Elvis Presley: Shaking Up the Turntable Senior Division: Individual Documentary Kayla Beck Elvis: Turning Point In History To this day, the face, the sound, and the moves of Elvis Presley are recognized throughout the world. By himself, he changed Rock and Roll music, American culture, the TV industry and blended the black and white community. From performing his controversial moves, Elvis brought a sense of showmanship and rebelliousness to this new style of music, while at the same time, changing the harmony of the traditional family. Elvis’s popularity coincided with the timing of Televisions in the home, and TV provided the turning point in the careers of many musicians and enhanced their popularity. His style of music helped connect the black and white communities. His songs related to the African American music style, which was a turning point for black artists, making their music more accepted by the industry. Elvis Presley was born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1954 he moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he started his career with Sun Records. He went to Sam Phillip’s music studio, the owner of Sun Records, Phillips told his business partner Marion Kriesler to write him down as a “Good ballad singer. Put him on hold”. Kriesler repeatedly mentioned that they should bring him in again. Kiesler said, “Over and over I remember Sam saying, 'If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.'" While changing the social and moral values of American society, Elvis created this new genre of music now known as Rock and Roll. His style of dancing while singing was simply unheard of, it was dramatically different from the calm tones of popular artists such as Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey. His music and moves spoke to teenagers providing a way for them to let loose and express themselves. Some parents wouldn’t let their children even listen to Elvis because of his “vulgar” moves. Adults thought Elvis to be wild and dangerous and not the type of person parents would want their children to idolize. To many adults, the singer was “the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. ... they did not like him, and condemned him as depraved.” Aside from his overwhelming screaming female fans, Elvis was influential among males as well. Young males began to imitate Elvis by slicking their hair back and growing sideburns. Soon all the teenage boys began to get Presley’s famous ducktail haircut, black slacks, and open­necked shirts. Girls wanted to be with him, and guys wanted to be just like him. The force of his music and image signaled to the mainstream culture it was time for a change. Elvis’s response to the adults criticism appeared in the Parade Newspaper in 1956, “The thing is that I've got an act. I sing — not like Sinatra, not like Crosby but like Elvis Presley. When I start to sing I'm carried away. I spread my feet apart, pick the guitar, and the rhythm carries me from there. I can't help movin' around. It's the way I sing." Throughout his early career, several attempts were made to stop Elvis from dancing, and the TV industry would only shoot him from the waist up while he was performing. In August 1956, a local juvenile court judge threatened to arrest Elvis if he shook his body while performing at Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre. Presley followed the judge’s orders and did not dance on stage, but responded in protest by wiggling his finger instead. Elvis instigated a turning point in Rock ‘n Roll by rebelling against the media and continued with his dance moves in his performances and nothing could stop it. Presley responded to the controversies stating: “Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over.” Times were changing, with the new Rock and Roll sound, moral principles, and changing the introduction of TV, more performances were viewed on live television. This was a huge development because you no longer had to listen to the radio, television enabled you to see a face and sound together, and from this, teenagers were able to see the good looking Elvis Presley. Elvis’s popularity enhanced from his performances on shows such as Ed Sullivan Show. This Variety Show was a turning point in music history for several artists, such as The Beatles, The Jackson 5, The Rolling Stones, The n n, and many more. The Ed Sullivan Show show was one of the highest viewed regularly scheduled television programs of all time. As Presley rose to fame, a cultural shift took place. Historian Marty Jezer wrote that Elvis was the “biggest pop craze since Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra ... Presley brought Rock 'n Roll into the mainstream of popular culture. As Presley set the artistic pace, other artists followed. ... Presley, more than anyone else, gave the young a belief in themselves as a distinct and somehow unified generation—the first in America ever to feel the power of an integrated youth culture." Elvis captivated the youth, but the older population looked down upon him and felt that he was “poisoning the youth.” Gillian Gaar had wrote in her Billboard article, “Certainly