名人轶事:Elvis Presley

By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: March 13, 2005

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ANNCR:

Welcome to PEOPLE IN AMERICA, a program in VOA Special English. Today Rich

Kleinfeldt and Steve Ember tell about one of America’s most popular singers,

Elvis Presley.

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VOICE ONE:

That song, “Hound Dog,” was one of Elvis Presley’s most popular records.

It sold five-million copies in Nineteen-Fifty-Six. Music industry experts say

more than one-thousand-million of Elvis’s recordings 2 have sold throughout

the world. He was a success in many different kinds of music --popular,

country, religious, and rhythm 3 and blues 4.

Elvis Presley won many awards from nations all over the world, yet he did not

record in any language other than English. He never performed outside the

United States, except for three shows in Canada. Yet, his recordings and

films have been, and are still, enjoyed by people all over the world.

VOICE TWO:

Elvis Aaron Presley was born in the southern town of Tupelo, Mississippi on

January eighth, Nineteen-Thirty-Five. His family was extremely poor. During

his childhood, he sang in church with his parents. He also listened to music

that influenced his later singing, including country, rhythm and blues, and

religious music. Elvis and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was

thirteen.

After high school, he had several jobs, including driving a truck. In

Nineteen-Fifty-Three, he made his first recording 1, of this song, “My

Happiness”:

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VOICE ONE:

Elvis Presley recorded the song at the Memphis Recording Service. The story

is that he paid four dollars to make a recording for his mother. A woman who

worked at the public recording studio had another job with a local

independent record company called Sun Records. She made a second recording of

Elvis’s songs because she thought the owner of Sun Records should hear him

sing.

VOICE TWO:
The owner of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, had been looking for a white

performer who could sing black rhythm and blues. He suggested Elvis work with

a guitar player and a bass 5 player. Several months later Mister 6 Phillips

agreed to have the group make a record. It was released 7 on July nineteenth,

Nineteen-Fifty-Four. One of the songs was “That’s All Right”:
(MUSIC)

The record sold well in Memphis, and was a played a lot on local radio

stations. To let others hear Elvis, Sam Phillips organized a series of

performances at country fairs in the area. One of the people who heard Elvis

perform at these shows was Colonel 8 Tom Parker. Elvis signed an agreement that

Colonel Parker would organize his appearances.

One of Elvis’ first new recordings became a huge hit, and led to his many

appearances on television. It was “Heartbreak Hotel”: