Elvis Presley is an American singer and actor who, in the second half of the last century, became extremely popular all over the world. In terms of the number of released records and discs, Presley is second only to the Beatles who followed him. At different stages of his career, Elvis had different nicknames, until one very short one remained - "king".
Elvis Aron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo in the southern United States to a rather poor family. From the age of 13, he lived in Memphis, a city with a large black diaspora. It was there that the foundations of the future style of his music were laid, which took something from the blues and R'n'B, something from country, something from boogie-woogie … When at school breaks he played things from these not very fashionable among the youth of the currents, he was called trashi kid (cheesy child) with country songs. This, perhaps, can be considered the first nickname of the future idol of the nation. After school, Elvis found a job as a truck driver, and a little later, thanks to a coincidence, Presley and several young musicians who got together for the first time created the hit of the season. They sang a country-style arrangement of the blues song That’s All Right, and the owner of a small recording studio forced them to record it on an 8-dollar record. The recording sold 20,000 copies and began to sound constantly on the local radio. After that, the group The Blue Moon Boys was created, and its front-man Elvis Presley soon received a new nickname - The Hillbilly Cat, which corresponded to the style direction of the music performed. In addition, the press called him The King of Western Bop and The Memphis Flash. Even later, when the singer's fame reached its climax, there was no longer a need for nicknames - if “Elvis” was said on television, in the press or among fans, it became clear to everyone who was talking about. In 1958, Presley was drafted into the army - despite public protests from numerous fans, he was sent to serve in Europe. And after him a considerable delegation of fans and his friends from Memphis went to Germany. In Germany, Elvis did not live in a barracks, but rented an apartment on his own, where the whole "support group" was located, which was jokingly dubbed the "Memphis mafia". And the idol of youth, accordingly, received the title of its leader. However, the most famous nickname, which is now used no less widely than the name Elvis, was the short "king". It first appeared in 1956, when the American magazine Variety, on its own initiative, awarded Presley the title of "King of Rock and Roll". Gradually, it settled down, and all the performances of the idol in Las Vegas over the past eight years ended with the announcement of the entertainer: "Elvis left the building" - so the ceremonies say about the crowned heads. Therefore, today, when it comes to music, the mention of The king without specifying the name is perceived by Americans quite unambiguously.