anyone interested in popular culture from the mid­‘50s on has been touched by his influence, whether they’re fans of Elvis or not.” Although Elvis had a lot of criticism through media, he ultimately had a positive effect on American society. Through his music, Presley exposed a sheltered white American society to the African American culture. The United States in the 50’s and 60’s was heavily segregated. From the very beginning of his career, Elvis expressed respect for African American performers and their music. Most of his musical influences were black artists. He mainly hired black musicians and singers for his band and songwriters. One of his most popular hit songwriters, Otis blackwell wrote many of presley's well known songs such as Don't be Cruel and all shook up the biggest hit songs in Elvis's career. Of the 10 Blackwell compositions Elvis recorded, half were top 25 hits Some of Presley’s influences included Jake Hess, a Southern gospel singer who influenced his ballad­singing style, black gospel singer: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a key figure who influenced Elvis’s soulful voice, and Jackie Wilson who was known as, “Mr. Excitement” on stage and influenced Presley’s performances and dancing styles on stage. He had a wide range of interest in music, he loved it all: Gospel, Soul, Country, and Blues and had a particular interest in black music. His earliest musical influences came from gospel, in his childhood he grew up going to church and has helped him become very familiar with it. However, with all of these influences, Presley had his own style of music­­rockabilly­­he was original and new, which was why people loved him. Presley stated, “People ask me where I got my singing style. I didn't copy my style from anybody.” Little Richard said of Presley: "He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They previously wouldn’t let black music through, but he opened the door for black music." B.B. King said he began to respect Presley after he did Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup material. After he met him, he thought the singer was really something else and was someone whose music was growing all the time right up to his death. His different styles of singing and dancing changed rock ‘n roll and set the bar for other artists to follow. Since the American youth had never been exposed to African American culture, Elvis’s influence was effective. Now with Elvis on the scene, a turning point American culture began evolving as white audiences began to listen and enjoy African American music. Elvis struck an important blow for racial harmony by making African American music accessible to millions of white teens who wouldn’t have been exposed to it otherwise. With Elvis’s popularity increasing, he began to branch out his career not just performing songs, but he began his dream job of being an actor. In one of his movies, he performed in his music video, Jailhouse Rock, this was the first music video ever made and was one of Presley’s biggest hits. The music video was another turning point for the music industry and has brought rock and some of its energy to a wider, mainstream audience. Jailhouse Rock sparked the idea that it was no longer about selling music , but selling the entertainment value of a song. In 1958, just when Elvis was at his highest and most successful point in his career, Elvis was drafted into the army. Once he left, the music industry claimed that Rock and Roll died. Elvis Presley opened the door for other musicians, therefore causing a major turning point in Rock and Roll history. With his x­rated dance moves he changed the music industry, media, and everyday lifestyle. That simple move of shaking his hips and thrusting his pelvis evoked a new rebellious era for youth and society. Elvis challenged the social and moral values as his music and his provocative dance moves influenced a new generation that was able to have the freedom of expression and assert defiance, a key characteristic of Rock ‘n Roll. His good looks, his charm and appealing voice was perfect for TV, compelling more youth to idolize him and propelled his popularity. Elvis also impacted black artists, and became a turning point for their music, helping white Americans become more accepting and open minded toward black musicians, despite the racial tension of the era. Rolling Stone encyclopedia of Rock and Roll describes Presley as "An American music giant of the 20th century who single­handedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid­1950s”. His recordings, dance moves, attitude and clothing came to be seen as embodiments of rock and roll. He has directly affected performers and pop culture in every decade since, including John Lennon who said, “Before Elvis there was nothing.” Elvis Presley revolutionized the way the world understood and loved music, and will forever be known as a turning point in Rock and Roll music. Primary Works Cited 1950 Family Date, Dinner In a 1950's Home. Dir. Edward Simmel. 1950. Youtube. