1 Leggi e ascolta il brano. Elvis Presley: The King of rock ‘n’ roll Elvis Presley was the first rock ‘n’ roll superstar. His nickname was ‘The King’ because he was the king of rock ‘n’ roll. He was born on 8th January, 1935 in the state of Mississippi. His parents were poor and he was an only child. When he was a teenager his passion was music: gospel, blues and country. His favourite singers were the country singer Hank Snow, Mario Lanza and Dean Martin. He was a great singer and a sensational dancer. He had black hair and blue eyes and he was very good-looking. Elvis’s first hits were ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. These songs are now rock ‘n’ roll classics. In his very successful career he had 21 number one hits in the USA and his music was popular all around the world. He was also the star of 33 films but he wasn’t a great actor and people remember him for his music. Tragically Elvis’s life was very short. He died at his home, Graceland, in Memphis, on 16th August, 1977. He was only 42 years old. Elvis is still very popular today. There are over 500 official Elvis Presley fan clubs all over the world. His fans include Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Elton John. His home, Graceland, is a top tourist attraction. Every year over half a million people visit it. And his music is still popular, too. A remix of his song ‘A little less conversation’ was number one in the charts in 2002, 25 years after his death. In 2007, 18 of his singles were in the Top 20 in the UK Charts. © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE.