Elvis Aaron Presley Biography for Kids

Elvis Aaron Presley is probably one of the most popular rock legends to live. Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in a shotgun house that was 15 feet by 30 feet. A shotgun house is a house where if you stood in the front door and fired a pistol, the bullet would go straight through to the back door without harming anything. Elvis had a twin brother, Jesse Garon, but he was born dead. Elvis' name was meant to rhyme with Jesse's in memory. Once Elvis' mom found out that she couldn't have another baby again, she clung to Elvis like glue, making sure that nothing bad ever happened to him. Elvis was now an only child.

Elvis first experienced music in church. He enjoyed singing along with the choir. "When Elvis was little", quoted Elvis' mom Gladys, "he would run up the aisle and get on the alter and sing along with the choir. Of course he was too little to know the words, but he could carry a tune." When Elvis was nine, he won second prize at a country fair for singing "Old Shep", which is a heartbreaking country song about a boy and his dead dog. Elvis had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone!

At the age of 12, Elvis asked his mom for a bicycle, but she felt that was too dangerous, instead she bought him a guitar worth $12.95. It only had three strings. At 18 years old, Elvis got a job as a truck driver. One day on the way home, he stopped at Sun Records to record two songs for his mom's birthday. Sam Phillips, who ran Sun Records, liked Elvis's voice so much that he decided to sign him to a recording contract.

Once Elvis started making records, they sold so well that they started to attract the attention of national music companies like RCA (Radio Corporation of America). Soon Elvis joined RCA. Elvis sold many records and sang to a hound dog live for the premiere of his new song, "Hound Dog". In March 1957 Elvis Presley bought the famous Graceland! It was a former church but he converted it into a 23 bedroom mansion. It is currently open to tourists.

After a live performance on March 25, 1961, Elvis stopped singing and spent the next eight years as an actor. In all, he made a total number of 33 films. After that, he was drafted into the army for two years. When Elvis got back, he started singing again. Elvis was a little heavier and had longer hair but his fans loved him anyway. Sadly, it was coming to an end.

June 26, 1977 was when Elvis Presley gave his last live performance at Indianapolis. On August 16, 1977, the night before his concert, Elvis was found dead in the bathroom by his girlfriend Ginger Alden. He died from taking too much medication, sleeping pills, pills to help him wake up, and pills to keep his weight under control. The pressure of being "The King" was too much and eventually led to Elvis's downfall.

Elvis was buried in front of Graceland along with his mom Gladys and his dad Vernon. Approximately 675,000 people visit Graceland each year, which is worth well over $100 million today. Elvis was inducted into the Rock and Roll, Country, and Gospel Hall of Fame and was one of the only two singers to have ever had two Top 5 albums on the charts simultaneously. Elvis's song "Little Less Conversation" has been remixed and played on commercials. Elvis Presley has affected rockers even today and he will always be known as the King of rock and roll.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building!

When I was a boy, I always saw myself as a hero in comic books and in movies. I grew up believing this dream.
--Elvis Presley