Originally recorded in 1950 by Ernest Tubb, Elvis Presley recorded "Blue Christmas" in 1957 for his Elvis' Christmas Album. It has since been covered by such stars as Ringo Starr, Celine Dion, The Beach Boys, Sheryl Crow, Smash Mouth, Vince Gill, Bette Midler, and Harry Conick Jr.

Elvis won three competitive Grammy Awards, all for his gospel music: Best Sacred Performance (1967), Best Inspirational Performance (1972), and Best Inspirational Song (1974).

Elvis was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Presley received only a C in music in eighth grade. When his music teacher told him he had no aptitude for singing, he brought in his guitar and sang a recent hit, "Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me", to prove otherwise. A classmate later recalled that the teacher "agreed that Elvis was right when he said that she didn't appreciate his kind of singing."

In September 1955, Country Song Roundup magazine was the first to feature an article on Elvis, calling him a "folk music fireball".