A01=Susan M. Doll
American popular culture
American Trilogy
Author_Susan M. Doll
blue
career
Category=AVLP
Category=DNBF
Category=JBCC
Comeback Special
Country Music
Country Western Music
cultural identity
ELVIS PRESLEY
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_music
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Film Vehicles
Heartbreak Hotel
Hillbilly Cat
Hound Dog
image
Jailhouse Rock
King Creole
Las Vegas
media representation
Memphis Recording Service
music
musicology
notorious
Notorious Rock
performance studies
Performing Style
presley
Presley's Career
Presley's Death
Presley's Films
Presley's Image
Presley's Life
Presley's Music
presleys
Presley’s Career
Presley’s Death
Presley’s Films
Presley’s Image
Presley’s Life
Presley’s Music
Rebel Type
rock
Southern heritage influence on musicians
star
Star Image
suede
twentieth century music
West Germany
Young Man
Product details
- ISBN 9780815331643
- Weight: 476g
- Dimensions: 138 x 216mm
- Publication Date: 01 Dec 1998
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Inc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Although the importance of Elvis Presley's Southern heritage has long been recognized, few have considered the complex connection between the performer's career and his Southern roots. This study investigates how that identity affected each stage of Presley's career. Elvis Presley's career can be divided into three phases, each of which is signified by a specific image. Each image is coded by a certain style of music, mode of dress, and arena of performance. The evolution from one career phase to another was instigated by a specific event and represented a deliberate calculation on the part of Presley's manager to attract a wider audience. The first stage spans the years 1956 through 1958, after the singer was introduced to a national audience and before he was drafted into the army. His image as a notorious rock 'n' roller created a national controversy and was spurred by negative depictions of Presley in the media-many attributing his controversial performing style and appearance to his Southern background. His music was a fusion of rhythm and blues and country-western; or, two types of music indigenous to the South and foreign to the mainstream entertainment industry based in New York City. The second phase of Elvis' career included his stint as a movie star, in which most aspects of his Southern identity were extracted from his leading man image to enhance his appeal to the mainstream. And, finally, the last stage of his career focused on his image as a Las Vegas performer. Despite the gaudy costumes, Elvis reconnected to his identity as a Southerner in the 1970s by returning to country music and songwriters as a source of inspiration.
