I don't know if Elvis' number coming up in the last days of 1957 was orchestrated purposefully or not, but when Elvis was drafted into the army for a two-year stint, there was no doubt a lot of controversy swirling around him. It's no secret that there were many people who didn't like Elvis. They didn't like his long hair, his raw sensuality, his "suggestive" stage presence, his success, his fame, or anything else about him. So it's not too far-fetched an idea to believe that his selection for service was perhaps less than random. If someone did pull a few strings to get Elvis inducted - and thus put a damper on his career - they didn't understand who they were dealing with and the movement that was under way.
"Grown ups" in the 1950s hated rock and roll. They called it "the devil's music," "amplified heathen discourse," a "mental disease," and lots of other such non-flattering things. And this was at a time that wasn't too far distant from the Communism witch hunts of Senator Joe McCarthy. And although McCarthy had been censured and shamed for his efforts, there were still plenty of people in power who wanted to see rock and roll die. According to the theories, one way they thought they could accomplish that was to put a wet blanket over the music's hottest fire.
If that is indeed what happened back in 1957 or not, there was no putting out Elvis' flame. By 1957, Presley had switched from the small independent Sun Records label and was a major star recording for the powerful RCA Victor Company. Not only that, but Elvis was now represented by possibly the industry's shrewdest promoter, Colonel Tom Parker. While Elvis may have been worried that his induction into the Army spelled the end of his career, the Colonel had other ideas.
Parker, like Presley, had no choice but to accept that Elvis was on his way to being a soldier. But unlike Elvis, who worried about what this was going to be a problem for his career, Parker saw the situation as prime promotional opportunity. He made sure to make a spectacle out of every stage of Elvis' transition into the army. Not every soldier had the press there with cameras rolling while he received his army-issue buzz cut, but Elvis did! By that time, Elvis - who was never accused of subtlety himself - was all in for Parker's schemes and used his quick wit and charm to sell the event saying, "Hair today, gone tomorrow."
With Elvis successfully sequestered on an army base in Germany, some may have thought Elvis would be quiet on the entertainment scene for a couple of years, but again, Parker trumped them. Elvis had been just about to shoot the movie "King Creole" when his draft notice came. Parker had Presley file for a deferment, which was granted, and the movie was completed before Elvis became a soldier.
Along with the movie and its soundtrack, there was plenty of recorded material "in the can" that Parker drew upon judiciously so that new records continued to be released even during the two years while Elvis was prevented from recording anything. During this time Elvis had several top five hits and two top 30 hits from the "King Creole" soundtrack. No one could stop those hits!
After Elvis' tour of duty, he and Parker picked up right where they'd left off. His next movie was "GI Blues" showing Parker's brilliance at making the best out of a bad situation. So, far from killing Elvis' career, his life in the Army barely put a dent in it. In fact, it might have even helped it. And of course, other musicians were also creating great rockabilly music during this time and rock and roll simply grew stronger and stronger.
If Elvis' time in the army and out of the studio proved anything, it proved that Elvis' star was enduring. And it also proved that despite Elvis' huge stature as the King of Rock and Roll, the music had become far bigger than him. Had Elvis quietly disappeared from the rock and roll scene between 1957 and 1959, rock and roll would have still endured. It would still have thrived. It had already become far more than a fad or even a movement. It had become an inseparable swath of material in the fabric of the American youth. And it would never go quietly away!
"Grown ups" in the 1950s hated rock and roll. They called it "the devil's music," "amplified heathen discourse," a "mental disease," and lots of other such non-flattering things. And this was at a time that wasn't too far distant from the Communism witch hunts of Senator Joe McCarthy. And although McCarthy had been censured and shamed for his efforts, there were still plenty of people in power who wanted to see rock and roll die. According to the theories, one way they thought they could accomplish that was to put a wet blanket over the music's hottest fire.
If that is indeed what happened back in 1957 or not, there was no putting out Elvis' flame. By 1957, Presley had switched from the small independent Sun Records label and was a major star recording for the powerful RCA Victor Company. Not only that, but Elvis was now represented by possibly the industry's shrewdest promoter, Colonel Tom Parker. While Elvis may have been worried that his induction into the Army spelled the end of his career, the Colonel had other ideas.
Parker, like Presley, had no choice but to accept that Elvis was on his way to being a soldier. But unlike Elvis, who worried about what this was going to be a problem for his career, Parker saw the situation as prime promotional opportunity. He made sure to make a spectacle out of every stage of Elvis' transition into the army. Not every soldier had the press there with cameras rolling while he received his army-issue buzz cut, but Elvis did! By that time, Elvis - who was never accused of subtlety himself - was all in for Parker's schemes and used his quick wit and charm to sell the event saying, "Hair today, gone tomorrow."
With Elvis successfully sequestered on an army base in Germany, some may have thought Elvis would be quiet on the entertainment scene for a couple of years, but again, Parker trumped them. Elvis had been just about to shoot the movie "King Creole" when his draft notice came. Parker had Presley file for a deferment, which was granted, and the movie was completed before Elvis became a soldier.
Along with the movie and its soundtrack, there was plenty of recorded material "in the can" that Parker drew upon judiciously so that new records continued to be released even during the two years while Elvis was prevented from recording anything. During this time Elvis had several top five hits and two top 30 hits from the "King Creole" soundtrack. No one could stop those hits!
After Elvis' tour of duty, he and Parker picked up right where they'd left off. His next movie was "GI Blues" showing Parker's brilliance at making the best out of a bad situation. So, far from killing Elvis' career, his life in the Army barely put a dent in it. In fact, it might have even helped it. And of course, other musicians were also creating great rockabilly music during this time and rock and roll simply grew stronger and stronger.
If Elvis' time in the army and out of the studio proved anything, it proved that Elvis' star was enduring. And it also proved that despite Elvis' huge stature as the King of Rock and Roll, the music had become far bigger than him. Had Elvis quietly disappeared from the rock and roll scene between 1957 and 1959, rock and roll would have still endured. It would still have thrived. It had already become far more than a fad or even a movement. It had become an inseparable swath of material in the fabric of the American youth. And it would never go quietly away!
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