1935-1977, rock singer. The most revolutionary figure in the history of pop music, the "king of rock 'n' roll" was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, the only child of poor sharecroppers; the family moved to Memphis in 1948. After graduating from high school, Presley worked as a truck driver.

In 1954 Sam Phillips, president of Sun Records in Memphis, recognized his talent as "a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel." Phillips released Presley's "That's All Right, Mama," an up-tempo blues song sung with an exuberant sense of freedom; it was followed by four other singles. Many critics regard these early records, recorded in 1953-1955, as his best. His country songs, like "Tryin' to Get to You," expressed affection and respect for the traditions of poor white southerners; his blues, like "Good Rockin' Tonight," conveyed rebellion against and defiance of those traditions. This pattern of respect and rebellion gave Presley's early music its remarkable emotional complexity and power.

The years 1956-1959 marked Presley's triumph: "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956) held the number 1 spot on the charts for eight weeks, followed by "Don't Be Cruel," backed by "Hound Dog," number 1 for eleven weeks - a record for the rock era. With these songs Elvis initiated a cultural rebellion of young people against an adult world they saw as conservative and trivial. In his 1956 television appearances Elvis, shaking his hips and swiveling his knees, shattered the world of bland family entertainment with his raw, unruly power. Adults were outraged over the "vulgarity" of "Elvis the Pelvis," and most programs showed him only from the waist up when he was performing. Elvis now exemplified the rock 'n' roll rebel with his potent fusion of white teenage exuberance and the pulsating beat and frank sexuality of black rhythm and blues.

Presley was drafted into the army in 1958. After his release in 1960 he entered a period of steady decline. Although he was more popular than ever, his music lost its rebellious energy; under his domineering manager, Colonel Tom Parker, he adapted to pop formulas. He retreated from rock 'n' roll to make movies - thirty in all. They made a great deal of money, but the stories, the acting, and the sound tracks got steadily worse, trivializing everything he had come to represent. In 1968, however, he made a stunning comeback in a Christmas television special in which he performed live with a small combo, singing with immense passion and intensity, equaling if not surpassing the best of his early work. After that Presley returned to live performances, but his singing again became careless and shallow.

His final years brought revelations of a miserable personal life consumed by drugs. He died of an accidental overdose. With his death came an immense outpouring of grief: Graceland, his Memphis home, became one of the most popular national shrines in the country, attracting far more visitors annually than Mount Vernon. The man who embodied the classic American success story - poor country boy makes good - and fulfilled the American fantasy of freedom had found it hollow.

Peter Guralnik, "Elvis Presley," in Jim Miller, ed., Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll (1980); Greil Marcus, Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music (1990); This Is Elvis, produced by David Wolper, written and directed by Malcolm Leo and Andrew Solt (available on video).