Rethinking Elvis

Abstract Elvis Presley needs no introduction. He remains, without a doubt, one of popular music’s greatest icons: amongst the most successful, influential, socially significant, and controversial performers of the twentieth century. Elvis was Southern, white, and working class. He was also talented, stylish, and unique. Rethinking Elvis brings together popular music scholars and historians to locate this monumental icon in relation to his historical and changing geographic reception, fan phenomenon, branding, and heritage. The book fills important gaps in existing Elvis scholarship, using its object as a unique opportunity to pursue new academic projects and approaches. Early sections consider aspects of Elvis’s own identity including his race, before the book moves on to his reception in 1950s Europe. Rethinking Elvis continues by discussing the activities of his dedicated fans, perceptions of Graceland—his mansion home, and the singer’s posthumous celebrity status as intellectual property. One of the last chapters is focused on contemporary Memphis and considers how Elvis has been used as a symbol by activists aiming to establish racial justice. The book concludes by discussing Elvis studies as an emergent field of scholarship.