From Here to the Great Unknown

Born in 1935 and known as the King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley changed the face of American music and pop culture. Elvis grew up poor in Tupelo, Mississippi, during a time when the South was still strictly segregated along lines of race and class. As a boy, he was a fan of blues and gospel music, much of which was performed by Black artists. When he started recording his own music, the influence that Elvis took from Black musicians and musical styles was so apparent that many listeners who heard Elvis on the radio assumed he was Black. Throughout his career, Elvis was known to publicly acknowledge the influence of Black artists like BB King and Fats Domino. During a time when race relations were tense, and segregation and discrimination were rampant in the American South, a white singer citing admiration and influence from Black culture was seen as novel and even transgressive. Some argue that Elvis appropriated Black music and culture, while others claim that the access and platform his whiteness afforded him also helped propel Black music into national popularity.

Elvis’s popularity secured his position of influence—by combining elements of country, blues, pop, and rock and roll, his unique sound changed the face of American music and paved the way for the evolution of music throughout the 20th century. However, Elvis also had a profound effect on celebrity and pop culture more generally. In From Here to the Great Unknown, Riley Keough describes her grandfather as “a godlike figure” who inspired legions of wildly dedicated fans, particularly among teenagers and young adults. With his controversial mixture of musical genres and provocative dance moves, Elvis became a symbol of rebellion and sexual liberation among the youth of the mid-1950s. Rising to fame at a time when a growing middle class had more purchasing power to buy records and concert tickets and developing mass media allowed cultural phenomena to spread more effectively, Elvis became a cultural figure whose fame remains nearly unrivaled. With his signature hair, sideburns, and style of dress, he is one of the most recognizable celebrity figures and continues to inspire innumerable impersonators.

Elvis’s continued fame and cultural influence are apparent throughout From Here to the Great Unknown. His celebrity and public appeal remain strong enough to color the lives of his daughter and grandchildren, even years after his death. Throughout her life, Lisa Marie Presley fought to be seen as her own person and live her life on her own terms. She struggled to be “taken seriously,” both in her music career and the rest of her life, and constantly tried to escape the perception of being just “Elvis’s daughter.” Even Riley, who never met her grandfather, was first presented to the world on the cover of People magazine with a headline introducing “Elvis’s first grandchild.” From Here to the Great Unknown is a story about the far-reaching, life-altering ramifications of celebrity, which often extend far beyond the famous individual.