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8kJzBJrOkU>. This video shows a traditional 1950's family eating dinner, and the proper etiquette of eating dinner. It shows the innocent and very strict lifestyle the 50's had which was a huge contrast to Elvis. It emphasizes how big of a deal Elvis was when he shook his hips, they literally didn't know what to think because in the video, that shows that's all they really knew. You can see why parents thought Presley's dance moves were so "vulgar" back then. Dancing and singing like him was just not acceptable, Elvis completely changed the lifestyle in the 1950's. Blue Hawaii. Dir. Norman Taurog. Prod. Hal Wallis. By Allan Weiss. Screenplay by Hal Kanter. Perf. Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman, Angela Lansbury. Dolby Digital, 1961. DVD. This movie shows Elvis Presley in his stage of his movie career. His dream was to always be an actor. In his entire career, he had featured in 31 films. This movie shows performances of Elvis singing some of his hit songs. This helps show Elvis's further talents in not just the music industry. He could do it all, this had only made his teenager fans in love with him even more. Elvis featuring in movies was a turning point for his career and made him more popular. "Beatlemania & the Ed Sullivan Show­The Beatles in 1964." The Ed Sullivan Show. The Ed Sullivan Show, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.edsullivan.com/beatlemania­and­ed­sullivan>. This website is the main website for the show; The Ed Sullivan Show. The article is about Beatlemania, and other artists that had an impact on the show. At the time, John F. Kennedy had been assassinated and America had lost a lot of happiness in their lives. The rise of bands like the Beatles, and Elvis had brought back happiness and hope for many household families and marked the beginning of a new generation. Their performances on the show were watched by millions of viewers and will never be forgotten on the show. The Beatles, and Elvis Presley's performances will go down as a turning point that affected music history and American history. Carroll, Ann. "Ask Mrs Carroll: Teenage Attitude Towards Elvis Is Matter of Taste." El Paso Herald Post [El Paso, Texas] 10 Oct. 1956: 10. Print. This article is a response to a teenager's letters sent to Ann Carroll, arguing the fact that Elvis Presley is not the idol young teens should look up to. Ann Carroll argues how obsessive teenagers are over him and criticizes him, while the teenager's letter defend him and put Ann Carroll in her place. Elvis Presley­Ready Teddy & Hound Dog Live­Ed Sullivan Show September 9, 1956. Perf. Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley, 1956. Youtube. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEc1zcrN6Dc>. This video contains a live performance of Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show, singing Ready Teddy and Hound Dog. Every single movement he makes, even a little stare makes the ladies scream. Elvis and other artists television performances were turnings point in history and built up their popularity in the music industry, which made them more successful. At the time of this video, Elvis's career was at a high point. Elvis Presley­ Elvis Live in Tupelo 1957. Perf. Elvis Presley. 1957. Youtube. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy5zo2G6Z8I>. This video displays one of Elvis Presley's concerts in Tupelo and shows all of his screaming fans crying of joy from just at the sight of him. It shows you how big of a pop craze he was in the '50s and '60s. His fans were crazy about him. In the performance, he does his dance moves and the girls go wild. The video helps explain how popular he was and how he was a turning point for the 1950's, the world wasn't so innocent once he rose to fame. Even though the parents were against it, there was no stopping his dedicated fans from listening to him. Elvis Presley­Heartbreak Hotel (The Milton Berle Show). Perf. Elvis Presley. Milton Berle Show, April 3, 1956. Youtube. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71fuhzYDeT4>. This live performance displays how performing on TV shows gets you more popularity and how big of a turning point that is for artists career. At the beginning of the video it explains how he has gained tremendous popularity music business in the first few months of his career and how he is America's new singing sensation. He performs Heartbreak Hotel on the show and, of course, has the tune of his fans screaming in the background. Elvis Presley­ Hound Dog Live. Perf. Elvis Presley. Milton Berle Show, June 5th, 1956. Youtube. