Oakland Museum at the Oakland International Airport

September 24, 2004 - January 12, 2005
Eye of the Storm
Oakland International Airport
Located in the connecting walkway between the two terminals.

Airport Exhibition Archive

Elvis signs autographs on the Paramount Studios lot, Hollywood, CA, January 1957. Courtesy of ©Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Experience Elvis Presley’s meteoric rise and the unprecedented mass hysteria he created through photographs and unique artifacts. Eye of the Storm celebrates 50 years (1954–2004) of Elvis and rock ‘n’ roll by capturing a memorable point in this American original’s life, vividly reported to have caused so many to break “from their seats, swept like a wave up to the stage.”

When Elvis walked into the Memphis Recording Service on July 5, 1954, the idea that he would revolutionize music and leave a monumental imprint on society did not visit him as he approached the microphone. With the release of the uninhibited fruit of that session, SUN 209, his debut single, the whirlwind began, and Elvis stood center stage in a defining cultural change. No one had seen anything like him. A conservative America soon did an anxious double take, assured itself that this “delinquent” and his “deplorable” music would not last, and settled passionately into what one magazine called, The War of the Generations.

Elvis Presley on stage at Russwood Park, Memphis, TN, July 5, 1956. Courtesy of ©Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

In the South racial segregation reigned in schools, public places, and neighborhoods. Elvis shook this already combustible social terrain with a singular outpouring, a fusion of rhythm and blues and country. Black and white music had united. Elvis commanded attention, not just for his seismic performances, disarming looks, and mannerly demeanor off-stage, but also for his appreciation for what was then called “race music”— and, more importantly, the integrity of the men and women who made it.

Into this charged era, Elvis offered his dynamic, inventive style. He at once showered his fans and answered his critics through rare talent. Imaginations soared when his rich baritone struck from the turntable. When his voice echoed through a microphone, it competed with a spontaneous cascade of roof-lifting screams and anguished wails. Whether on stage, film, or television, boundaries disappeared. An interplay remained, electrifying, playful, instinctive, and flowing, without pause, into hearts.

Ben Petry, Curator