8 Jan 2010

Happy 75th to America's first Punk Rocker

Before the garish jumpsuits, before the impersonators, before he became a bloated caricature of himself, Elvis was America's first celebrity bad boy.  He was outlaw before Waylon and Kid Rock.  He was punk rock before The Ramones and Green Day.  He was a white guy singing black music way before Eminem. 

Because of his well-publicized proclivities, a lot of people don't understand his impact on culture and music.  So this calls for a brief history lesson ...

From 1955 - 1958, he turned music and American culture upside down. Way before Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day lead singer), Elvis died his hair jet black and wore-eyeliner.  Like Billy Joe, he used a simple 3-piece combo to refine a sound and create a movement like no other.  Elvis also made it cool to have your own style.  For Elvis, this was a truck-driver hair style, pegged slacks, box-style sport coats - topped off with a smirk.  Consider John Lennon's quote:  "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles."

The Elvis caricature really began to grow after a mandatory stint in the US Army.  His music become polished, produced, and designed to sell as many records as possible.  While his movies always did well at the box office, they contributed to his reputation of being irrelevant as a musician.

Then in 1969, the Punk Rocker was back.  Dressed in a black leather suit, he did a taped concert as a "Christmas Special".  He was lean, loud, and provocative. This era lasted until 1971; producing some of the best music ever created.  Most notable was "Suspicious Minds", but also dozens of other songs.   If you are not familiar with this era, check it out.

Sadly, Elvis' demons caught up with him again.  In the final years of his life, he did create some good music and a memorable concert experience - but it wasn't the same.  His body died in 1977, but the music - the Punk Rocker - died in 1971. 

So the next time you see a musician think they are doing something original, remember that Elvis probably did it first.