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=tFtAOltn7iw&NR=1>. This video contains a performance of Elvis on the Milton Berle Show performing Hound Dog in 1956. Elvis shows off his crazy dance moves and stuns his audience. You can hear the girl fans screaming in the background. This video shows how wildly popular he was and how the girls could never get enough of him and his "sketchy" dance moves. You can see in the video that Elvis's dance moves makes his performances, and is the reason why the ladies go crazy all the time, you can tell that they've seen something like they've never seen before. Elvis was definitely separate from all the rest of the musicians during his time. "Elvis & The Beatles On the Ed Sullivan Show." The Ed Sullivan Show. The Ed Sullivan Show, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. <http://www.edsullivan.com/elvis­and­the­beatles­on­the­ed­sullivan­show>. Many of Elvis's performances were on the Ed Sullivan Show which is how he had gained much popularity. This article on the Ed Sullivan Show website explains two of the biggest icons in the music industry performances on the show, and how it was single­handedly the most important television musical performances of all time. The article tells us that because of Presley's performances on the show, he had started the Rock 'n Roll revolution, and the Beatles had helped move it forward. The Ed Sullivan Show provided both careers to launch forward and skyrocketed their popularity. It says in the article that both performances of the Beatles, and Presley were two of the most critical times of Pop culture. Elvis Don't Be Cruel/Love Me Tender­Ed Sullivan Show (September 9, 1956). Perf. Charles Laughton and Elvis Presley. Ed Sullivan Show, 1956. Youtube. Web. 21 Dec. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h­5OAKHb8LU>. This video shows on September 9, 1956 Elvis Presley made his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show performing Don't Be Cruel, and Love Me Tender. Ed Sullivan could not host this show at the time because he was recovering in the hospital from a car accident and Charles Laughton took his place. This video shows how Elvis' TV appearance was a major turning point in not only in history but his career as it helped made him more popular. Elvis Don't Be Cruel­from the Waist up. Perf. Elvis Presley. 1956. Youtube. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLSgqH2BOeg>. This video displays Elvis singing Don't Be Cruel one of his biggest hits with his back up dancers from the waist up. Back in the 1950s were dancing like Elvis Presley was far fetched explains why the video is only from his waist and up. The reason why many parents didn't approve of their child watching or let alone listening to Elvis was because of his wild hip movements. When Elvis first became popular in 1956 his dancing was not acceptable until he became a bigger deal. Jailhouse Rock. Dir. Richard Thorpe. Prod. Pandro S. Berman. Screenplay by Guy Trosper. By Nedrick Young. Perf. Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Micky Shaughnessy. Avon Productions, 1957. DVD. This film movie is among the first of many successful movies Elvis Presley is in. It was a turning point for Elvis's career because it was the start of his movie career that made Elvis so popular. It also contained his music video, Jailhouse Rock, which was the first music video ever made. This took a turning point in history where now everyone makes music videos to promote their songs. This help shows the impact this movie had on his fans and himself. Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley. Perf. Elvis Presley. 1957. Youtube. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbre48NgBOg>. This Jailhouse Rock music video was the first music video ever made, and it was featured in Elvis's motion picture Jailhouse Rock. It was also a number one single for Elvis Presley. It was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock 'n Roll. It influenced many other music videos and songs that were made after. This single helped shape the rest of Elvis Presley's career. Millett, Ruth. "Presley Fad: Declaration of Teenage­Independence." Lima News [Lima, Ohio] 14 Oct. 1956, 2­A sec.: n. pag. Print. This Elvis Presley article expresses teenager's thoughts on their Elvis Presley idol. It says that since he became famous more teenagers decided to rebel against their parents and defended the King of Rock and Roll, even though their parents thought Elvis was too controversial and his music is a waste of time. It also states that it's the younger teenage girls who buy more of his albums than any other age group. College girls will buy his records but they won't worship or swoon when they hear his name. Shearer, Lloyd. "Elvis Presley." Parade Newspaper [Cedar Rapids, Iowa] 30 Sept. 1956, Midwest ed.: 8­13. Print. This article mainly focuses on how he has grown in his career in the last year and how he got started with Sam Phillips and how he sprouted after his first record. It also focuses of parent's opinion on how dangerous of a person and singer Elvis is because of his clear grasp on teenage girls and his sketchy hip movements. Parents say he is, "unspeakably vulgar" and yet is the "hottest" act in show business according to Ed Sullivan. In the article Presley responds back to the hatred comments from parents. "The thing is that I've got an act. I sing — not like Sinatra, not like Crosby but like Elvis Presley. When I start to sing I'm carried away. I spread my feet apart, pick the guitar, and the rhythm carries me from there. I can't help moving' around. It's the way I sing." He goes onto defend himself saying that he is a good kid, the only thing they don't like is his moves which, as he puts it, is apart of him and he refuses to stop.