“Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can’t help but move to it. That’s what happens to me. I can’t help it.”
-Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was known to many as “the King of Rock and Roll,” and for good reason. He wooed a whole generation of Baby Boomers by blending the sound of African-American blues, Christian gospel, and a classic country sound into one seamless voice with a face that appealed to the masses.
You might ask why the King of Rock and Roll is on a blog about dance. Elvis was one of the most passionate dancers the world has been gifted with. He often went on-stage without any choreography. He simply danced. His raw talent was impressive to say the least. His free and passionate dance style became easily recognizable across the nation. His gyrating hips were completely unprecedented, yet that only drew fans in. The slightly taboo nature of his dancing kept people around the world coming back for more.
Many, however, disapproved of this newfound liberation. It was often described as animalistic and vulgar. The raw sexuality was too much for the older generations. PBS reported that many shows refused to have him on for fear of bad ratings and upsetting producers, regardless of his wild popularity across the nation (he did hold the record for most albums sold worldwide for thirty years after his death, after all). CBS once had him on for three appearances with Ed Sullivan, one of television’s most popular personalities at the time, who once declared he would never hire Presley after a performance on The Milton Berle Show in which Elvis’s hips were gyrating as much as usual. His first two appearances on CBS were unfiltered; after some pressure, however, the third appearance was shot only from the waist up. Steve Allen of The Tonight Show, another popular television personality, rejected multiple requests from NBC to cancel Elvis’s already booked appearance. Allen’s solution? He had Elvis sing his famous “Hound Dog”…to a basset hound.
(See the video here: https://youtu.be/-phwGzFLdGM)
Elvis did much for the world of rock and roll. He brought three different sounds together–the blues, gospel, and country–in a united front to sweep the nation. He not only did much for the music world, however; he also changed the world of dance. His provocative hip-gyrating thrust sexuality, something that is now central to current dancing trends, into the center of the dance world. Although his life ended in an unfortunate downward spiral, his effects on on our current culture can still be seen today. Anyone who has been to Las Vegas can verify that Vegas is home to dozens of Elvis impersonators. Heck, you can get married BY the King himself–well, an impersonator, but you get the point–in Vegas (see here, here, and here for more information).
Long story short, Elvis is well-loved by many. He changed the face of dance by being openly sexual during performances. May he never be forgotten. Long live the King.
PBS source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/music/elvis.html
US Embassy source: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2006/07/20060710113924aawajuk4.964846e-02.html#axzz4WwGCw97T