The Day … and The Hotel … That Started it All

There are countless ways to characterize Elvis Presley’s success in pop music. His 17 number one singles, his 79 weeks at number one, his string of hits from the mid-1950s through the mid-1970s, his enduring iconic status, and so much more make it both impossible to do his career justice in a short manner and unnecessary to have to do so, since most of us already know how significant he’s been in American popular music history.

Today marks the anniversary of the day that might be characterized as the day that started it all. Exactly 55 years ago today, Elvis hit the top of the charts for the very first time, as “Heartbreak Hotal” ascended to number 1 for the first week of an eight-week run.