Elvis Presley Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
On September 9, 1956, Elvis Presley made a significant appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which garnered an estimated 60 million viewers, marking a pivotal moment in the acceptance of rock and roll music. Known as the King of Rock and Roll, Presley, born in East Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1935, began his music career with a unique blend of country and rhythm and blues influenced by African American musical traditions. His performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was notable for its large audience and cultural impact, was met with both enthusiasm and criticism, particularly for his suggestive dance style and the racial implications of his music.
Ed Sullivan, despite his initial reluctance to feature rock and roll artists, recognized the importance of appealing to the younger demographic and eventually booked Presley for three performances. This exposure significantly boosted Presley’s career and helped rock and roll music gain mainstream popularity in America, paving the way for future artists, including African American musicians like Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The event also played a critical role in the evolution of popular music, influencing future acts such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who began their careers by covering Elvis's songs. Overall, Elvis's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show is remembered as a landmark event that transformed the music landscape and influenced cultural perceptions of rock and roll.
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Elvis Presley Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Elvis Presley Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
On September 9, 1956, before an estimated television audience of 60 million people, Elvis Aaron Presley performed on the popular television program The Ed Sullivan Show. Although it was controversial at the time, Presley's appearance has come to be regarded as a landmark event both in his personal career and in the growing acceptance of rock and roll as a legitimate form of music.
Presley, later known as the King of Rock and Roll, or often simply as The King, was born on January 8, 1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi. The Presley family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948. After graduating from high school in 1953, Elvis became a truck driver, but that career was short-lived, for in June of that year, he was “discovered” when he went to the local Sun Studios to make a private recording of “My Happiness” for his mother. Sun Records president Sam Phillips was impressed by Elvis's style, despite the boy's use of African American rhythms in his music, which was controversial at the time. In 1954 “Blue Moon of Kentucky” was released and became Elvis's first big hit.
After touring the American South and releasing more country and western songs, Elvis left Sun Records and signed with “Colonel” Tom Parker, who became his personal manager. Several hits ensued, and in 1956 Elvis released a two-sided single, “Don't Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog,” which topped the rock, rhythm and blues, and country lists. The single earned him an appearance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show, which caused a huge sensation throughout the country.
The Ed Sullivan Show, the longest running variety series in TV history (1948–71), was originally titled The Talk of the Town. Its name was changed in 1955, reflecting the control that the show's host, Ed Sullivan, exerted over the program's content and structure. Sullivan had vowed, for instance, never to have Elvis on his show, displaying a bias against rock and roll music that was common among members of the older generation at the time. Nevertheless, Sullivan had a keen sense of popular trends and saw the importance of booking acts which appealed to teenage sensibilities, so he eventually signed Elvis to three appearances. The first show was taped in Los Angeles, where Elvis was filming his first movie, Love Me Tender. He was introduced by the actor Charles Laughton, substituting for an ailing Sullivan. After Laughton's introduction, Elvis replied, “This is probably the greatest honor that I've ever had in my life.” The show drew the largest TV audience up to that time, with about 82.6 percent of all viewers watching.
Elvis's performance prompted a moderate backlash from viewers who thought the manner in which he swung his hips while singing was too suggestive. Another issue was the African American influence in Elvis's music, and “Elvis the Pelvis” seemed a little too close, for 1950s television, to the unwritten divide between blacks and whites.
Nevertheless, the exposure Elvis received on The Ed Sullivan Show gave an enormous boost not only to his career but also to rock and roll music in general. With Elvis's success, rock and roll entered the mainstream of popular culture, as did the music of African Americans such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Chubby Checker. In England the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, still searching for their own unique sounds, began their careers by covering songs by Elvis and African American rhythm and blues artists whose race kept their music off radio stations geared toward white audiences. By the 1960s these English groups were able to break into American markets, beginning the “British invasion” and, along with Elvis, changing popular music forever.