In the fall of 1948 the Presley family was on the move again, and this time they decided to leave Tupelo and go north, to the city of Memphis, Tennessee.
It turned out to be a lucky move for an ambitious and musical young man.
It was an optimistic time for the country: the Second World War was over, and unemployment was down nationally to 3.9 percent.
For Elvis and other music lovers, 1948 was notable because Columbia Records introduced the 33 1/3 LP (“long-playing”) record.
In Memphis, after a time, the Presleys were able to get a downtown apartment through the housing authority at Lauderdale Courts, a 433- unit complex.
They had plenty of room there, and Elvis made friends in this town full of music with other young people who were interested in music.
Nearby were Beale Street and the Ellis Auditorium, offering national acts.
The Handy Theatre was offering all the practitioners of “city blues”—Wynonie Harris, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and others—as well as jazz.
The Blackwood Brothers, the top gospel group in America, had just moved to Memphis.
What music was not live in Memphis was on the radio.
Famed disc jockey Dewey Phillips at WHBQ was playing blues as well as rhythm and blues, or R&B; B.B. (The Blues Boy) King was playing more blues at WDIA; the country blues—Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, and the rest— was coming in from West Memphis; and WHHM had country music covered.
At Humes High newcomer Elvis reinvented himself—or perhaps he was just being a teenager of the 1950s.
He set himself apart, styling with such fashion elements as dress pants (often with a stripe down the side) a bolero jacket, and sideburns.
Elvis was a contemporary of film actor James Dean, after all, and a huge fan of Rebel Without a Cause.
He apparently shopped for some, if not all, of his clothes down on Beale Street.
He took his guitar to school there too—when some rough kids cut the strings on it, other classmates chipped in and bought him a new set.
Elvis took more guitar lessons, tagged along with his guitar teacher and played in his band, had a steady girlfriend, and worked odd jobs after school and summers.
Jerry Schilling, a friend of the teen-age Elvis, describes him as a “voracious reader,” “very spiritual,” and “a lovable rebel.”
