It's Elvis Week at Graceland, as fans commemorate 33rd anniversary of the King's death

It's Elvis Week at Graceland  

For most of us who were alive on Aug. 17, 1977, we still remember where we were the moment we heard the news: Elvis Presley, the King of rock 'n' roll, was dead.

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the King's death.

Presley died at age 42 at his Graceland mansion on Aug. 16, 1977. 

Elvis Week is now an annual event celebrating the life of the singer who was born Jan. 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Miss.

According to Wikipedia, Elvis was "one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. Presley moved to Memphis, Tenn., with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, eager to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience, saw in Presley the means to realize his ambition. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. 

"RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in "Love Me Tender."

Presley was nominated for 14 Grammys and won three. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36 and he has been inducted into four music halls of fame.

For more on Elvis Week, go to http://www.elvis.com.

For most of us who were alive on Aug. 16, 1977, we still remember where we were the moment we heard the news: Elvis Presley, the King of rock 'n' roll, was dead.

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the King's death.

Presley died at age 42 at his Graceland mansion on Aug. 16, 1977. 

Elvis Week is now an annual event celebrating the life of the singer who was born Jan. 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Miss.

According to Wikipedia, Elvis was "one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. Presley moved to Memphis, Tenn., with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, eager to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience, saw in Presley the means to realize his ambition. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. 

"RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in "Love Me Tender."

Presley was nominated for 14 Grammys and won three. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36 and he has been inducted into four music halls of fame.

For more on Elvis Week, go to http://www.elvis.com.