the empty arena and videotape performances of the songs Blue Hawaii, Ku-u-i-po, and Hawaiian Wedding Song which he had first done for his 1961 hit movie, Blue Hawaii, plus Early Morning Rain and No More. All but the song No More will be inserted into the American broadcast with Elvis seen on a montage screen with footage of Hawaiian scenery.
A Little History on Elvis' Costume: Elvis told Bill Belew he wanted the jumpsuit for this special to say “America” to the worldwide viewing audience. Bill told Elvis that, except for the American flag, he could think of nothing other than the American Eagle. Elvis said “I like it.” And that’s how one of Elvis' most famous costumes came to be. Elvis had been wearing jumpsuits on stage since 1970, and they had become quite elaborate by the time of this show. For the past year or two he had been wearing studded, hip-length capes and heavy studded leather belts with his jumpsuits. For the American Eagle jumpsuit, Bill first designed a huge calf-length cape. During preparations for the show, Elvis tried working with this cape, but it was just too cumbersome to use. So, out went the emergency order for another cape in the usual size.
January 26 to February 23, 1973.
Elvis plays an engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton.
March 1973.
Elvis and the Colonel sell RCA the singer’s royalty rights on Elvis’ entire recording catalog up to that point.
April 4, 1973.
The Aloha special is seen on American television for the first time.
Late April 1973.
Elvis goes on an eight-city concert tour.
May 4 to 16, 1973.
Elvis plays an engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
May 1973.
The Aloha from Hawaii concert album hits number one on the Billboard pop album chart. It is his first number one album since Roustabout soundtrack album in 1965. It will also be his last number one album on the pop chart.
June 20 to July 3, 1973.
Elvis goes out on concert tour.
July, 1973.
Elvis records a few songs at the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis - his first time to record in Memphis since 1969.
August 6 to September 3, 1973.
Back to the Vegas Hilton for another engagement.
1970 to 1977.
December 2 to 12, 1976.
Elvis plays the Hilton in Vegas for what will turn out to be the last time.
December 27 to 31, 1976.
Elvis tours in concert, ending with a special New Year’s Eve concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
February 12 to 21, 1977.
Elvis tours in concert.
March 23 to 30, 197.7
Elvis tours in concert.
April 1 to 5, 1977.
Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis and tour shows scheduled for March 31-April 3 are canceled.
April 21 to May 31/June 1 to 2, 1977.
Elvis tours in concert.
June 17 to 26, 1977
Elvis tours in concert. Shows on June 19, 20, and 21 are recorded by RCA for an upcoming live album and are videotaped for an upcoming CBS-TV television special. (Footage from the show on the 20th is not used in the special.) The special will be called Elvis in Concert. It will first air on October 3 after Elvis’ death in August. The camera gives a shocking picture of Elvis’ poor health in his final days, but his voice is strong.
June 26, 1977.
A concert at Indianapolis, Indiana’s Market Square Arena. This will turn out to be his very last concert performance.
June 27 to August 15, 1977.
Elvis relaxes in Memphis and prepares for the next leg of touring for 1977.
August 16, 1977.
Shortly after midnight Elvis returns to Graceland from a late-night visit to the dentist. Through the early morning of the 16th he takes care of last minute tour details and relaxes with family and staff. He is to fly to Portland, Maine that night and do a show there on the 17th, then continue the scheduled tour. He retires to his master suite at Graceland around 7:00 AM to rest for his evening flight. By late morning, Elvis Presley is dead of heart failure. It is announced by mid-afternoon. In a matter of hours the shock registers around the world.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Elvis Part 1
1935 to 1957.
April 25, 1912.
Gladys Love Smith is born.
April 10, 1916.
Vernon Elvis Presley is born.
June, 1933.
Gladys Smith and Vernon Presley are married.
January 8, 1935.
In Tupelo, Mississippi, shortly before dawn, in a two-room house built by her husband and her brother-in-law, Gladys Presley gives birth to identical twin sons. The first, Jessie Garon, is born dead. The second, Elvis Aaron, is born alive and healthy. Elvis would be their only child.
1935 to 1948.
Elvis grows up within a close-knit, working class family, consisting of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who all live near one another in Tupelo. There is little money, but Vernon and Gladys do their best to provide for their son, who is the center of their lives. They move from one house to another in Tupelo. Elvis attends the Assembly of God Church with his family, and the music and preaching register deeply. Other influences are black bluesmen in the neighborhood and country music radio programs enjoyed by his family.
1945.
Ten-year-old Elvis stands on a chair at a microphone and sings "Old Shep" in a youth talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, held in Tupelo. The talent show is broadcast over WELO Radio. Second prize is $5.00 and free admission to all the rides at the fair.
1946.
Elvis’ parents cannot afford a bicycle that Elvis wants, so Gladys talks him into accepting a guitar instead. Elvis' first guitar costs $12.95 and is purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Company. The bicycle would have to wait until Christmas of 1947.
Late 1948.
Elvis plays his guitar and sings "Leaf on a Tree" for his Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell. Elvis and his parents pack their belongings in a trunk strapped to the roof of their 1939 Plymouth and move to Memphis, Tennessee in search of a better life economically. Other members of the Presley and Smith clan would follow.
1948-1953.
Elvis and his parents live in public housing or low rent homes in the poor neighborhoods of north Memphis. Life continues to be hard. Vernon and Gladys go from job to job and Elvis attends L.C. Humes High School. Elvis works at various jobs to help support himself and his parents. The Presley-Smith clan remains close-knit, and Elvis and his family attend the Assembly of God Church. The teenage Elvis continues to be known for singing with his guitar. He buys his clothes on Beale Street and he absorbs the black blues and gospel he hears there. He’s also a regular audience member at the all-night white, and black, gospel sings that are held downtown. He wears his hair long (compared to the day’s standards) and slick, and lets his sideburns grow. He’s really different from the other kids, a good-natured misfit.
While at Humes High, Elvis nervously sings with his guitar at a student talent show. Much to his own amazement, he gets more applause than anyone else and wins, then performs an encore. The acceptance feels good.
June 3, 1953.
Elvis graduates from Humes High School.
1953.
Elvis works at Parker Machinists Shop right after graduation. That summer he drops by The Memphis Recording Service, home of the Sun label and makes a demo acetate of "My Happiness" and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" for a cost of about $4.00. (The studio came to be known as Sun Studio though never officially named that until many years later. For simplicity this text uses the name Sun Studio.) The studio owner isn’t in, so his assistant, Marion Keisker handles the session. Elvis wants to see what his voice sounds like on a record and he has aspirations to become a professional singer. He takes the acetate home, and reportedly gives it to his mother as a much-belated extra birthday present. By the fall, he is working at Precision Tool Company, and soon changes jobs again, going to work for Crown Electric Company. At Crown, he does various jobs, including driving a delivery truck. He also goes to night school and studies to be an electrician.
January, 1954.
Elvis makes another demo acetate at Sun. Sam Phillips, the owner, is in this time and, like Marion Keisker, is intrigued by this unusual looking and sounding young man.
Summer 1954.
At Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Sam Phillips calls Elvis into the studio to try singing a song Sam hopes to put out on record. The song is "Without You" and Elvis does not sing it to Sam’s satisfaction. Sam asks Elvis what he can sing, and Elvis runs through a number of popular tunes. Sam is impressed enough to team Elvis up with local musicians Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) to see if they, together, can come up with something worthwhile. Nothing really clicks until July 5, when after a tedious session, Elvis and the guys break into a sped-up version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right." This song, backed with Blue Moon of Kentucky becomes the first of five singles Elvis will release on the Sun label. Elvis, Scotty, and Bill start performing together, with Scotty acting as the group’s manager. Elvis continues to work at Crown Electric as the group starts to play small clubs and other smalltime gigs locally and throughout the South, enjoying moderate success with the records and personal appearances. Elvis’ one appearance on the Grand Ole Opry doesn’t go over particularly well, with one of the Opry officials reportedly suggesting that Elvis go back to driving a truck. The Opry is very important at this time. This is a painful disappointment in Elvis' early career.
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue to record and to travel.
October 16, 1954.
They appear for the first time on the Louisiana Hayride, a live Saturday night country music radio show originating in Shreveport, Louisiana, broadcast over KWKH Radio. The show is the Grand Ole Opry's chief competitor, carried by 190 stations in thirteen states. This leads to regular appearances on the Hayride and, in November, Elvis signs a one-year contract for fifty-two Saturday night appearances. This is a great break, but as Elvis’ popularity grows, his commitment to the Hayride prevents him from traveling much outside the South to further his career on a larger scale. During Elvis' association with the Hayride he meets “Colonel” Tom Parker, a promoter and manager connected with various acts, and connected with the Louisiana Hayride. Parker is also the manager for country star, Hank Snow. A previous Parker client is country star Eddy Arnold.
January 1955.
Elvis signs a contract with Bob Neal, who becomes his manager.
1955.
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue touring on their own and in package shows with various country stars, including package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J. Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis fails to be accepted on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a network television show. As always, Elvis’ live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers, especially the females. His unusual style, sexy moves, and good looks start to cause more and more excitement wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and more popularity and begins to receive national attention. Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis’ career.
