Editing Elvis Presley (section)

=== RCA Victor and National Fame (1956–1958) ===

In November 1955, Sun Records sold Presley's contract to [[RCA Victor]] for $35,000, then an unprecedented sum for a recording artist. The deal was brokered by manager [[Colonel Tom Parker]], who would control Presley's career until his death.

His first RCA single, ''Heartbreak Hotel'' (January 1956), reached number one on the pop, country, and rhythm and blues charts — a crossover achievement virtually unheard of at the time. A series of television appearances, including controversial performances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', brought him to national attention. Sullivan's cameras famously filmed Presley only from the waist up during his third appearance, in response to public complaints about his hip movements.

The period from 1956 to 1958 produced some of Presley's most enduring recordings, including ''Hound Dog'', ''Don't Be Cruel'', ''Jailhouse Rock'', ''Love Me Tender'', and ''All Shook Up''. His self-titled debut album reached number one and remained on the charts for ten months. By 1957 he had purchased [[Graceland]], a mansion in Memphis that would remain his home for the rest of his life.