“Wouldn’t it be great if Elvis was still alive and all his impersonators were dead?” – George Carlin
Elvis would have been 78 on January 8, 2013. He died in Memphis on August 16, 1977. He was only 42 years old.
It’s hard to believe that the little boy who won a talent contest at the age of eight, by singing “Old Shep”, would have turned into such a music icon.
He sang in high school shows after learning how to play the guitar. Before his stardom, Elvis worked as an usher and a truck driver, following his graduation from high school.
He was signed to Sun Records in 1954 and then to RCA in 1955. According to Billboard magazine, Elvis reached the weekly Top 40 charts 107 times; a record that still has never been broken. Of those 107 trips to the Top 40, eighteen of them went to the number one spot.
Below is a list of Elvis’ thirty biggest hits:
1. All Shook Up – 1957
2. Heartbreak Hotel – 1956 – Elvis’ first number one hit for RCA.
3. Don’t Be Cruel – 1956 – This record holds the honor of having the only record in rock history to have the A and B side (Hound Dog) both reach number one on the weekly charts.
4. Jailhouse Rock – 1957 – This song and “Treat Me Nice”, the B side, were featured in Elvis’ third movie “Jailhouse Rock.
5. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear – 1957 – This song, along with the B side, “Loving You”, was from Elvis’ second movie, “Loving You.
6. Are You Lonesome Tonight? – 1960 – This song was also a number one hit for Vaughn Deleath way back in 1927.
7. Love Me Tender – 1956 – From Elvis’ first movie with the same title. Love Me Tender was adapted from the 1861 folk song, “Aura Lee.”
8. It’s Now Or Never – 1960 – Another adaptation, this time from the 1899 Italian song, “O Solo Mio.”
9. Don’t – 1958 – The B side of this song, “I Beg of You” also made it into the weekly Top 10 charts.
10. Hound Dog – 1956 – Big Mama Thornton took this one to number one on the R&B; charts in 1953.
11.Stuck On You – 1960 – This number one song was recorded just 15 days following Elvis’ discharge from the Army.
12. Too Much – 1957
13. Hard Headed Woman – This song came from Elvis’ personal favorite movie that he made, “King Creole.”
14.Surrender – Yet another adaptation, this time from the Italian song “Come Back to Sorrento.”
15.Good Luck Charm – 1962
16.A Big Hunk O’ Love – 1959 – One of only four new songs released while Elvis was doing his Army hitch.
17.I Want You, I Need You, I Love You – 1956 – Elvis’ second number one song, behind “Heartbreak Hotel.”
18. Suspicious Minds – 1969 – Elvis’ last number one song.
19. Return To Sender – 1962 – This one is from another Elvis film, “Girls, Girls, Girls.”
20.Love Me – 1956 – This song came from one of many E.P.’s that Elvis released.
21.Wear My Ring Around Your Neck – 1958
22.Can’t Help Falling In Love – 1961 – from Elvis’ film “Blue Hawaii.”
23.Burning Love – 1972 – This was Elvis’ last Top 10 hit.
24.(Now and Then, There’s A Fool) Such As I – 1958 – This was a big country hit for Hank Snow in 1953.
25.Crying In The Chapel – 1965 – This song was recorded in 1960, but not released for five years.
26.In The Ghetto – 1969
27.(You’re The) Devil In Disguise – 1963
28.One Night – 1958 – Smiley Lewis had a big R&B; hit with this one in 1956.
29.I Need Your Love Tonight – 1959 – another of the four songs recorded while Elvis was serving his country.
30.(Marie’s the Name of) His Latest Flame – 1961
Elvis won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1971. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. His last live performance took place in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977. He would be 73 years old this year.
It’s hard to believe that Elvis “left the building” for the last time almost 35 years ago.