August 15, 1955.
Elvis signs a management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor. Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager from this time on, and Snow is soon no longer connected to Elvis.
November 20, 1955.
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and his unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $40,000, with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time Elvis signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company, which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the music business.
January 10, 1956.
Two days after his twenty-first birthday, Elvis has his first recording session for RCA, held at their studio in Nashville. Among the songs laid to tape during this session is "Heartbreak Hotel."
The Jordanaires, a gospel quartet and popular country back-up group, begin working with Elvis in the studio during the first few RCA sessions and soon begin touring with him. They will also appear with him in several films and remain his main back-up group until the late sixties.
January 27, 1956.
"Heartbreak Hotel" b/w "I Was the One" is released by RCA and sells over 300,000 copies in its first three weeks on the market. It is soon to go to number one on Billboard’s pop singles chart for eight weeks and hit number one on the country chart and number five on the R&B chart. It becomes the first Elvis single to sell over one million copies, thus earning Elvis his very first gold record award.
January 28, 1956.
Elvis appears with Scotty, Bill, and D.J. on the Jackie Gleason-produced Stage Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey on CBS. This is Elvis’ first network television appearance. He appears five more nights on Stage Show over the weeks ahead and makes minor waves nationally. The last of these six appearances is March 24. Traveling and personal appearances continue during this time, including the Louisiana Hayride appearances for which he is still under contract. Fame and “infamy” build.
February, 1956.
As "Heartbreak Hotel" makes its climb up the charts on its way to number one, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" b/w "Mystery Train", Elvis' fifth and last single to be released on the Sun label, hits number one on Billboard’s national country singles chart. His first number one hit on a national chart.
March 13, 1956.
RCA releases Elvis Presley, Elvis’ first album. The album soon goes to number one on Billboard’s pop album chart for ten weeks. It is the first Elvis album to reach over $1 million in sales, thus earning Elvis his first gold album award.
April 1, 1956.
Elvis has a screen test for Paramount Studios in Hollywood. He lip synchs "Blue Suede Shoes" and he performs a scene from the as yet unmade film, The Rainmaker, a film he does not end up being in.
April 3, 1956.
Elvis appears on The Milton Berle Show on ABC, which, for this particular broadcast, originates from the deck of the aircraft carrier, the USS Hancock.
April 6, 1956.
Elvis signs a seven-year movie contract with Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures.
April 23 to May 9, 1956.
Compared to the usual hysteria, Elvis has lukewarm acceptance for his two-week engagement at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. He is not exactly what the adult audience of Vegas gamblers relates to very well. During these two weeks, the single Heartbreak Hotel and the album Elvis Presley both hit number one on the Billboard pop charts.
Through all of this, the travel and personal appearances around the country and new record releases continue. The crowds get bigger and bigger, wilder and wilder. Elvis’ fame grows dramatically. Some of these shows have to end early due to fans’ storming the stage. Elvis creates pandemonium wherever he goes.
June 5, 1956.
Elvis appears again on The Milton Berle Show, this time in the studio where the show usually originates, this time backed by the Jordanaires in addition to Scotty, Bill and D.J. Among his selections is a playfully sensuous performance of "Hound Dog" that drives the kids in the audience wild, and, the next day, has the press and some of the adult viewers appalled. It is one of his most controversial performances. This merely serves to fuel his seemingly unstoppable popularity even more.
Traveling and personal appearances and new record releases continue. By this time Elvis, with his sexy moves and black-influenced sound, is being condemned by certain factions of the “morally concerned” establishment and the religious community. But, the kids love it.
July 1, 1956.
Elvis appears on The Steve Allen Show on NBC. Among his performances this night is a much toned down version of "Hound Dog". Allen has Elvis dressed in white tie and black tux with tails and has him sing the song to a live Basset hound, a tongue-in-cheek response to all controversy created by the Berle appearance the month before. Elvis good-naturedly goes along with it, but is not too happy about it. Elvis also appears in a cowboy comedy sketch with Allen, Imogene Coca and Andy Griffith.
Record releases, touring, and recording continue. The condemnation and controversy continue along with the ever-growing popularity. Ed Sullivan, who had said that he would never have the likes of Elvis Presley on his show, changes his tune when he sees the big ratings that Elvis attracts to the Berle and Allen shows. A three-appearance deal is worked out for $50,000 and is the highest amount ever paid to a performer, up to that time, for appearing on a variety show.
August 1956.
Elvis begins shooting his first movie, Love Me Tender on loan-out from Paramount to Twentieth Century Fox. It is originally titled The Reno Brothers, but is re-titled before its release to capitalize on Elvis’ sure-to-be-a-hit single from the soundtrack.
September 9, 1956.
Elvis makes the first of three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, the top television program of the era. Elvis attracts the highest ratings ever for any television variety show. Character actor Charles Laughton hosts in place of Sullivan, who is recuperating from a car accident.
September 26, 1956.
Elvis Presley Day is proclaimed in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis’ parents join him as he returns to the town of his birth as a big star. He performs two shows at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, the same fair at which he had performed at age 10. This time there are a hundred National Guardsmen surrounding the stage to control the crowds of excited fans.
By this time, souvenir merchandising using Elvis’ name, image, and likeness has become a big part of the Elvis phenomenon. Licensees will soon be producing as many as thirty different products including hats, T-shirts, jeans, kerchiefs, sneakers, shirts, blouses, belts, purses, billfolds, wallets, charm bracelets, necklaces, magazines, gloves, bookends, a statue, lipstick, cologne, stuffed hound dogs, stationery, sweaters, crockery, and more. Elvis and the Colonel are to blaze new trails in the area of celebrity merchandising. This is to be forever a part of the marketing of Elvis Presley, feeding a never-ending demand.
October 28, 1956.
Elvis makes his second of three appearances on Ed Sullivan.
November 16, 1956.
Elvis’ first movie, Love Me Tender premieres at the Paramount Theater in New York City, opening nationwide in the days following. It becomes a smash hit, and the critics’ reviews aren’t bad for his acting in this melodrama, which is set in the American South of the 1800’s Civil War era. The film has Elvis performing several songs, of course.
In order to listen to audio and view video you will need Real Player. Click here to download Real Player.
December 31, 1956.
The front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that in the past few months Elvis merchandise has grossed $22 million in sales.
Elvis ends the pivotal year of his career, when regional popularity gave way to unprecedented national and international fame. The year of 1956 has seen the beginning of Elvis souvenir merchandising, the beginning of a successful movie career, huge record sales (five number one singles on the pop chart, two number one albums on the pop chart, and other hits), history-making television appearances, record-breaking personal appearances and more.
Elvis has become the primary symbol of the new youth culture in America. He has also become one of society’s most controversial figures. His unique blending of white country and gospel music, black R&B and gospel, white pop music, his particular brand of charisma and talent, and the resulting success and controversy, have helped him greatly to begin, without premeditation, a cycle of change in music and pop culture and the mores of American society. Nothing will ever be the same for Elvis Presley or for the world.
January 6, 1957.
Elvis makes his third and final appearance on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town Show. It is for this appearance that Elvis is seen only from the waist up. It’s funny that after all of his television appearances the previous year, such censorship comes at this time. It is particularly amusing that this guideline remains in place during Elvis’ performance of the gospel standard, Peace in the Valley, one of five songs he performs on this Sullivan appearance. Ed Sullivan himself helps diffuse some of the controversy surrounding Elvis when he comes out on stage to thank Elvis and tells the studio audience and millions of American television viewers that “this is a decent, fine boy” and what a delight he has been to work with when appearing on the show. Ed Sullivan is the most influential person on television audiences and one of the most powerful people in the television industry at the time.
Personal appearances, recording sessions, record releases, controversy, and publicity continue.
January, 1957.
Elvis begins production of his second movie, Loving You.
February 3, 1957.
The New York Times runs a story entitled, "Presley Records a Craze in Soviet Union." Elvis records are not legally available in the Soviet Union. The article tells of bootleg recordings being cut on discarded X-ray plates and being sold in Leningrad on the black market for fifty rubles (about twelve and a half dollars) each, a lot of money at the time.
March 1957.
Elvis buys Graceland Mansion for himself, his parents, and his paternal grandmother to live in. It will be ready for them to move into in early April.
April, 1957.
While touring with his show, Elvis performs outside the United States for the first time when he appears in Canada: two shows in Toronto on April 2 and two shows in Ottawa on April 3.
May, 1957.
Elvis begins work on his third motion picture, Jailhouse Rock for MGM.
July 9, 1957.
Elvis' second motion picture, Loving You, premieres and quickly reaches the top ten at the box office. Hit records include the title song and the classic smash "Teddy Bear".
Traveling, touring, record releases, and personal appearances continue.
August 31, 1957.
Elvis performs in Vancouver. This is the third Canadian city he has performed in, and marks the last time he will perform in concert outside the United States.
September 27, 1957.
Elvis returns once more to the town of his birth to perform. This time it is a benefit for the proposed Elvis Presley Youth Recreation Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. The grounds include Elvis’ birthplace home. He will donate regularly to the center for the rest of his life. (The center is still used by the general community today. The birthplace home is open for tours, and there is a small museum and a memorial chapel.)
