Elvis Presley


  • From Memphis to Mainstream: The Day Elvis Signed With RCA Records

    November 21, 1955, wasnโ€™t just another Monday. For Elvis Presley, it was the day a $35,000 contract (equivalent to $400,000 in 2024) pulled him out of a regional spotlight and thrust him onto the global stage. RCA Records, sensing that the young singer from Tupelo, Mississippi, was more than just a passing trend, purchased his…

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  • Elvis Presley’s First Public Performance: The Day Tupelo Got a Glimpse of Greatness

    On October 3, 1945, a small, shy 10-year-old boy took the stage at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo, Mississippi, to perform in a youth talent competition. His name? Elvis Presley. That day, although no one in the audience could have imagined it, they were witnessing the humble beginnings of the future King…

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  • Elvis Presley’s First Ed Sullivan Show: The Night TV Captivated the Nation

    Elvis Presleyโ€™s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, was more than just a televised performance; it was a landmark cultural event that reshaped the entertainment industry and solidified Presley as a global icon. This moment was crucial not only for Elvisโ€™s career but also for the trajectory of American pop…

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  • When The Beatles Met Their Idol Elvis Presley

    In the summer of 1965, the planets aligned in the cosmos of rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll. The Beatles, who had taken America by storm with their mop-topped mania, were about to meet Elvis Presley, the undisputed King of Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll. It wasnโ€™t just a meeting; it was a seismic event, a cultural clash, and a…

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  • The King at the Garden: Elvis Presley’s 1972 Triumph

    June 10, 1972, was no ordinary day at Madison Square Garden. The hallowed halls, famous for hosting legendary sports battles and unforgettable music performances, were about to witness another momentous event. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll, was back in New York City for the first time since the โ€™50s. This wasnโ€™t just…

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  • Hound Dog and the Hip Thrust Heard ‘Round the World: Elvis’s Iconic 1956 Performance

    On June 5, 1956, Elvis Presley stepped onto the stage of The Milton Berle Show, ready to perform his latest single, โ€œHound Dog.โ€ Little did anyone know, this performance would become one of the most talked-about moments in television history and a defining point in the evolution of rock and roll. Presley, already a rising…

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  • Why 2024’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees Disappoint

    “There has to be a party. Which is why there have to be as many inductees crammed in as groupies at a Mรถtley Crรผe orgy.”

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  • A Deeper Look Into a Modern Classic: The Dayton Wright Hommage

    From the PMA vault, this article was initially published in August 2022 and is worth revisiting. One of my favourite and most memorable listening experiences this year was of the state-of-the-art Dayton Wright Hommage (French for Homage) loudspeaker, a cutting-edge re-imagining and redesign of the Dayton Wright XG-10 of yore. The Hommage uses nine XG-10…

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  • Elvis at Sea: The Day the King Rocked the USS Hancock

    On the third day of April in 1956, a spectacle unfolded that was nothing short of a cultural earthquake, with Elvis Presley at its epicenter. This wasnโ€™t your garden-variety television appearance; it was an event that would ricochet through the annals of music and television history, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of American…

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  • Icons at Twilight: The Sinatra Soirรฉe

    In the neon-lit heart of Las Vegas, where the desert meets decadence and the nights are longer than the odds, a photograph was snapped in 1969 that would freeze time in a frame, capturing a confluence of kings, a chairman, and a hoofer. This wasnโ€™t just any night; this was the opening night shindig for…

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  • The Night Bo Diddley Broke the Mold on National TV

    On the evening of November 20, 1955, the usual calm of Sunday night television was shattered by the electrifying strum of a square guitar. Bo Diddley stepped onto the stage of โ€œThe Ed Sullivan Show,โ€ not just to perform but to ignite a cultural revolution. Scheduled to play Tennessee Ernie Fordโ€™s โ€œSixteen Tons,โ€ Diddley instead…

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  • Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Rock’s Overlooked Matriarch

    Beginnings in the Delta Cotton Plant, Arkansas, 1915: Nestled amidst a sea of cotton fields, this town, where the Mississippi Delta begins its stretch, bore witness to the birth of Rosetta Nubin. It wasnโ€™t just any place; the Delta was the cradle of American music, a melting pot of African rhythms, field hollers, and church…

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  • The King’s Homecoming in Tupelo

    In the sultry heat of a Southern afternoon, amidst the intoxicating scents of cotton candy and the rural festivities of the Mississippi-Alabama Fair & Dairy Show, a rebellious rhythm began to play. It marked the homecoming of Tupeloโ€™s most illustrious son, the King of Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll, Elvis Presley. The year was 1956, a transformative…

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  • Elvis Presley’s 1954 Opry Debut: A Pivotal Moment in Rock ‘n’ Roll History

    Elvis Presleyโ€™s 1954 Opry Debut remains an iconic moment in music history. While today we easily associate Elvis with his swiveling hips and captivating dulcet tones, the music world of 1954 did not immediately recognize the impending legend from Tupelo, Mississippi. Yet, on October 2nd of that year, he stepped onto the revered Grand Ole…

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  • Sammy Davis Jr. at Elvis’ Stage Comeback

    In the kaleidoscopic universe of Las Vegas, where neon lights pierce the desert night and every high note echoes the clink of a jackpot, legends Sammy Davis Jr. and Elvis Presley found a friendship as enduring as their tunes. It all came into focus on July 31, 1969โ€”Elvisโ€™s comeback night at the International Hotel. There,…

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