Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is a cultural icon,
often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".
Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him
popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and
television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock"
later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had
unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel,
blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been
inducted into four music halls of fame.
In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three
movies—mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live
music in a television special and thereafter performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas.
Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance,
television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling
and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health
problems plagued Presley in later life which, coupled with a punishing
tour schedule and addiction to prescription medication, led to his
premature death at age 42.