October 17, 1957.
Jailhouse Rock, Elvis’ third motion picture, premieres in Memphis, opening nationally in November and quickly going to the top five at the box office. The title song is a smash hit. Years later, this film will be considered one of Elvis’ best acting performances, surpassed only by King Creole, which is to follow in 1958. Jailhouse Rock will come to be considered the ultimate classic of all “rock opera” movies, and the "Jailhouse Rock" production number in the film is to be recognized as the grandfather of pop/rock music videos, a music format to become widely popular by the 1980’s.
November 10, 11 1957.
Elvis performs shows in Hawaii for the first time.
December, 1957.
Elvis and family enjoy their first Christmas at Graceland and Elvis officially receives his draft notice, a day he has known would be coming soon.
April 25, 1912.
Gladys Love Smith is born.
April 10, 1916.
Vernon Elvis Presley is born.
June, 1933.
Gladys Smith and Vernon Presley are married.
January 8, 1935.
In Tupelo, Mississippi, shortly before dawn, in a two-room house built by her husband and her brother-in-law, Gladys Presley gives birth to identical twin sons. The first, Jessie Garon, is born dead. The second, Elvis Aaron, is born alive and healthy. Elvis would be their only child.
1935 to 1948.
Elvis grows up within a close-knit, working class family, consisting of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who all live near one another in Tupelo. There is little money, but Vernon and Gladys do their best to provide for their son, who is the center of their lives. They move from one house to another in Tupelo. Elvis attends the Assembly of God Church with his family, and the music and preaching register deeply. Other influences are black bluesmen in the neighborhood and country music radio programs enjoyed by his family.
1945.
Ten-year-old Elvis stands on a chair at a microphone and sings "Old Shep" in a youth talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, held in Tupelo. The talent show is broadcast over WELO Radio. Second prize is $5.00 and free admission to all the rides at the fair.
1946.
Elvis’ parents cannot afford a bicycle that Elvis wants, so Gladys talks him into accepting a guitar instead. Elvis' first guitar costs $12.95 and is purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Company. The bicycle would have to wait until Christmas of 1947.
Late 1948.
Elvis plays his guitar and sings "Leaf on a Tree" for his Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell. Elvis and his parents pack their belongings in a trunk strapped to the roof of their 1939 Plymouth and move to Memphis, Tennessee in search of a better life economically. Other members of the Presley and Smith clan would follow.
1948-1953.
Elvis and his parents live in public housing or low rent homes in the poor neighborhoods of north Memphis. Life continues to be hard. Vernon and Gladys go from job to job and Elvis attends L.C. Humes High School. Elvis works at various jobs to help support himself and his parents. The Presley-Smith clan remains close-knit, and Elvis and his family attend the Assembly of God Church. The teenage Elvis continues to be known for singing with his guitar. He buys his clothes on Beale Street and he absorbs the black blues and gospel he hears there. He’s also a regular audience member at the all-night white, and black, gospel sings that are held downtown. He wears his hair long (compared to the day’s standards) and slick, and lets his sideburns grow. He’s really different from the other kids, a good-natured misfit.
While at Humes High, Elvis nervously sings with his guitar at a student talent show. Much to his own amazement, he gets more applause than anyone else and wins, then performs an encore. The acceptance feels good.
June 3, 1953.
Elvis graduates from Humes High School.
1953.
Elvis works at Parker Machinists Shop right after graduation. That summer he drops by The Memphis Recording Service, home of the Sun label and makes a demo acetate of "My Happiness" and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" for a cost of about $4.00. (The studio came to be known as Sun Studio though never officially named that until many years later. For simplicity this text uses the name Sun Studio.) The studio owner isn’t in, so his assistant, Marion Keisker handles the session. Elvis wants to see what his voice sounds like on a record and he has aspirations to become a professional singer. He takes the acetate home, and reportedly gives it to his mother as a much-belated extra birthday present. By the fall, he is working at Precision Tool Company, and soon changes jobs again, going to work for Crown Electric Company. At Crown, he does various jobs, including driving a delivery truck. He also goes to night school and studies to be an electrician.
January, 1954.
Elvis makes another demo acetate at Sun. Sam Phillips, the owner, is in this time and, like Marion Keisker, is intrigued by this unusual looking and sounding young man.
Summer 1954.
At Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Sam Phillips calls Elvis into the studio to try singing a song Sam hopes to put out on record. The song is "Without You" and Elvis does not sing it to Sam’s satisfaction. Sam asks Elvis what he can sing, and Elvis runs through a number of popular tunes. Sam is impressed enough to team Elvis up with local musicians Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) to see if they, together, can come up with something worthwhile. Nothing really clicks until July 5, when after a tedious session, Elvis and the guys break into a sped-up version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right." This song, backed with Blue Moon of Kentucky becomes the first of five singles Elvis will release on the Sun label. Elvis, Scotty, and Bill start performing together, with Scotty acting as the group’s manager. Elvis continues to work at Crown Electric as the group starts to play small clubs and other smalltime gigs locally and throughout the South, enjoying moderate success with the records and personal appearances. Elvis’ one appearance on the Grand Ole Opry doesn’t go over particularly well, with one of the Opry officials reportedly suggesting that Elvis go back to driving a truck. The Opry is very important at this time. This is a painful disappointment in Elvis' early career.
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue to record and to travel.
October 16, 1954.
They appear for the first time on the Louisiana Hayride, a live Saturday night country music radio show originating in Shreveport, Louisiana, broadcast over KWKH Radio. The show is the Grand Ole Opry's chief competitor, carried by 190 stations in thirteen states. This leads to regular appearances on the Hayride and, in November, Elvis signs a one-year contract for fifty-two Saturday night appearances. This is a great break, but as Elvis’ popularity grows, his commitment to the Hayride prevents him from traveling much outside the South to further his career on a larger scale. During Elvis' association with the Hayride he meets “Colonel” Tom Parker, a promoter and manager connected with various acts, and connected with the Louisiana Hayride. Parker is also the manager for country star, Hank Snow. A previous Parker client is country star Eddy Arnold.
January 1955.
Elvis signs a contract with Bob Neal, who becomes his manager.
1955.
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue touring on their own and in package shows with various country stars, including package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J. Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis fails to be accepted on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a network television show. As always, Elvis’ live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers, especially the females. His unusual style, sexy moves, and good looks start to cause more and more excitement wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and more popularity and begins to receive national attention. Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis’ career.
August 15, 1955.
Elvis signs a management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor. Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager from this time on, and Snow is soon no longer connected to Elvis.
November 20, 1955.
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and his unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $40,000, with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time Elvis signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company, which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the music business.
January 10, 1956.
Two days after his twenty-first birthday, Elvis has his first recording session for RCA, held at their studio in Nashville. Among the songs laid to tape during this session is "Heartbreak Hotel."
The Jordanaires, a gospel quartet and popular country back-up group, begin working with Elvis in the studio during the first few RCA sessions and soon begin touring with him. They will also appear with him in several films and remain his main back-up group until the late sixties.
January 27, 1956.
"Heartbreak Hotel" b/w "I Was the One" is released by RCA and sells over 300,000 copies in its first three weeks on the market. It is soon to go to number one on Billboard’s pop singles chart for eight weeks and hit number one on the country chart and number five on the R&B chart. It becomes the first Elvis single to sell over one million copies, thus earning Elvis his very first gold record award.
January 28, 1956.
Elvis appears with Scotty, Bill, and D.J. on the Jackie Gleason-produced Stage Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey on CBS. This is Elvis’ first network television appearance. He appears five more nights on Stage Show over the weeks ahead and makes minor waves nationally. The last of these six appearances is March 24. Traveling and personal appearances continue during this time, including the Louisiana Hayride appearances for which he is still under contract. Fame and “infamy” build.
February, 1956.
As "Heartbreak Hotel" makes its climb up the charts on its way to number one, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" b/w "Mystery Train", Elvis' fifth and last single to be released on the Sun label, hits number one on Billboard’s national country singles chart. His first number one hit on a national chart.
March 13, 1956.
RCA releases Elvis Presley, Elvis’ first album. The album soon goes to number one on Billboard’s pop album chart for ten weeks. It is the first Elvis album to reach over $1 million in sales, thus earning Elvis his first gold album award.
April 1, 1956.
Elvis has a screen test for Paramount Studios in Hollywood. He lip synchs "Blue Suede Shoes" and he performs a scene from the as yet unmade film, The Rainmaker, a film he does not end up being in.
April 3, 1956.
Elvis appears on The Milton Berle Show on ABC, which, for this particular broadcast, originates from the deck of the aircraft carrier, the USS Hancock.
April 6, 1956.
Elvis signs a seven-year movie contract with Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures.
April 23 to May 9, 1956.
Compared to the usual hysteria, Elvis has lukewarm acceptance for his two-week engagement at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. He is not exactly what the adult audience of Vegas gamblers relates to very well. During these two weeks, the single Heartbreak Hotel and the album Elvis Presley both hit number one on the Billboard pop charts.
Through all of this, the travel and personal appearances around the country and new record releases continue. The crowds get bigger and bigger, wilder and wilder. Elvis’ fame grows dramatically. Some of these shows have to end early due to fans’ storming the stage. Elvis creates pandemonium wherever he goes.
