Period Five
(Grammar)
Step 1 Warming-up
First show a episode by Elvis Presley and let the Students guess who sang the song.
T: Who is the man?
S: (Ss probably answer) Elvis Presley.
Then ask the Ss to report some information about Elvis Presley.
Detailed information about Elvis Presley:
Elvis Presley is the undisputed King of Rock and Roll. He rose from humble circumstances to launch the rock and roll revolution with his commanding voice and charismatic stage presence. In the words of the historical marker that stands outside the house where he was born: "Presleys career as a singer and entertainer redefined popular music."
Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935, and grew up surrounded by gospel music of the Pentecostal church. In 1948 the family moved to Memphis, where he was exposed to blues and jazz on Beale Street. After graduating from high school in 1953, an 18-year-old Presley visited the Memphis Recording Service - also the home of Sun Records - to record his voice. Owner/producer Sam Phillips was struck by the plaintive emotion in Presleys vocals and subsequently teamed him with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. In July 1954 the trio worked up "Thats All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" - blues and country songs, respectively - in a crackling, uptempo style that stands as the blueprint for rock and roll.
After five groundbreaking singles, Presleys contract was sold to RCA Records and his career quickly took off. "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" - his last single for Sun and first for RCA - went to #1 on the country charts. "Heartbreak Hotel," a haunting ballad, became his first across-the-board hit, holding down the top spot for eight weeks. Presleys hip-shaking performances on a series of TV variety shows, including Ed Sullivans, generated hysteria and controversy. From blistering rockers to aching balladry, Presley captivated and liberated the teenage audience. His historic string of hits in 1956 and ?7 included "Dont Be Cruel," "Hound Dog," "Love Me Tender," "All Shook Up" and "Jailhouse Rock."
Presleys career momentum was interrupted by a two-year Army stint in Germany, where he met his future wife, Priscilla. For much of the Sixties, he occupied himself with movie-making and soundtrack-recording. His albums of sacred songs, such as How Great Thou Art, stand out from this otherwise fallow period. Presleys standing as a rock and roller was rekindled with an electrifying TV special, simply titled Elvis and broadcast on December 3, 1968. He followed this mid-career renaissance with some of the most mature and satisfying work of his career. Recording in Memphis, he cut such classic tracks as "In the Ghetto, "Suspicious Minds" and "Kentucky Rain" with the soulful, down-home musicians at American Studio.
If the Fifties were devoted to rock and roll and the Sixties to movies, the Seventies represent the performing chapter in Presleys career. He toured constantly, performing to capacity crowds around the country until his death. Presley died of a heart attack at Graceland, his Memphis mansion, on August 16, 1977. He was 42 years old. How big was Elvis?
Statistically, he holds records for the most Top Forty hits (107), the most Top Ten hits (38), the most consecutive #1 hits (10) and the most weeks at #1 (80). As far as his stature as a cultural icon, which continues to grow even in death, writer Lester Bangs said it best: "I can guarantee you one thing - we will never again agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis."
Inductee timeline
January 8, 1935
Elvis Aron Presley is born to Gladys and Vernon Presley in a two-room cabin on North Saltillo Road in East Tupelo, Mississippi.
SUMMER 1953
Elvis Presley stops at Memphis Recording Service to record two songs, "My Happiness" and "Thats When Your Heartaches Begin," as a birthday present for his mother. Phillips notes that Presley has a good feel for ballads and should be invited back.
July 18, 1953
Elvis Presley, then earning his keep as a truck driver, drops by the Memphis Recording Service, home of Sun Records. He privately records two songs ("My Happiness"/"Thats When Your Heartaches Begin") for the sum of $4, leaving with a ten-inch acetate. Office manager Marion Keisker jots a note for owner Sam Phillips: "Good ballad singer."
January 4, 1954
A young Elvis Presley visits the Memphis Recording Service to record "Casual Love Affair" and "Ill Never Stand in Your Way" and meets Sun Records owner Sam Phillips.
June 27, 1954
After several fruitless recording sessions, Sam Phillips pairs Elvis Presley with guitarist Scotty Moore and bass player Bill Black. He hopes the singer might find his voice by rehearsing with other musicians cut from the same country, pop, gospel and R&B cloth.
July 5, 1954
Rock and roll history is made when Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black spontaneously perform bluesman Arthur "Big Boy" Cruddups "Thats All Right" in romping, uptempo style. The next day, bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroes "Blue Moon of Kentucky" is given a similarly playful treatment. On July 19th, the two songs are released as Elvis Presleys first single, which bears the legend "Sun 209."
July 19, 1954
Sun releases "Thats All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Elvis Presley, backed by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
July 20, 1954
Elvis Presley makes his first public appearance, performing on a flatbed truck in Memphis. This inaugurates a period of wildly performed and riotously received concerts that will be interrupted only by Presleys induction into the U.S. Army.
August 15, 1955
Elvis Presley signs a management contract with "Colonel" Tom Parker, whose other clients included country-music stars Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow. The relationship with Parker will continue till Presleys death.
November 1, 1955
Despite Presleys growing popularity, his five Sun singles fail to make a dent on the national charts. Phillips sells his contract to RCA Records for $35,000.
November 20, 1955
Elvis Presleys contract with Sun Records, including all previously released and recorded material, is sold to the New York-based RCA label for $35,000.
January 27, 1956
Elvis Presleys debut single for RCA, "Heartbreak Hotel," is released
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