Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.
Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
Guitar Man
Elvis Presley Lyrics
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Left my mama a goodbye note
By sundown I'd left Kingston
With my guitar under my coat
I hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis
Got a room at the YMCA
For the next three weeks I went huntin' them nights
Just lookin' for a place to play
But nobody wanted to hire a guitar man
Well, I nearly 'bout starved to death down in Memphis
I run outta money and luck
So I bought me a ride down to Macon, Georgia
On a overloaded poultry truck
I thumbed on down to Panama City
Started pickin' out some o' them all night bars
Hopin' I could make myself a dollar
Makin' music on my guitar
I got the same old story at them all night piers
There ain't no room around here for a guitar man
We don't need a guitar man, son
So I slept in the hobo jungles
Roamed a thousand miles of track
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama
At a club they call Big Jack's
A little four-piece band was jammin'
So I took my guitar and I sat in
I showed 'em what a band would sound like
With a swingin' little guitar man
Show 'em, son
If you ever take a trip down to the ocean
Find yourself down around Mobile
Make it on out to a club called Jack's
If you got a little time to kill
Just follow that crowd of people
You'll wind up out on his dance floor
Diggin' the finest little five piece group
Up and down the Gulf of Mexico
Guess who's leadin' that five-piece band
Well, wouldn't ya know, it's that swingin' little guitar man, yeah yeah
The lyrics to Elvis Presley's song Guitar Man are about persevering through rejection and hardship as a musician in pursuit of a breakthrough. The singer quits his job and leaves his hometown with his guitar, hoping to find a place to play and make it as a musician. However, he faces constant rejection and difficulty finding gigs, ultimately resorting to sleeping in hobo jungles and hitchhiking to different cities to find work. Despite the setbacks, he continues to play and improve his skills, eventually finding a band to play with at a club called Big Jack's in Mobile, Alabama, where he becomes the "swinging little guitar man" that leads the band to success.
The lyrics capture the struggle and determination of aspiring musicians who face constant rejection and uncertainty in their pursuit of a breakthrough. It's a common theme in music that speaks to the struggles of ordinary people trying to make it in a competitive and often unforgiving industry. The singer's journey is a metaphor for the unpredictable and often challenging path to career success, and his perseverance in the face of hardship is an inspiring lesson for anyone who has faced setbacks or failures in their own life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I quit my job down at the car wash
I resigned from my employment at the vehicle cleaning station
Left my mama a goodbye note
I left a letter to inform my mother that I'm leaving
By sundown I'd left Kingston
I departed from Kingston before sunset
With my guitar under my coat
I had my guitar hidden under my coat
I hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis
I traveled to Memphis by hitchhiking
Got a room at the YMCA
I got accommodation at the Young Men's Christian Association
For the next three weeks I went huntin' them nights
I spent the next 21 nights scouting for opportunities
Just lookin' for a place to play
I searched for a venue to perform as musician
Well, I thought my pickin' would set 'em on fire
I believed my guitar skills would impress people
But nobody wanted to hire a guitar man
Unfortunately, I didn't secure any job as a guitarist
Well, I nearly 'bout starved to death down in Memphis
I almost died due to hunger while in Memphis
I run outta money and luck
I became broke and unlucky
So I bought me a ride down to Macon, Georgia
I paid for transportation to Macon, Georgia
On a overloaded poultry truck
I traveled on a crowded truck carrying domestic fowls
I thumbed on down to Panama City
I hitchhiked to Panama City
Started pickin' out some o' them all night bars
I began performing music in nightclubs
Hopin' I could make myself a dollar
I hoped to earn some money
Makin' music on my guitar
Playing guitar to entertain people
I got the same old story at them all night piers
I received the same response in all nightclubs
There ain't no room around here for a guitar man
There was no vacancy for a guitarist at this time
We don't need a guitar man, son
We don't require a guitarist, young man
So I slept in the hobo jungles
I slept in improvised homeless settlements
Roamed a thousand miles of track
I wandered around for many miles
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama
I kept moving until I arrived at Mobile, Alabama
At a club they call Big Jack's
I went to a club known as Big Jack's
A little four-piece band was jammin'
There was a small band playing music
So I took my guitar and I sat in
I joined the band with my guitar
I showed 'em what a band would sound like
I demonstrated how the band would play with my guitar
With a swingin' little guitar man
Playing guitar like a cool, jazz musician
If you ever take a trip down to the ocean
If you ever visit a town located by the sea
Find yourself down around Mobile
If you end up at Mobile, Alabama
Make it on out to a club called Jack's
Go to a night club named Jack's
If you got a little time to kill
If you have some leisure time
Just follow that crowd of people
If you see many individuals going to one place
You'll wind up out on his dance floor
You'll eventually be directed to a dance space
Diggin' the finest little five piece group
Enjoying the excellent quintet
Up and down the Gulf of Mexico
In the regions around the Gulf of Mexico
Guess who's leadin' that five-piece band
Guess who is the guitar man leading the quintet
Well, wouldn't ya know, it's that swingin' little guitar man, yeah yeah
It's me, the cool guitarist that plays jazz music
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jerry Reed Hubbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Imaculada Conceição
Lee Denson foi o primeiro professor de Guitarra de Elvis Presley, quando sua família se mudou de Tupelo para Mempfis em 1.947. Lee Denson mais tarde, compôs a canção "O Milagre do Rosario". Pediu ao Elvis que gravasse essa canção. Elvis estando muito ocupado, não pode fazê-lo naquele ano em que Lee a compôs. Mas gravou-a uns 3 anos mais tarde.
Grande Elvis Presley.