--- title: Elvis Presley's Birthday: See Photos of the Young Singer description: On the 81st anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth, see photos of the singer as a breakout star in 1956. canonical: https://time.com/4148472/elvis-presley-1956/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-08T13:00:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:45.997Z og:title: See Photos of Elvis on the Precipice of Fame og:description: On the 81st anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth, see photos of the singer as a breakout star in 1956. og:url: https://time.com/4148472/elvis-presley-1956/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte97d6b979c8e383d/6988754b196cf4c60103973f/151214-elvis-presley-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Elvis Presley 1956 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See Photos of Elvis on the Precipice of Fame twitter:description: On the 81st anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth, see photos of the singer as a breakout star in 1956. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte97d6b979c8e383d/6988754b196cf4c60103973f/151214-elvis-presley-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See Photos of Elvis on the Precipice of Fame  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 8, 2016 1:00 PM UTC  Presley, looking tired and somewhat dejected, leans over a railing in a recording studio during a break from cutting a new record in Nashville, 1956. Presley, looking tired and somewhat dejected, leans over a railing in a recording studio during a break from cutting a new record in Nashville, 1956.Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 8, 2016 1:00 PM UTC In 1954, Elvis Aaron Presley was working as a truck driver for $35 a week. Two years later, he was raking in $12,500 for a week’s work in Las Vegas. Before long, a surname was no longer required to invoke the megastar LIFE dubbed a “howling hillbilly success.” Though he began recording music in 1953, it was in 1956 that Presley—born on Jan. 8, 1935—became a phenomenon. That was also the year he first appeared in the pages of LIFE, in a one-page story about the runaway success of “Heartbreak Hotel.” The magazine explained: --- > “” --- A string of television appearances introduced the young singer to households across America, and within a short time he was inspiring frantic behavior among overwhelmed fans. “Shortly girls were quivering and fainting wherever he turned up to sing _Long Tall Sally_, _I Got a Woman_, and _Blue Suede Shoes_,” the magazine explained. “On a tour of Texas last week they kicked through a plateglass door in Amarillo to get him to autograph their arms and underclothes.” Here, on what would have been Presley’s 81st birthday, is an intimate look at a Nashville recording session for a new star who would, in due time, become a legend. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Caption from LIFE. Looking like it hurts, Elvis records new song in Nashville studio. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley sings expressively while recording a new song in a Nashville recording studio, backed by the Jordanaires, made up of Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews Jr., Hoyt Hawkins and Hugh Jarrett. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley, looking tired and somewhat dejected, leans over a railing in a recording studio during a break from cutting a new record in Nashville, 1956. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley (second from right) during a break from recording,1956. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley shows a framed gold record of "Heartbreak Hotel" to (L-R) drummer D.J. Fontana, singer Gordon Stoker and guitarist Scotty Moore, 1956. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley performs emotionally, even in the privacy of a studio. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley sings during a recording session. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley sits in a chair during a break from recording a new record n Nashville, while head of Country and Western Artist and Repertoire, Steve Sholes, talks to producer Chet Atkins in the background, 1956. Don Cravens—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Presley uses the roof of a taxi to sign autographs for teenage girls outside of the Nashville studio where he had just finished recording a new record, 1956. 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