Elvis Presley

Elvis, aka Elvis Aaron Presley (1935-77): iconic American singer and sometime film actor known as the ‘King of Rock and Roll’, with a career beginning at Sun Records (1954). His first single for RCA Victor, Heartbreak Hotel (1958), began a series of chart-topping singles and albums, plus a slew of Hollywood films. With around 500 million sales worldwide across a number of genres, Presley is one of the most successful recording artists of all time; and one of the most-satirised celebrities over MAD’s history, with appearances mapping his initial popularity, withdrawal from the spotlight, resurgence and eventual decline. Most definitive is possibly ‘Elvis Pelvis’ (Feldstein/Davis, #30 1956), with a masterly touch shown in ‘South Chicago’ (Jacobs/Drucker, #71 1962); Jaffee’s fold-in (#201 1978) is also worth mention. Elsewhere, MAD is peppered with representations by its artists, with varying levels of quality, including (clockwise) Kelly Freas (#34 1957); Bob Clarke (twice in #38 1958); C. C. Beall Jr (#39 1958); Wallace Wood (#40 1958) and (#44 ); George Woodbridge (#50 1959); Joe Orlando (#51 1959); Wood again (#59 1960); Dave Berg (#63 1961); George Woodbridge (#86 1964); Norman Mingo (Worst from MAD #9 1966); Gerry Gersten (#285 1989); Bob Jones (#288 1989); Angelo Torres (#288 1989); John Pound (#301 1991); Rick Tulka (#313 1992); Paul Peter Porges (#316 1993); Mort Drucker (#332 1994); Don Edwing (#333 1995); Paul Coker Jr (#340 1995); John Caldwell (#341 1995); Monte Wolverton (#341 1995); Sam Viviano (MAD TV 1995); Mort Drucker #344 1996); Mark Weiss #363 1997); and Joe DeVito (Big Bad MAD, 1997).