Elvis Presley: The Complex Origins of Stardom

In this episode, we follow the trajectory of Elvis’s life, untangling the complex factors that contributed to his success and the impact he had on American culture. First, we look at how Elvis redefined stardom — prim and proper movie stars went out, and the American, counter-culture rebel replaced them. However, Elvis's life wasn’t just about redefining what it meant to be an American icon. His career became the first successful bridge between white and black culture in 20th century America — as such, his life was deeply intertwined with race relations in the country. We discuss these important conversations about Elvis and race, as well as Elvis and changing gender norms in mid-20th century America. Elvis really was cause and consequence of social change in the country.

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