You don’t earn the nickname “The King of Rock” for no reason. Elvis Presley started his music career in Memphis, Tennessee in 1954, pioneering the rockabilly genre which paired country music with rhythm and blues, all driven by a relatively simple backbeat. Presley’s first single, “Heartbreak Hotel” debuted at No. 1 in January of 1956. Elvis quickly became much more than just a musician. Due to his high-energy performances, sexually provocative dance moves, and his fusion of genres that represented different races, Elvis became a bonafide cultural icon, albeit a controversial one. In the 60s, Elvis stepped away from performing music and onto the Hollywood circuit, going on to have a successful career as an actor before returning to the stage for a Las Vegas residency in the early 70s. Throughout his storied career, Elvis was able to achieve many high marks in the music industry, including multiple Grammys, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the record for the highest-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, all before his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42.