When did Elvis Presley music become popular?

The music of Elvis Presley became popular in the mid-1950s. His first single, "Heartbreak Hotel," was a number-one hit upon its release in January 1956.

Presley, born in 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, grew up there and in Memphis, Tennessee. He was an early proponent of a style of music called rockabilly that combines country and rhythm-and-blues. His superstardom is often attributed to the combination of his good looks and the newly-burgeoning teenage market of the postwar years. In addition, he offered a synthesis of African American music that was palatable to white audiences. Early television appearances also contributed to his fame, which helped him to reach a nationwide audience.