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 have sold throughout
the world. He was a success in many different kinds of music --popular,
country, religious, and rhythm and blues.
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, 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 player. Several months later Mister Phillips
agreed to have the group make a record. It was released 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 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”:
