Teenagers in the 1950s and ‘60s turned Elvis Presley into an icon as his shaking hips and snarling lips sent rock ‘n’ roll shockwaves around the world.  His emergence on the scene represented a seismic shift in the culture wars over race, sex and class.  The story of Elvis lies at the heart of a struggle that gives birth to a new form of music, rock ‘n’ roll, and an America that is forever changed.

Understanding the Elvis phenomenon, and his impact on the world, requires going back to his origins in rural Tupelo, Mississippi where he grew up as one of the poorest boys in town.  What happened here set the stage for him to become the star that still shines brightly today.

Our story traces the Elvis saga from his birth during the depths of the Depression, to his move to Memphis, to his formative high school years, through his early struggles to launch a music career and wraps up with his triumphant homecoming concert in 1956, on the same stage where he’d lost a talent contest eleven years earlier.  It’s a little known story that while inextricably linked to an era and a place still resonates today.

Narrated by Kris Kristofferson. 

DVD includes bonus features, extra interviews, newsreels and more.