YEAR
1986
INDUCTED BY
Sean & Julian Lennon
CATEGORY
Performers
Elvis Presley is, quite simply, the King of Rock & Roll.
In 1954, the performer kicked off a musical revolution by modernizing traditional genres such as blues, country and bluegrass for contemporary (and more youthful) audiences. Throw in a charismatic stage presence with then-scandalous hip-swings and body contortions, and it’s easy to see why Presley set the charts (and hearts) ablaze.
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Michael Hill
“If you’re looking for trouble,” Elvis Presley warned the audience at the opening of his December 3rd, 1968, television special, “you’ve come to the right place.”
What viewers heard that night was unadulterated Elvis, the archetypal rock and roll singer, not the Hollywood movie star. The leather-clad Presley, working up a sweat, returned to his roots before the first live audience he had faced since 1961.
