Also known as The King, Elvis Presley is an American singer who has long contributed to the popularization of the ukulele. The latter being an instrument straight from Polynesia has become a must in the world of music. Indeed, just like the guitar or the piano, many artists play the ukulele. Especially since it is a one-of-a-kind musical instrument, recognized for its ability to provide extraordinary sounds for an original and easy to assimilate piece. Certainly one of the reasons why Elvis Presley did not hesitate for a second to adopt the instrument that is the ukulele. In this article, discover the history of Elvis Presley and the ukulele.
The ukulele found its place in rock'n'roll thanks to Elvis Presley
For those who do not know it yet, Elvis Aaron Presley is an American singer, actor and producer born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Commonly known as "The King", Elvis Presley began his career in 1954 with his interpretation with Bill Black and Scotty Moore. This famous artist has since been a great success and has become known throughout the world. With his creative spirit and talent, Elvis Presley made the ukulele part of the rock'n'roll pantheon. It is clearly Elvis who gave his letters of nobility to this Polynesian musical instrument. And it must be said that the exotic touch of the Ukulele has clearly been unanimous in rock. The King has also taken advantage of the three films in which he participated to establish the notoriety of the musical instrument that is the ukulele. From then on, Hawaii was associated with the Rock and became the 2nd homeland of Elvis. Elvis Presley then became a Hawaiian at heart and the ukulele became rock.
Elvis Presley: a true ukulele lover!
In the biography of Elvis Presley, it is clearly marked that he was a ukulele aficionado. He played it all the time in the car during his journeys, especially between the cities where he was to perform and go on stage. The ukulele was first seen in the hands of Elvis Presley in 1961 with his title "Blue Hawaii" or "under the blue sky of Hawaii". As you can imagine, it is a title that he dedicates especially to his origins to praise the particularity and the beauty of the latter. Followed a year later by the song Girls! Girls! Girls! In English: Girls, more girls, Elvis Presley also wanted to produce a new hit with his ukulele. Shot in Hawaii, this song is still known and listened to to this day. Finally, we had to wait for the famous piece called “Paradise Hawaiian Style” in 1966 to find the King with a ukulele in his hand on several sequences. This title, which was also a hit, highlights all the originality of the ukulele.