1956
1956 was the year that saw Elvis turn from a Southern phenomenon into national and then international star. This was done principally through the medium of television. New York was the center of American TV. All the major networks were based there, as were the major power brokers. New York was also the center of the recording industry, and it was in New York in 1956 that Elvis recorded the tracks for RCA that established him as the major musical force in America. Elvis's first 1956 visit to New York was also the last time he was able to walk the streets of a major city without being recognized. It was his last taste of freedom in a town he didn't return to until 1972 when he broke the attendance record at Madison Square Garden.

The '68 Comeback

On December 3, 1968 NBC broadcast one of the most famous television programs in the history of American entertainment. In the process Elvis Presley whose career had become close to a laughing stock, was resurrected as the King of rock and roll and put on the path to a fresh and vital phase in his career. One of the greatest revivals the music world has ever seen, Elvis escaped from the seemingly inevitable downward spiral of increasingly awful movies and banal soundtrack albums that he had produced for the better part of 8 years. For just about the only time since 1955 Elvis briefly escaped from Colonel Parker's dead hand, and was put to work with people with fresh ideas and the ability to carry them out. Elvis's return to the real world of music was awaited with fascination by millions. The result was a revelation for Elvis himself, for the music business, for RCA, for his fans and for rest of the world.

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