June 5, 1956.
Elvis appears again on The Milton Berle Show, this time in the studio where the show usually originates, this time backed by the Jordanaires in addition to Scotty, Bill and D.J. Among his selections is a playfully sensuous performance of "Hound Dog" that drives the kids in the audience wild, and, the next day, has the press and some of the adult viewers appalled. It is one of his most controversial performances. This merely serves to fuel his seemingly unstoppable popularity even more.
Traveling and personal appearances and new record releases continue. By this time Elvis, with his sexy moves and black-influenced sound, is being condemned by certain factions of the “morally concerned” establishment and the religious community. But, the kids love it.
July 1, 1956.
Elvis appears on The Steve Allen Show on NBC. Among his performances this night is a much toned down version of "Hound Dog". Allen has Elvis dressed in white tie and black tux with tails and has him sing the song to a live Basset hound, a tongue-in-cheek response to all controversy created by the Berle appearance the month before. Elvis good-naturedly goes along with it, but is not too happy about it. Elvis also appears in a cowboy comedy sketch with Allen, Imogene Coca and Andy Griffith.
Record releases, touring, and recording continue. The condemnation and controversy continue along with the ever-growing popularity. Ed Sullivan, who had said that he would never have the likes of Elvis Presley on his show, changes his tune when he sees the big ratings that Elvis attracts to the Berle and Allen shows. A three-appearance deal is worked out for $50,000 and is the highest amount ever paid to a performer, up to that time, for appearing on a variety show.
August 1956.
Elvis begins shooting his first movie, Love Me Tender on loan-out from Paramount to Twentieth Century Fox. It is originally titled The Reno Brothers, but is re-titled before its release to capitalize on Elvis’ sure-to-be-a-hit single from the soundtrack.
September 9, 1956.
Elvis makes the first of three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, the top television program of the era. Elvis attracts the highest ratings ever for any television variety show. Character actor Charles Laughton hosts in place of Sullivan, who is recuperating from a car accident.
September 26, 1956.
Elvis Presley Day is proclaimed in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis’ parents join him as he returns to the town of his birth as a big star. He performs two shows at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, the same fair at which he had performed at age 10. This time there are a hundred National Guardsmen surrounding the stage to control the crowds of excited fans.
By this time, souvenir merchandising using Elvis’ name, image, and likeness has become a big part of the Elvis phenomenon. Licensees will soon be producing as many as thirty different products including hats, T-shirts, jeans, kerchiefs, sneakers, shirts, blouses, belts, purses, billfolds, wallets, charm bracelets, necklaces, magazines, gloves, bookends, a statue, lipstick, cologne, stuffed hound dogs, stationery, sweaters, crockery, and more. Elvis and the Colonel are to blaze new trails in the area of celebrity merchandising. This is to be forever a part of the marketing of Elvis Presley, feeding a never-ending demand.
October 28, 1956.
Elvis makes his second of three appearances on Ed Sullivan.
November 16, 1956.
Elvis’ first movie, Love Me Tender premieres at the Paramount Theater in New York City, opening nationwide in the days following. It becomes a smash hit, and the critics’ reviews aren’t bad for his acting in this melodrama, which is set in the American South of the 1800’s Civil War era. The film has Elvis performing several songs, of course.
In order to listen to audio and view video you will need Real Player. Click here to download Real Player.
December 31, 1956.
The front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that in the past few months Elvis merchandise has grossed $22 million in sales.
Elvis ends the pivotal year of his career, when regional popularity gave way to unprecedented national and international fame. The year of 1956 has seen the beginning of Elvis souvenir merchandising, the beginning of a successful movie career, huge record sales (five number one singles on the pop chart, two number one albums on the pop chart, and other hits), history-making television appearances, record-breaking personal appearances and more.
Elvis has become the primary symbol of the new youth culture in America. He has also become one of society’s most controversial figures. His unique blending of white country and gospel music, black R&B and gospel, white pop music, his particular brand of charisma and talent, and the resulting success and controversy, have helped him greatly to begin, without premeditation, a cycle of change in music and pop culture and the mores of American society. Nothing will ever be the same for Elvis Presley or for the world.
January 6, 1957.
Elvis makes his third and final appearance on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town Show. It is for this appearance that Elvis is seen only from the waist up. It’s funny that after all of his television appearances the previous year, such censorship comes at this time. It is particularly amusing that this guideline remains in place during Elvis’ performance of the gospel standard, Peace in the Valley, one of five songs he performs on this Sullivan appearance. Ed Sullivan himself helps diffuse some of the controversy surrounding Elvis when he comes out on stage to thank Elvis and tells the studio audience and millions of American television viewers that “this is a decent, fine boy” and what a delight he has been to work with when appearing on the show. Ed Sullivan is the most influential person on television audiences and one of the most powerful people in the television industry at the time.
Personal appearances, recording sessions, record releases, controversy, and publicity continue.
January, 1957.
Elvis begins production of his second movie, Loving You.
February 3, 1957.
The New York Times runs a story entitled, "Presley Records a Craze in Soviet Union." Elvis records are not legally available in the Soviet Union. The article tells of bootleg recordings being cut on discarded X-ray plates and being sold in Leningrad on the black market for fifty rubles (about twelve and a half dollars) each, a lot of money at the time.
March 1957.
Elvis buys Graceland Mansion for himself, his parents, and his paternal grandmother to live in. It will be ready for them to move into in early April.
April, 1957.
While touring with his show, Elvis performs outside the United States for the first time when he appears in Canada: two shows in Toronto on April 2 and two shows in Ottawa on April 3.
May, 1957.
Elvis begins work on his third motion picture, Jailhouse Rock for MGM.
July 9, 1957.
Elvis' second motion picture, Loving You, premieres and quickly reaches the top ten at the box office. Hit records include the title song and the classic smash "Teddy Bear".
Traveling, touring, record releases, and personal appearances continue.
August 31, 1957.
Elvis performs in Vancouver. This is the third Canadian city he has performed in, and marks the last time he will perform in concert outside the United States.
September 27, 1957.
Elvis returns once more to the town of his birth to perform. This time it is a benefit for the proposed Elvis Presley Youth Recreation Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. The grounds include Elvis’ birthplace home. He will donate regularly to the center for the rest of his life. (The center is still used by the general community today. The birthplace home is open for tours, and there is a small museum and a memorial chapel.)
October 17, 1957.
Jailhouse Rock, Elvis’ third motion picture, premieres in Memphis, opening nationally in November and quickly going to the top five at the box office. The title song is a smash hit. Years later, this film will be considered one of Elvis’ best acting performances, surpassed only by King Creole, which is to follow in 1958. Jailhouse Rock will come to be considered the ultimate classic of all “rock opera” movies, and the "Jailhouse Rock" production number in the film is to be recognized as the grandfather of pop/rock music videos, a music format to become widely popular by the 1980’s.
November 10, 11 1957.
Elvis performs shows in Hawaii for the first time.
December, 1957.
Elvis and family enjoy their first Christmas at Graceland and Elvis officially receives his draft notice, a day he has known would be coming soon.
Rock Music, Jukeboxes, and Top 40
The radical fear that had been a feature of earlier hostility to popular music was again present, as before only partly cloaked in general discriptions of rock 'n' roll as "barbaric" and "primitive".
But there were also important differences. While much of the language used echoed past struggles, there was a new tendency to draw on psychological terminology. Science - "objective", energetic, modem - was summoned in support of battered morality.
But what psychology most clearly revealed - and it was fairly obvious without it was that the crux of the latest cultural collision was not in mental or emotional deficiencies, but in something much more normal, the so-called "generation gap".
The development of a separate teenage identity had resulted, among other things, in the perception by the adult world that its authority was being eroded. Rock 'n' roll was being castigated as the most powerful symbol of the teenage attempt to tilt the balance in the parent-child relationship. But, as in previous collisions, the attitude of the group that feared for its control was profoundly ambiguous. Inseparable from the older generation's hostility to the teenage culture was its envy of the freedom and independence which that culture seemed to have been achieved - in contrast to the life, past and present, that the old had known.
Despite this ambivalence, the pressures on rock 'n' roll were considerable. At its height, the attack was directed more at its purveyors than its consumers, at the softer target of those whose livelihood depended on it, rather than at those who actually lived it. Before long rock'n' roll began to become acceptable. As with earlier styles, acceptability involved dilution. Under pressure from parents and from representatives of moral and civic authority, radio stations and record producers and companies began to turn the prospect of independent, anti-authoritarian teenage culture into an expression of tolerably obstinate adolescence.
At the same time, vested interests knew that the teenage market was now too valuable to be put in jeopardy. Part of the answer was Top 40 programming, which came to the fore in the later 1950s. Besides coping with the separate problem of disk jockeys' so-called "play-for-pay" deals with record companies, the Top 40 system introduced a measure of control into the music being heard over the air. By a very neat twist, hard promotion turned that controlled segment of available records into something that the teenage market found irresistible.
But there were also important differences. While much of the language used echoed past struggles, there was a new tendency to draw on psychological terminology. Science - "objective", energetic, modem - was summoned in support of battered morality.
