1956: Elvis Presley on ‘The Milton Berle Show’
If you had to pick one and only one moment that put Elvis Presley on the map in which he exploded onto the national scene, it would most likely be his appearance on ‘The Milton Berle Show’ during the Spring of 1956. The performance was legendary in that what he sang and how he sang it would eventually become his signature style. He was previously focused on singing ballads, but his live performance of “Heartbreak Hotel” on the show, along with his revolutionary dancing, instantly made Elvis the star of his generation and the King of Rock & Roll.
Source: elvispresleymusic.com.au
His hip-thrusting way of moving drove girls crazy and parents groups and politicians even crazier. Did you know that years after that, when he would appear on American television, they would film him from the waist up? The show he put on that night was the turning point from a young artist to the legend that he became and effectively changed the future of Rock & Roll.