Well, it had to happen. Finally, in our long-running popular music courses, we have come to Elvis Presley. And we had to. He was one of the most ground-breaking, integrative, and successful performers of all time, although not that well respected—initially—by the music world (or parents). The melding together of the white and black music of his time was the foundation of rock music that followed, and his influence has grown even after his death.

Elvis was a true force for years in music, movies, and TV. He influenced and popularized many other musicians as well. His personal life was an absolute tragedy—thus the subtitle—and we will look at the impact of that, too. As usual, we will have local musicians perform their favorite Elvis songs for us and talk about him from their perspective. It should be fun for us all.