Awesome / Elvis Presley

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• Elvis' infamous appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show is often thought of as his first TV appearance. It is not — prior to that, he had a six-week residency on an old CBS variety show called Stage Show. This is his debut, where he performs an utterly electrifying version of the standard "Shake, Rattle & Roll." All the signs are there of the superstar he was about to become.
• On this appearance on the Milton Berle Show, Elvis improvises a tempo change midway through "Hound Dog" and gets his band to slow down to a half-speed blues shuffle, which only brings more sleaze out of the song. Definitely a defining moment for Elvis.
• The 1968 Elvis TV special, AKA "The Comeback Special". Wearing an iconic black leather outfit and making his first live performance since 1961, Elvis gives a series of hour-long concerts that proves, after many years of going Hollywood, that he was still an incredible musician. The concerts get edited into the overall special - along with other staged performances - and the special is hailed as an instant classic.
• Asked his opinion on The Vietnam War, Elvis is said to have replied, "Ma'am, I'm just an entertainer," and walked away. Talk about tact.
  • When the reporter then asked if more entertainers should follow his lead and not speak out about Vietnam, Elvis answered "No." And that's why Elvis was awesome.
• This performance here. The concert was just six months before his death. It's obvious he's not in the best condition, and he seems a bit... er... spaced out. Nonetheless, that shift from his listless and weak intro to him singing and playing his heart out pretty well outlines why he was the King.

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