But what psychology most clearly revealed - and it was fairly obvious without it was that the crux of the latest cultural collision was not in mental or emotional deficiencies, but in something much more normal, the so-called "generation gap".
The development of a separate teenage identity had resulted, among other things, in the perception by the adult world that its authority was being eroded. Rock 'n' roll was being castigated as the most powerful symbol of the teenage attempt to tilt the balance in the parent-child relationship. But, as in previous collisions, the attitude of the group that feared for its control was profoundly ambiguous. Inseparable from the older generation's hostility to the teenage culture was its envy of the freedom and independence which that culture seemed to have been achieved - in contrast to the life, past and present, that the old had known.
Despite this ambivalence, the pressures on rock 'n' roll were considerable. At its height, the attack was directed more at its purveyors than its consumers, at the softer target of those whose livelihood depended on it, rather than at those who actually lived it. Before long rock'n' roll began to become acceptable. As with earlier styles, acceptability involved dilution. Under pressure from parents and from representatives of moral and civic authority, radio stations and record producers and companies began to turn the prospect of independent, anti-authoritarian teenage culture into an expression of tolerably obstinate adolescence.
At the same time, vested interests knew that the teenage market was now too valuable to be put in jeopardy. Part of the answer was Top 40 programming, which came to the fore in the later 1950s. Besides coping with the separate problem of disk jockeys' so-called "play-for-pay" deals with record companies, the Top 40 system introduced a measure of control into the music being heard over the air. By a very neat twist, hard promotion turned that controlled segment of available records into something that the teenage market found irresistible.
Mental Hygiene
`Mental Hygiene': The Doos and Don'ts of the Doo-Wop Age.
New York Times.
January 2, 2000.
By KEN SMITH.
Sarah Inman stares out her kitchen window. Her hands mechanically dunk a plate into a sink of soapy water. "Those, those apple-polishers," she says, scornful of her classmates.
"I don't like them!"
"Punkin!" her father snaps, grabbing a dish towel. "All these people you don't like, aren't they happier than you?"
The camera locks on Sarah's eyes filling with tears as Dad's last words echo on the soundtrack: "Aren't they happier than you, happier than you, "
Anyone believing that the 1950's was a time of innocent fun, or that social coercion is a tactic exercised only in despotic, faraway lands, will be disabused of the notion after viewing (or re-viewing) some of these movies. Guidance as well as scare films, they cover a broad swath of everyday social behavior, from mealtime deportment ("Lunchroom Manners") to drug use ("The Terrible Truth") to teenagers' reckless driving habits ("The Last Prom").
Generally less than 15 minutes long, these short films serve as both a lesson in the pathology of the American psyche and a deliciously dark form of entertainment. This is not a retrospective for the irony-impaired.
Over four decades, millions of public school children saw these films, which had the blessings of contemporary social scientists. The movies thrived in the climate of confusion and nervousness in America between World War II and Watergate, when moral codes and social norms were being increasingly challenged and disobeyed. To cope with this tempest, parents and educators embraced the mental hygiene film. Ham-fisted, dogmatic, frequently brutal, these films preached the joys of domesticity and uniformity.
A popular assumption is that mental hygiene films are cinematic junk. But they vary in style and quality, depending on the studio (Coronet and Centron were two) or the director, Sid Davis and Emily Benton Frith among them. Flashes of dramatic technique often pierce the low-budget fog: the film noir of "Right or Wrong?" (1951); the frantic cross-cutting and melodramatic zoom of "Last Date" (1950); the dizzying hand-held camera work in "Narcotics: Pit of Despair" (1967).
Of course, mental hygiene films rarely met traditional standards of film as entertainment or art, nor did they aspire to. Rather, they took their cues from the training and propaganda films of World War II, and thus sought to portray everyday life as realistically -- that is, as mundanely -- as possible. A classroom audience was not supposed to watch a mental hygiene film and be enthralled by its direction, cinematography, acting or editing. The students were supposed to believe that what they saw was real and to adopt the film's point of view.
The creators of these films were, for the most part, anonymous, valued more for their ability to grind out product than for their filmmaking artistry. Crews were spartan, sets were cobbled together, equipment was minimal and actors were often just young people from the neighborhood.
Education theory held that young people were social mimics who would imitate whatever behavior they saw acted out onscreen; hence the protagonists in these films were usually well-mannered, polite -- and one-dimensional.
The approach may have calmed the fears of mid-20th-century educators, but it plays havoc with our notions today of what life was really like in, say, 1952. "Are You Popular?" (1958) and "Friendship Begins at Home" (1949) present a vision of an innocent, idyllic past, but it bears remembering that there would have been no need for mental hygiene films if the young really had behaved so pleasantly. Productions like "Mind Your Manners!" (1953) and "What Makes a Good Party?" (1950) depict life not as it was but as the films' adult creators wanted it to be.
Ultimately, of course, students charted their own courses heedless of the beacons offered by these films. And their disobedience spawned more mental hygiene films, intended to scare the rebellious. These films are the focus of several programs in the Astoria series: "The Dark Side," about the consequences of bad behavior (Jan. 9), "Highway Safety" (Jan. 15), "Drugs" (Jan. 22) and "Troublemakers" (Jan. 23).
The dark themes were the mainstays of independent filmmakers like Sid Davis and Dick Wayman. Mr. Davis, a Hollywood stand-in who yearned to direct, found his niche making films about topics no one else would touch: date rape ("Name Unknown"), substance abuse ("Keep Off the Grass"), childhood death and injury ("Live and Learn").
He prided himself on being able to make a film, from idea to master print, for only $1,000; such low budgets necessitated flat visuals, which Mr. Davis overlaid with often bombastic narration to convey the drama that the images could not. Nevertheless, Mr. Davis's films occasionally display flashes of visual dynamism and artistry not found elsewhere in this genre: a traveling shot of teenagers barreling down a California freeway in "Seduction of the Innocent" (1961) as they pop pills and swill 7Up; a lovingly composed shot of a police investigator, a receding ambulance and an overturned car at the end of "What Made Sammy Speed?" (1957).
There are no concessions to art in the films of Dick Wayman, whose "Wheels of Tragedy" (1963) will be shown on Jan. 15. Wayman, an executive with the accounting firm Ernst & Young, used a portable 16-millimeter movie camera to record the bloody aftermaths of fatal highway accidents, then spliced them together into loosely constructed safety films intended to shock. It was a triumph of "reality" over the carefully made fiction of studio films, an approach that gained favor with educators as the 1960's themselves grew more violent and confrontational.
Thousands of mental hygiene films were produced, yet only a handful survive. Schools showed them over and over until they were worn and shredded.
Prints that escaped destruction were tossed into the trash when they became out of date or when school audiovisual departments shifted to video. When mental hygiene production companies went out of business -- as they all eventually did -- their master prints were thrown away, along with almost all information about the films' creators, casts and costs. Preservationists showed little interest in saving what remained. At least half of all mental hygiene titles have vanished, and many survive today as only a single, battered print.
Mental hygiene films conveyed the opinions of their creators. Some would call this propaganda, others guidance. To Ted Peshak, however, who directed hundreds of these movies for Coronet, "mental hygiene films boiled down to a compromise between real life and life as it ought to be."
New York Times.
January 2, 2000.
By KEN SMITH.
Sarah Inman stares out her kitchen window. Her hands mechanically dunk a plate into a sink of soapy water. "Those, those apple-polishers," she says, scornful of her classmates.
"I don't like them!"
"Punkin!" her father snaps, grabbing a dish towel. "All these people you don't like, aren't they happier than you?"
The camera locks on Sarah's eyes filling with tears as Dad's last words echo on the soundtrack: "Aren't they happier than you, happier than you, "
Anyone believing that the 1950's was a time of innocent fun, or that social coercion is a tactic exercised only in despotic, faraway lands, will be disabused of the notion after viewing (or re-viewing) some of these movies. Guidance as well as scare films, they cover a broad swath of everyday social behavior, from mealtime deportment ("Lunchroom Manners") to drug use ("The Terrible Truth") to teenagers' reckless driving habits ("The Last Prom").
Generally less than 15 minutes long, these short films serve as both a lesson in the pathology of the American psyche and a deliciously dark form of entertainment. This is not a retrospective for the irony-impaired.
Over four decades, millions of public school children saw these films, which had the blessings of contemporary social scientists. The movies thrived in the climate of confusion and nervousness in America between World War II and Watergate, when moral codes and social norms were being increasingly challenged and disobeyed. To cope with this tempest, parents and educators embraced the mental hygiene film. Ham-fisted, dogmatic, frequently brutal, these films preached the joys of domesticity and uniformity.
A popular assumption is that mental hygiene films are cinematic junk. But they vary in style and quality, depending on the studio (Coronet and Centron were two) or the director, Sid Davis and Emily Benton Frith among them. Flashes of dramatic technique often pierce the low-budget fog: the film noir of "Right or Wrong?" (1951); the frantic cross-cutting and melodramatic zoom of "Last Date" (1950); the dizzying hand-held camera work in "Narcotics: Pit of Despair" (1967).
Of course, mental hygiene films rarely met traditional standards of film as entertainment or art, nor did they aspire to. Rather, they took their cues from the training and propaganda films of World War II, and thus sought to portray everyday life as realistically -- that is, as mundanely -- as possible. A classroom audience was not supposed to watch a mental hygiene film and be enthralled by its direction, cinematography, acting or editing. The students were supposed to believe that what they saw was real and to adopt the film's point of view.
The creators of these films were, for the most part, anonymous, valued more for their ability to grind out product than for their filmmaking artistry. Crews were spartan, sets were cobbled together, equipment was minimal and actors were often just young people from the neighborhood.
Education theory held that young people were social mimics who would imitate whatever behavior they saw acted out onscreen; hence the protagonists in these films were usually well-mannered, polite -- and one-dimensional.
The approach may have calmed the fears of mid-20th-century educators, but it plays havoc with our notions today of what life was really like in, say, 1952. "Are You Popular?" (1958) and "Friendship Begins at Home" (1949) present a vision of an innocent, idyllic past, but it bears remembering that there would have been no need for mental hygiene films if the young really had behaved so pleasantly. Productions like "Mind Your Manners!" (1953) and "What Makes a Good Party?" (1950) depict life not as it was but as the films' adult creators wanted it to be.
Ultimately, of course, students charted their own courses heedless of the beacons offered by these films. And their disobedience spawned more mental hygiene films, intended to scare the rebellious. These films are the focus of several programs in the Astoria series: "The Dark Side," about the consequences of bad behavior (Jan. 9), "Highway Safety" (Jan. 15), "Drugs" (Jan. 22) and "Troublemakers" (Jan. 23).
The dark themes were the mainstays of independent filmmakers like Sid Davis and Dick Wayman. Mr. Davis, a Hollywood stand-in who yearned to direct, found his niche making films about topics no one else would touch: date rape ("Name Unknown"), substance abuse ("Keep Off the Grass"), childhood death and injury ("Live and Learn").
He prided himself on being able to make a film, from idea to master print, for only $1,000; such low budgets necessitated flat visuals, which Mr. Davis overlaid with often bombastic narration to convey the drama that the images could not. Nevertheless, Mr. Davis's films occasionally display flashes of visual dynamism and artistry not found elsewhere in this genre: a traveling shot of teenagers barreling down a California freeway in "Seduction of the Innocent" (1961) as they pop pills and swill 7Up; a lovingly composed shot of a police investigator, a receding ambulance and an overturned car at the end of "What Made Sammy Speed?" (1957).
There are no concessions to art in the films of Dick Wayman, whose "Wheels of Tragedy" (1963) will be shown on Jan. 15. Wayman, an executive with the accounting firm Ernst & Young, used a portable 16-millimeter movie camera to record the bloody aftermaths of fatal highway accidents, then spliced them together into loosely constructed safety films intended to shock. It was a triumph of "reality" over the carefully made fiction of studio films, an approach that gained favor with educators as the 1960's themselves grew more violent and confrontational.
Thousands of mental hygiene films were produced, yet only a handful survive. Schools showed them over and over until they were worn and shredded.
Prints that escaped destruction were tossed into the trash when they became out of date or when school audiovisual departments shifted to video. When mental hygiene production companies went out of business -- as they all eventually did -- their master prints were thrown away, along with almost all information about the films' creators, casts and costs. Preservationists showed little interest in saving what remained. At least half of all mental hygiene titles have vanished, and many survive today as only a single, battered print.
Mental hygiene films conveyed the opinions of their creators. Some would call this propaganda, others guidance. To Ted Peshak, however, who directed hundreds of these movies for Coronet, "mental hygiene films boiled down to a compromise between real life and life as it ought to be."
Discovering the Teenagers
There had been teenagers before the 1950s. The word "teenage" had first appeared in the popular press in the 1920s, but the idea that there was a time of life between childhood and adulthood that could be isolated, and that had its own peculiar characteristics, belongs largely to the 1950s.
The long-established belief had been that people remained children until they suddenly became adults; this conviction lost its hold partly because of social changes, partly as a result of the flourishing postwar consumer economy.
What has been called the "self-conscious subculture" of the young developed during the 1920s and 1930s as a largely urban white middle-class response to the increasing leisure opportunities afforded by changing social attitudes. After World War II the extra years spent in education both broadened the base of the group and gave it a clearer sense of identity.
At the same time, teenagers in work (many of them working-class) found that increases in spending power and in leisure time enabled them to move to a position where they could both assert their independenee and be courted by leading representatives of entrepreneurial America. Ironically, while teenagers were more open than ever before to market influences, they were frequently hostile to the adult culture of which the market was a part.
The identification of teenage culture with popular music, which was to become so pervasive (and so profitable), was not immediately apparent. Most popular music was still felt to be by adults and for adults. Significant changes occurred in radio and the record industry in the 1940s to make music the principal point of convergence between the young in search of identity and business in search of consumers.
The long-established belief had been that people remained children until they suddenly became adults; this conviction lost its hold partly because of social changes, partly as a result of the flourishing postwar consumer economy.
What has been called the "self-conscious subculture" of the young developed during the 1920s and 1930s as a largely urban white middle-class response to the increasing leisure opportunities afforded by changing social attitudes. After World War II the extra years spent in education both broadened the base of the group and gave it a clearer sense of identity.
At the same time, teenagers in work (many of them working-class) found that increases in spending power and in leisure time enabled them to move to a position where they could both assert their independenee and be courted by leading representatives of entrepreneurial America. Ironically, while teenagers were more open than ever before to market influences, they were frequently hostile to the adult culture of which the market was a part.
The identification of teenage culture with popular music, which was to become so pervasive (and so profitable), was not immediately apparent. Most popular music was still felt to be by adults and for adults. Significant changes occurred in radio and the record industry in the 1940s to make music the principal point of convergence between the young in search of identity and business in search of consumers.
Ten Things You Need To Know About Payola
Ever get the feeling that the same terrible Celine Dion song is on the radio every time you turn it on? It’s not your imagination. The rapid concentration of radio ownership has ushered in a new age of “payola.” Major recording labels now shower radio station owners with money and prizes to plug and play their most bankable stars, securing spins of Dion, Ricky Martin and Ashlee Simpson at the expense of struggling local acts.
There’s a catch: Payola is against the law. The New York Attorney General’s Office, Federal Communications Commission and members of Congress are investigating radio industry corruption. There’s no better time than now for music lovers to protect the radio airwaves from insatiable corporate greed and end payola once and for all.
1. What is radio payola?
For decades, radio payola has been an unpleasant fact of American music. Radio stations hold valuable broadcast licenses and are the main drivers of 75 percent of sales for the record industry. All a record exec has to do is convince popular DJs to put their artists in heavy rotation. Money has long proved the elixir of persuasion. In 1960, disc jockey Alan Freed, was indicted under commercial bribery laws for accepting $2,500 to play certain songs; he claimed the money was a “token of gratitude” that did not affect airplay. But the FCC disagreed, passing regulations that ban payola in broadcasting. The playing of music or other programming in exchange for payments is now against state and federal laws, punishable by as much as $10,000 in fines and a year in prison. To date, no one has served a day in jail on payola charges.
2. Is payola still a problem?
In many ways, it’s much worse. Shadowy independent promoters are hired by the recording industry to launder hundreds of millions in cash and prizes each year, lining the pockets of big radio broadcasters who agree to add label “hits” to playlists nationwide. Last summer, Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting — America’s two largest radio owners, controlling 42 percent of listeners — were implicated with other major radio owners in a multi-million dollar payola scheme. Investigators called this single payola case the “tip of the iceberg.”
3. How does payola work?
Payola involves the flow of money and other perks from music labels to radio stations, and, through resulting record sales, back to the labels themselves. It’s a closed loop that shuns local talent, artistic merit and listener preferences. Once involving envelopes stuffed with cash and, even, drugs, payola in 2005 has taken on new forms, including back stage passes to Michael Jackson concerts, first-class tickets to Miami, Las Vegas hotel rooms and, even, Adidas sneakers. (Use Free Press’ interactive map to find stations near you suspected of accepting payola). By law, radio disc jockeys must fully disclose to their listeners whether airplay of a chosen song was paid for by promoters. They never do.
4. Do big media companies really control airplay?
The 1996 Telecommunications Act eliminated national limits on station ownership. Prior to 1996, no one radio owner held more than 65 stations; now, radio colossus Clear Channel boasts some 1,200 stations. More than 75 percent of radio market share nationwide is controlled by companies owning more than 40 radio stations. In a consolidated radio marketplace, recording labels have fewer palms to grease to get their acts on the air, even if listeners don’t want to hear them.
5. Does radio play really affect sales?
These conglomerates use redundant playlists to air a limited choice of artists, even in the same markets. Commercial airwaves are flooded by only those artists that are acceptable to the corporations that profit from their sales. And more than 80 percent of the $12 billion in annual music sales are controlled by the four largest labels — Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner Music Group. When consolidated radio and recording labels control the music industry, musical diversity suffers.
6. Doesn’t payola help musicians?
On average, performers see only $1 out of the $16 retail price paid by consumers for a CD. The bulk of sales revenue returns to the record labels, and through them to the promoters and big radio. This closed loop feeds the insatiable appetites of greedy recording labels and radio broadcasters. Big label artists see little of these profits. Independent musicians are even worse off. The corporate control of promotion, sales and airplay almost entirely prevents local artists from competing in the mainstream.
