Today would have been Elvis Presley's 79th birthday, and whether you're a fat Elvis fan or a young Elvis fan, everyone agrees on the impact he made bringing "black" music to white folk.

Elvis was the first hip-hop artist.  Let me explain.  He was the first to take music others toiled to create and made it mass appeal based on his appeal to the nation's white youth.  Parents were mortified when they heard him and saw him shake his hips.  It was probably the same reaction as a suburban parent finding a Jay Z song on their kid's iPod.

For someone my age (35) Elvis was a memory by the time I was born in '78.  My mom always talked about being pregnant with my older brother when she heard the news of his death over the intercom at a grocery store.  That's a lasting impact.

Enjoy the last recorded performance of Elvis Presley from his 1977 concert special.

 

 

 

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