As a kid growing up in the ’80s, I have to admit I did not get why my family members revered Elvis Presley so much. My family mostly listened to old school blues, R&B, soul, disco, and a bit of pop here and there. But, I could find an Elvis record (yes actual vinyl records) in nearly every home. But, my aunt was by far the biggest Elvis fan in the family, she had cups, T-shirts, posters, records, you name it. When it came to Christmas shopping, my aunt Shiela was always the easy person to shop for. However, as I’ve grown older, certain things I didn’t understand as a child (such as asparagus and sour cream) became very enjoyable. And Elvis’s music was definitely something I’ve grown to enjoy more as the years have gone on.
Of course, he had an amazing, one-of-a-kind voice. But, that wasn’t the only thing that made him unique. He had a swagger about him that was so effortlessly cool, it seemed otherwordly. The way he moved, danced, mannerisms, and facial expressions, all very natural. It seems like he was always this larger than life personality who we were lucky enough to capture on film one day. One of his most iconic songs is “Blue Suede Shoes. In this video, we see Elvis performing live on what could be the Ed Sullivan show or some other talk show.
At the beginning of the video, we see a moment when he’s just tune up his guitar. For most artists, this would be just a boring and routine activity they do before getting started, but the king makes even this look dramatic as he eventually gives the producers the big “Okay” signal once he’s ready. This performance is simply Elvis at his very best; it has it all, lip curls, hip-shaking, that thing he does with his hands, and a few yells for good measure!
Image via YouTube
Watch the king teach a masterclass on how to rock & roll in the video below.