Elvis Presley No other artist could have had a greater impact on popular culture in the 1950s than Elvis Presley. Elvis' childhood was much less glamorous than his adult life, he and his parents lived in poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis' early life and the situations surrounding his upbringing had a major influence on his musical style. Elvis' unique singing, dancing and personality has had an impact on pop culture and is evident in areas such as sexuality, music, fashion and anti-authority attitudes. There have been many imitators of Elvis Presley's life and influence, but no one else can match the impact he had on popular culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Elvis undoubtedly grew up in harsh conditions and lived a controversial lifestyle, all of which had an impact on his musical style. Elvis and his mother and father lived in poverty and moved around when he was a child, but eventually settled in Tupelo, Mississippi. Because they could not afford to live in white neighborhoods, they lived in what was considered a respectable black neighborhood in Tupelo. Once Elvis' family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was a teenager, he was often found in the black area of ​​the city, especially on Beale Street (historyofrock.com). The African-American culture surrounding Elvis definitely had an impact on his music as he was nicknamed "the white man with the Negro vibe" (Campbell). The Presley family remained involved in the First Assembly of God Church and Elvis was involved in the church choir during his childhood. As a teenager in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis and his friends would often sneak out of the church service and head to the colorful church, "basking in the exotic atmosphere, the music was out of this world" (Guralnick). As a child, Elvis went to South Spring Street where he listened to WELO artists. Elvis had the chance to play the only two songs he knew at the time on the radio, accompanied by Mississippi Slim on guitar. Elvis was inspired by Slim's guitar playing and sought guitar lessons from him and asked him to teach him new songs (Guralnick, 21). Inspired by the gospel singing of the church and the country music heard on the Grand Ole Opry radio station, Elvis' passion for music continued to grow. Elvis certainly didn't create rock and roll, but in a time when it wasn't very popular he is best known for giving rock and roll a commercial presence. His contribution to the history of rock was his new look, attitude and sound, he gave rock its most memorable visible image. Elvis' sound caught the interest of country-western radio, although some stations wouldn't play his music because it sounded too black. However, within a year he reached No. 1 nationwide on country-western radio with "Mystery Train," which transformed Junior Parker's rhythm and blues song into rockabilly. Elvis' version of this #1 hit 1 was brighter and more upbeat than the original rhythm and blues version which was Elvis' (Campbell) standard rockabilly. Elvis brought a country flavor to rock and roll. Although Elvis had a notable impact on popular culture, his musical contributions were not as significant. He brought a new vocal sound to popular music and represented the musical direction, but after Elvis rock followed a different path (Campbell). America was not a musical export country, but Elvis remained everyyear the favorite in England until the arrival of the Beatles. Elvis' musical prominence ended after three years in 1958, when he was drafted into the Army. When asked about his service, Elvis told a reporter "he was happy to serve, he would just go wherever he was called" (Guralnick, 380). Once he returned home, Elvis remained the King of Rock 'n' Roll, but he never regained the brilliance he had before he left. Elvis's influence spanned decades and lasted generations; his scope of influence went beyond other musicians but extended to society as a whole. Elvis quickly became a household name to both those who idolized him and those who despised him, despite criticism that Elvis refused to change. Unlike many white pop singers of the time, Elvis was unashamed during his performances and had fun on stage, he was "a remarkably liberating presence for a new generation of pop stars" (Campbell). Elvis starred in four films before his enlistment in the army and each of them showcased his dancing ability, while the other actors and dancers looked choreographed. Elvis seemed to be having more fun. His free and spontaneous attitude was the opposite of that of other pop artists of the time who preferred to simply stand in front of the microphone and sing. Elvis influenced aspects of society such as music, fashion, sexuality and an anti-authority attitude. Elvis was able to break down musical and racial barriers through his fusion of musical and racial genres. Through his musical combinations he introduced black music to whites and white music to blacks. Without Elvis' mixing and blending of music and cultures, society might have taken a very different course. His fashion sense was the cause of much controversy in an era when racism was rampant. Elvis' rebellious attitude appealed to many teenagers, projecting a tough teenage outfit, greasy pompadour, energetic singing style and stage manners. He performed in clothing worn predominantly by African Americans, but his fashion sense was copied by many; her pompadour hairstyle was also copied by many young people of the time. Elvis' pelvis caused a national uproar, his moves were so scandalous that shows were only filmed from his waist up. Although many parents despised this practice, young people copied his moves. Elvis's overt sexuality sowed the seeds for the "free love" attitude of the 1960s. Due to the controversy surrounding Elvis Presley, many parents did not want their kids to listen to or watch Elvis for fear that their children would copy his undesirable actions. This, however, had the opposite effect, teenagers flocked to his performances, thus increasing his popularity even more. This anti-authority attitude became an important part of rock 'n' roll, from punk rock to rockabilly to heavy metal. (Black)Elvis' upbringing was anything but ordinary. He was born to Gladys and Vernon Presley as a twin, but his brother was stillborn. Growing up as an only child, Elvis' love and devotion to his parents was deep, and he did everything he could to provide for them as he became famous. Before fame he took a job in hopes of just providing for his family (Guralnick). Elvis knew what it meant to live in poverty, his father was not known for having much ambition and went from job to job barely surviving. The family left Tupelo for Memphis in hopes that things would be better, they were completely poor and disadvantaged in Mississippi and wanted to find a place where they could be happy and worry less about their finances. Elvis.