Elvis: A Cultural Revolution

Elvis Presley needs no introduction. He is an artist who unlike most others is universally known simply by his first name, giving him a unique place among history's great artistic figures. This book shows just how colossus and seismic a figure he was and continues to be, not only in youth culture but in world culture. A point that is all too often overlooked in the endless volumes of books, essays and articles that have been written about this truly individual and outstanding performer. A performer who led the music world into his own unique orbit and in so doing changed it utterly and completely. This book concentrates on his stunning rise to fame and his revolutionary importance to music and culture from the first time he went into Sam Philip's 'Sun Studios' on Saturday July 18 1953 to his final appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' on Sunday January 6 1957. By setting him within the context of the period with its many political nuances both in the USA and Britain as well as the decades musical scope. The reader will come to fully understand and appreciate just how a young man from America's deep south broke through all the restrained social norms of the time to set in motion a youth culture and musical movement that would utterly change the world. Elvis was much more than an entertainer as he modestly called himself. He made music that crossed the racial divide in pre-civil rights America; effectively changing not only how performers-performed but how audiences listened. Nate Chevreuil is a published author, freelance writer and regular blogger who has contributed articles and essays on music and film.