Summary
His mere presence on television or in movies could send female fans into hysterics. His mysterious death draws thousands to Graceland each year. His style, his singing, and his swagger were all copied and imitated by other artists in the 1950s and '60s. In many ways, Elvis Presley is a legend. When he died in August of 1977, he was the most successful recording artist in the world, with 63 gold singles, 26 platinum albums, 37 gold albums, and 18 chart-topping hits, in addition to three Grammys. Presley was also immortalized in film, having starred in 33 movies in his career. Born into poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley became the first one in his family to graduate from high school. But his rise to international fame and overwhelming success solidified his place in American music history. Read in Elvis Presley about the small-town boy with big dreams of becoming a star.