7. Aren’t big radio companies and labels just giving listeners what they want?
In a 2002 survey by the Future of Music Coalition, 78 percent of listeners said they want more variety on the air. More than half of survey respondents (51 percent) said that, at most, they only occasionally hear the music they enjoy the most when listening to the radio. Yet the radio behemoths continue to force feed listeners a mind-numbing stew of focus-group tested “urban,” “classic rock” and “easy listening” formats.
8. Don’t stations have a right to play whatever they want — even if it’s bland corporate tunes?
The airwaves belong to the public, not to media companies with the fattest wallets. The vitality of radio is sapped when music is selected based on bribes rather than merit. Big media owe it to the American public � and especially the music lovers and creative artists who are hurt most by payola — to end this deception. Radio stations receive free licenses to broadcast on public airwaves in exchange for an agreement to serve their communities’ best interests. They are supposed to put the public’s needs before their bottom line. Unfortunately, none do.
9. How can payola be stopped?
While anti-payola statutes have been in place for 40 years, recent developments offer the best chance in years to throw the book at payola once and for all.
In July, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer reached a multimillion-dollar payola settlement against Sony BMG. Spitzer’s office is now investigating reported payola deals between other large recording labels (including EMI Group, Vivendi, Warner Music and Universal) and the nation’s biggest radio station chains (including Infinity Broadcasting, Clear Channel Communications, Emmis Communications and Cox Radio).
In August, the FCC launched an investigation into payola allegations involving stations owned by Clear Channel, Infinity and other radio giants. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has called for an overhaul of toothless payola rules.
In November 2005, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) introduced legislation, the “Radio and Concert Disclosure and Competition Act of 2005,” expanding the definition of payola to eliminate the inside dealing and structural abuses in consolidated radio, which have locked local and independent artists off the airwaves for years.
10. How can I make a difference?
The campaign to scrub payola from our airwaves now hinges on the public’s ability to force stronger accountability and enforcement across a radio industry dominated by conglomerates. A coalition of activists, public advocates, independent musicians and recording labels are joining together to protect the public’s airwaves. Concerned Americans can take action in several ways by visiting the Free Press campaign.
There’s a catch: Payola is against the law. The New York Attorney General’s Office, Federal Communications Commission and members of Congress are investigating radio industry corruption. There’s no better time than now for music lovers to protect the radio airwaves from insatiable corporate greed and end payola once and for all.
1. What is radio payola?
For decades, radio payola has been an unpleasant fact of American music. Radio stations hold valuable broadcast licenses and are the main drivers of 75 percent of sales for the record industry. All a record exec has to do is convince popular DJs to put their artists in heavy rotation. Money has long proved the elixir of persuasion. In 1960, disc jockey Alan Freed, was indicted under commercial bribery laws for accepting $2,500 to play certain songs; he claimed the money was a “token of gratitude” that did not affect airplay. But the FCC disagreed, passing regulations that ban payola in broadcasting. The playing of music or other programming in exchange for payments is now against state and federal laws, punishable by as much as $10,000 in fines and a year in prison. To date, no one has served a day in jail on payola charges.
2. Is payola still a problem?
In many ways, it’s much worse. Shadowy independent promoters are hired by the recording industry to launder hundreds of millions in cash and prizes each year, lining the pockets of big radio broadcasters who agree to add label “hits” to playlists nationwide. Last summer, Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting — America’s two largest radio owners, controlling 42 percent of listeners — were implicated with other major radio owners in a multi-million dollar payola scheme. Investigators called this single payola case the “tip of the iceberg.”
3. How does payola work?
Payola involves the flow of money and other perks from music labels to radio stations, and, through resulting record sales, back to the labels themselves. It’s a closed loop that shuns local talent, artistic merit and listener preferences. Once involving envelopes stuffed with cash and, even, drugs, payola in 2005 has taken on new forms, including back stage passes to Michael Jackson concerts, first-class tickets to Miami, Las Vegas hotel rooms and, even, Adidas sneakers. (Use Free Press’ interactive map to find stations near you suspected of accepting payola). By law, radio disc jockeys must fully disclose to their listeners whether airplay of a chosen song was paid for by promoters. They never do.
4. Do big media companies really control airplay?
The 1996 Telecommunications Act eliminated national limits on station ownership. Prior to 1996, no one radio owner held more than 65 stations; now, radio colossus Clear Channel boasts some 1,200 stations. More than 75 percent of radio market share nationwide is controlled by companies owning more than 40 radio stations. In a consolidated radio marketplace, recording labels have fewer palms to grease to get their acts on the air, even if listeners don’t want to hear them.
5. Does radio play really affect sales?
These conglomerates use redundant playlists to air a limited choice of artists, even in the same markets. Commercial airwaves are flooded by only those artists that are acceptable to the corporations that profit from their sales. And more than 80 percent of the $12 billion in annual music sales are controlled by the four largest labels — Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner Music Group. When consolidated radio and recording labels control the music industry, musical diversity suffers.
6. Doesn’t payola help musicians?
On average, performers see only $1 out of the $16 retail price paid by consumers for a CD. The bulk of sales revenue returns to the record labels, and through them to the promoters and big radio. This closed loop feeds the insatiable appetites of greedy recording labels and radio broadcasters. Big label artists see little of these profits. Independent musicians are even worse off. The corporate control of promotion, sales and airplay almost entirely prevents local artists from competing in the mainstream.
7. Aren’t big radio companies and labels just giving listeners what they want?
In a 2002 survey by the Future of Music Coalition, 78 percent of listeners said they want more variety on the air. More than half of survey respondents (51 percent) said that, at most, they only occasionally hear the music they enjoy the most when listening to the radio. Yet the radio behemoths continue to force feed listeners a mind-numbing stew of focus-group tested “urban,” “classic rock” and “easy listening” formats.
8. Don’t stations have a right to play whatever they want — even if it’s bland corporate tunes?
The airwaves belong to the public, not to media companies with the fattest wallets. The vitality of radio is sapped when music is selected based on bribes rather than merit. Big media owe it to the American public � and especially the music lovers and creative artists who are hurt most by payola — to end this deception. Radio stations receive free licenses to broadcast on public airwaves in exchange for an agreement to serve their communities’ best interests. They are supposed to put the public’s needs before their bottom line. Unfortunately, none do.
9. How can payola be stopped?
While anti-payola statutes have been in place for 40 years, recent developments offer the best chance in years to throw the book at payola once and for all.
In July, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer reached a multimillion-dollar payola settlement against Sony BMG. Spitzer’s office is now investigating reported payola deals between other large recording labels (including EMI Group, Vivendi, Warner Music and Universal) and the nation’s biggest radio station chains (including Infinity Broadcasting, Clear Channel Communications, Emmis Communications and Cox Radio).
In August, the FCC launched an investigation into payola allegations involving stations owned by Clear Channel, Infinity and other radio giants. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has called for an overhaul of toothless payola rules.
In November 2005, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) introduced legislation, the “Radio and Concert Disclosure and Competition Act of 2005,” expanding the definition of payola to eliminate the inside dealing and structural abuses in consolidated radio, which have locked local and independent artists off the airwaves for years.
10. How can I make a difference?
The campaign to scrub payola from our airwaves now hinges on the public’s ability to force stronger accountability and enforcement across a radio industry dominated by conglomerates. A coalition of activists, public advocates, independent musicians and recording labels are joining together to protect the public’s airwaves. Concerned Americans can take action in several ways by visiting the Free Press campaign.
Payola
Dear Straight Dope:
Would you please explain what happened during the "payola" radio scam in the 1950s? --Nimah Mazaheri
Guest contributor Robin Cartwright replies:
I knew there was a reason I kept my Introduction to Mass Communication textbook! Prepare for a look at the seamy underbelly of the music industry.
Paying somebody to place a song before the public dates to the early days of the modern popular music industry. At the height of the scandal Billboard magazine claimed that payola in various forms had been common during the big band era of the 1930s and 40s and in the vaudeville business in the 1920s. Be that as it may, payola on the scale that became apparent during the 50s was the product of a unique conjunction of circumstances--the emergence of rock 'n' roll, the introduction of the inexpensive 45 RPM single, radio's shift to Top 40 music once TV commandeered drama, postwar prosperity, and the arrival of teenagers as an economic force. In the 50s, records were taking over from live performance as the principle way to hear--and sell--music. Record industry moguls were well aware that teenagers had cash, loved rock 'n' roll, listened to the radio, and were easily stampeded into buying hit records by popular deejays.
The question was how best to exploit that fickle market. At the time, a major record company might release upwards of a hundred singles a week. Then as now, maybe 10 percent of those would become hits, or at least make a profit for the label. Radio airplay was the easiest way for an artist to get exposure and sell records, but with singles pouring into the stations at such a fast clip, labels needed a way to distinguish their songs from those of their competitors. Since this was before the era of MTV and slick promotions, bribery seemed the way to go. Record labels hired promoters who paid deejays to feature songs by favored artists.
