Leave it to me

Hi. My name is Leah Stanley and I am the Variety Editor this semester. I am very excited and hope that I will be able to bring you quality information each week in the Variety section of the paper.

A very special day came along recently that I didn’t get the chance to write about. Jan. 8 – that’s right, it was Elvis Presley’s birthday. The King of Rock and Roll would have been 68 years old this year.

I have been an Elvis fan for as long as I can remember. I couldn’t have been much older than four years old when I heard “Hound Dog” for the very first time. From that point on, I was hooked. There was something in his voice that drew me toward him even at a young age.

Elvis did something for America that no artist had ever done before. He introduced a completely new style. His music was a mixture of a little bit of blues, a little bit of country and the first real rock and roll sound. His style pushed the standards that the nation had become accustomed to in entertainment. Elvis met many skeptics along his path. Some worried that his raw form of rock and roll and his rowdy dances would send a bad message to America’s people. What he really did was wake the nation up.

He introduced people to music that had never had an interest before. He made people dance that had never wanted to. Controversy still surrounds Elvis today. Sure, Elvis had his faults. We all do. He wasn’t the perfect role model by any means. But something has to be said for what he did for pop culture in America. All artists that thrive today owe a great deal to Elvis. He invented a style that is still dominant today.
Elvis was the “ultimate entertainer.” He could capture an audience simply by his appearance with his sparkling outfits and larger than life entourage. But when all the lights went down and all that was left was the music — that is when he truly shined.

Elvis raised a million different emotions with just the sound of his voice. He could evoke excitement with a fast song like “Jail House Rock” and then switch right over to a ballad like “Love Me Tender.” Not many entertainers could mix those different styles and get away with it, but people accepted it when Elvis did it.

The 25th anniversary of Elvis’ death came about this past August. Even 25 years after his untimely death, his fame hasn’t faded at all. In fact, he is more popular today than ever. He continues to break his own records.

Elvis lives today. No, not physically, though some may disagree. But he lives through his music. And I bet if he had been alive to see his 68th birthday party, he would have led the dancing.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 17 2003. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry