of Country, Gospel, and Rhythm & Blues. He lived in the South, where Country music was most prevalent, it was sort of a given for him for him to adopt the country music style. His parents were devout churchgoers, and Elvis frequently attended the all night revivals, where he enjoyed jumping around and singing the gospel. It is also known that Elvis spent quite a bit of time on Memphiss Beale Street, known for its Rhythm & Blues clubs.When Elvis did unoriginal songs that had been sung previously by other artists, he added his own flavor that was made up of his mixed Gospel, Country, and R & B background. His style drew diverse crowds, and songs such as Hound Dog and Dont Be Cruel went to #1 in the Country, R & B and Pop charts. None of this justifies the deification of Elvis.After a brief stint in the US Army, Elvis started concentrating more on movies. He made a wide variety of movies, GI Blues, Blue Hawaii, Viva Las Vegas, and Fun in Acapulco to name a few. Although the movies were basically glorified music videos, as they contained no real plot and a lot of singing, these movies and their songs made millions. I honestly think that if the Elvis myth that is discussed in Griel Marcuss essay, Presliad, had not already been put in place by Elviss fans, the movies would not have grossed half the money, and his career would have taken a turn for the worse. Marcus explains his theory of the Elvis myth in his essay, Performing a kind of enormous victory rather than winning it, Elvis strides the boards with such glamour, such magnetism, that he allows his audience to transcend their desire for his talent. Action is irrelevant when one can simply delight in the presence of a man who has made history, and who has triumphed over it. Elvis could have nose-whistled the Star Spangled Banner, and still made girls faint at his performance. In 1969, he began his Vegas career with the urging of his manager, Colonel Parker. As the years passed and the po...