In November 1959, on the heels of the quiz-show scandal, in which it was revealed that the shows were often rigged so that popular contestants would return week after week, Congress announced that it would hold hearings on payola. Fearing the taint of scandal, radio stations across the country held a housecleaning of sorts and fired many disc jockeys. Others quit before the axe could fall.
Before the hearings, deejay Phil Lind of WAIT in Chicago disclosed that he had taken $22,000 to play a record. He got death threats and had to get police protection. Another legendary deejay, Alan Freed, the man who popularized the term rock 'n' roll, saw his career end after he testified at the hearings that he, too, had accepted payola. Artists like Les Paul and Bobby Darin had to defend themselves against charges that they had paid to perform on Freed's popular TV show. Freed was subsequently arrested and pleaded guilty to accepting payments. He was blacklisted from broadcasting and died broke and bitter in 1965. Even Dick Clark was touched as the hearings committee chastised him for his questionable business dealings, although committee chair Oren Harris called him a "fine young man" after his testimony before the committee. Clark had brought a statistician, Bernard Goldstein, who explained that Clark was spinning records because they were popular, not because he stood to gain financially. Just before he testified, however, Clark divested himself of interests in several record companies, and it seems clear his hands weren't entirely clean.
Why did payola become such a big scandal? The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) accused Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), a performers' rights organization, of using payola to ensure airplay for BMI artists. BMI at the time represented most of the black and Southern musicians who were the leading force behind rock n' roll. So one could make the argument that there was some racial animus involved, at least at the outset. An alternative explanation is that the scandal wasn't about race so much as power and money. Some contend that payola helped smaller labels break the majors' stranglehold on the market, and the scandal offered a way to fight back.
Others think rock 'n' roll, which had emerged as a music industry force only a few years previously, was being made a scapegoat. The 1950s were a time of rising concern about juvenile delinquency, and rock 'n' roll was suspected of contributing to it. Partisans of the new music felt the hearings were motivated partly by a desire to blame rock 'n' roll disc jockeys and thus rock 'n' roll itself for what was seen as a moral decline in teenagers. Remember the Parents' Music Resource Center hearings in the 1980s? Same general idea. We don't like how our kids are behaving, so let's blame an outside influence.
Still, there's little question that radio needed to be cleaned up. Disc jockeys took thousands of dollars in payola in exchange for airtime. Airplay decisions were based not on whether a record was any good but on the wad of cash that came with it. Even if you accept the idea that it's OK for radio stations to sell spots on their playlists, keeping the public in the dark about the practice was deceptive.
In 1960, as a result of the congressional hearings, Congress amended the Federal Communications Act, specifically sections 317 and 507, to outlaw under-the-table payments and require broadcasters to disclose if airplay for a song has been purchased. The FCC takes this seriously; in 2000, it fined a Texas radio station $4,000 for accepting money for playing a Bryan Adams song without telling anyone (although you can understand why Bryan Adams's promoters would be driven to payola).
"Pay-for-play," in which airtime is bought but the payments are disclosed, is still around. In January 1998, Flip/Interscope Records paid a Portland, Oregon radio station $5,000 to play one Limp Bizkit song 50 times over a five-week period. The band was able to generate enough interest to play a successful concert there. Other stations showed interest in their music, and Limp Bizkit broke into the music biz in a big way--a great argument for free enterprise if you're a Limp Bizkit fan. However, the argument against pay-for-play, even if the parties are upfront about it, is that it allows big labels to buy their artists' way onto the charts.
Will the practice continue? It's debatable. It's not common now, and with so many radio stations owned by conglomerates, there's less opportunity for the local market dealmaking that was so prevalent in payola's heyday. That's not to say that market manipulation is a thing of the past. Given that most major labels are owned by the same media conglomerates that own radio stations, "synergy"-type relationships are likely to be popular, with (say) Clear Channel-promoted concerts featured on Clear Channel-owned stations. I'm sure that the FCC will have to change the rules as media ownership evolves.
Would you please explain what happened during the "payola" radio scam in the 1950s? --Nimah Mazaheri
Guest contributor Robin Cartwright replies:
I knew there was a reason I kept my Introduction to Mass Communication textbook! Prepare for a look at the seamy underbelly of the music industry.
Paying somebody to place a song before the public dates to the early days of the modern popular music industry. At the height of the scandal Billboard magazine claimed that payola in various forms had been common during the big band era of the 1930s and 40s and in the vaudeville business in the 1920s. Be that as it may, payola on the scale that became apparent during the 50s was the product of a unique conjunction of circumstances--the emergence of rock 'n' roll, the introduction of the inexpensive 45 RPM single, radio's shift to Top 40 music once TV commandeered drama, postwar prosperity, and the arrival of teenagers as an economic force. In the 50s, records were taking over from live performance as the principle way to hear--and sell--music. Record industry moguls were well aware that teenagers had cash, loved rock 'n' roll, listened to the radio, and were easily stampeded into buying hit records by popular deejays.
The question was how best to exploit that fickle market. At the time, a major record company might release upwards of a hundred singles a week. Then as now, maybe 10 percent of those would become hits, or at least make a profit for the label. Radio airplay was the easiest way for an artist to get exposure and sell records, but with singles pouring into the stations at such a fast clip, labels needed a way to distinguish their songs from those of their competitors. Since this was before the era of MTV and slick promotions, bribery seemed the way to go. Record labels hired promoters who paid deejays to feature songs by favored artists.
In November 1959, on the heels of the quiz-show scandal, in which it was revealed that the shows were often rigged so that popular contestants would return week after week, Congress announced that it would hold hearings on payola. Fearing the taint of scandal, radio stations across the country held a housecleaning of sorts and fired many disc jockeys. Others quit before the axe could fall.
Before the hearings, deejay Phil Lind of WAIT in Chicago disclosed that he had taken $22,000 to play a record. He got death threats and had to get police protection. Another legendary deejay, Alan Freed, the man who popularized the term rock 'n' roll, saw his career end after he testified at the hearings that he, too, had accepted payola. Artists like Les Paul and Bobby Darin had to defend themselves against charges that they had paid to perform on Freed's popular TV show. Freed was subsequently arrested and pleaded guilty to accepting payments. He was blacklisted from broadcasting and died broke and bitter in 1965. Even Dick Clark was touched as the hearings committee chastised him for his questionable business dealings, although committee chair Oren Harris called him a "fine young man" after his testimony before the committee. Clark had brought a statistician, Bernard Goldstein, who explained that Clark was spinning records because they were popular, not because he stood to gain financially. Just before he testified, however, Clark divested himself of interests in several record companies, and it seems clear his hands weren't entirely clean.
Why did payola become such a big scandal? The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) accused Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), a performers' rights organization, of using payola to ensure airplay for BMI artists. BMI at the time represented most of the black and Southern musicians who were the leading force behind rock n' roll. So one could make the argument that there was some racial animus involved, at least at the outset. An alternative explanation is that the scandal wasn't about race so much as power and money. Some contend that payola helped smaller labels break the majors' stranglehold on the market, and the scandal offered a way to fight back.
Others think rock 'n' roll, which had emerged as a music industry force only a few years previously, was being made a scapegoat. The 1950s were a time of rising concern about juvenile delinquency, and rock 'n' roll was suspected of contributing to it. Partisans of the new music felt the hearings were motivated partly by a desire to blame rock 'n' roll disc jockeys and thus rock 'n' roll itself for what was seen as a moral decline in teenagers. Remember the Parents' Music Resource Center hearings in the 1980s? Same general idea. We don't like how our kids are behaving, so let's blame an outside influence.
Still, there's little question that radio needed to be cleaned up. Disc jockeys took thousands of dollars in payola in exchange for airtime. Airplay decisions were based not on whether a record was any good but on the wad of cash that came with it. Even if you accept the idea that it's OK for radio stations to sell spots on their playlists, keeping the public in the dark about the practice was deceptive.
In 1960, as a result of the congressional hearings, Congress amended the Federal Communications Act, specifically sections 317 and 507, to outlaw under-the-table payments and require broadcasters to disclose if airplay for a song has been purchased. The FCC takes this seriously; in 2000, it fined a Texas radio station $4,000 for accepting money for playing a Bryan Adams song without telling anyone (although you can understand why Bryan Adams's promoters would be driven to payola).
"Pay-for-play," in which airtime is bought but the payments are disclosed, is still around. In January 1998, Flip/Interscope Records paid a Portland, Oregon radio station $5,000 to play one Limp Bizkit song 50 times over a five-week period. The band was able to generate enough interest to play a successful concert there. Other stations showed interest in their music, and Limp Bizkit broke into the music biz in a big way--a great argument for free enterprise if you're a Limp Bizkit fan. However, the argument against pay-for-play, even if the parties are upfront about it, is that it allows big labels to buy their artists' way onto the charts.
Will the practice continue? It's debatable. It's not common now, and with so many radio stations owned by conglomerates, there's less opportunity for the local market dealmaking that was so prevalent in payola's heyday. That's not to say that market manipulation is a thing of the past. Given that most major labels are owned by the same media conglomerates that own radio stations, "synergy"-type relationships are likely to be popular, with (say) Clear Channel-promoted concerts featured on Clear Channel-owned stations. I'm sure that the FCC will have to change the rules as media ownership evolves.
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