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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVIS!
January 8, 2007 would have been Elvis Presley's 72'th
birthday.
In 1958,
Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army and served an
18-month tour of duty in West Germany as a Jeep
driver. Teenage girls were overcome with grief, but
Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, kept American
youth satiated with stockpiled recordings that
Presley made before his departure. All five singles
released during this period eventually became
million-sellers.

After being discharged as a sergeant in 1960, Elvis
underwent a style change, eschewing edgy,
rhythm-and-blues-inspired material in favor of
romantic, dramatic ballads such as "Are You Lonesome
Tonight?" He retired from concerts to concentrate on
his musical films, and he made 27 in the 1960s,
including G.I. Blues (1960), Blue Hawaii (1961),
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Viva Las Vegas (1964),
and Frankie and Johnny (1966). In 1967, he married
Priscilla Beaulieu, and the couple had a daughter,
Lisa Marie, in 1968.

By the end of the 1960s, rock and roll had undergone
dramatic changes, and Elvis was no longer seen as
relevant by American youth. A 1968 television
special won back many of his fans, but hits were
harder to come by. His final Top 10 entry, "Burning
Love," was in 1972. Still, he maintained his sizable
fortune through lucrative concert and television
appearances.

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