Elvis Presley – the original “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – graduated from the regional Memphis-based Sun Records to a major recording contract with RCA Records in late 1955. He’d go on to sell 50.5 million 45 rpm records – and that’s not counting his many albums or tickets to the movies in which he starred. Here’s a look at Elvis’ success as a singles artist.

DON’T MISS: 2020 American Music Awards – Taraji P. Henson is the host for the annual trophy bash that celebrates the year’s best chart-topping artists as determined by fan votes. Among the night’s performers at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles are Bad Bunny with Jhay Cortez, Billie Eilish, BTS, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez and Maluma.

A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents, including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics, has sold at auction for $495,000. Boston-based R.R. Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover was sold Thursday to a bidder whose identity was not made public.

A year after Rosalía made history by becoming the first solo female performer in 13 years to win the top prize at the Latin Grammys, Natalia Lafourcade followed in her footsteps with a big win at the 2020 show. The Mexican singer won album of the year — a category dominated by male acts — on Thursday night with “Un Canto Por México, Vol. 1."

No top-tier recording artist has performed in Spokane as often as Sir Elton John has over the last 20 years. John, who released his latest eight-CD box set, "Elton: Jewel Box," on Nov. 13, has performed at the Spokane Arena in May 1999, April 2011, September 2014 and March 2017.

What do you get for the music lover who has everything? A ticket to something they've never heard, or seen, before, like Northwest BachFest's virtual "Across the Miles" series. The series, which features virtual concerts from and interviews with a variety of performers, launched in October with “The Intimate World of Cole Porter.”

Can an 8-year-old have musical pillars? Sure. Raheem DeVaughn already had a few by that age – Prince, Bob Marley, Earth Wind and Fire – and he says he’ll never forget the Sunday afternoon when one of them toppled: April 1, 1984. “I had gone to the movies with my mother,” DeVaughn says of that moment.

The Flaming Lips have canceled their March 19 concert at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. In an email, Fox staff said though the show has not been rescheduled, they look forward to welcoming the Flaming Lips to the Fox in the future. Refunds have been issued to those who bought tickets with a debit or credit card.

The Spokane Symphony's Gala 2020 streams live at 7 p.m. Thursday at event.gives/sso/. During the fundraising event, music director James Lowe will discuss his thoughts on live music for 2021, and there will, of course, be plenty of music from symphony musicians and special guests. 

When AC/DC concluded its 25-song set with the anthemic "For Those About to Rock" at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center four years ago, it appeared that the iconic Australian hard rock band was finished after a glorious 43-year run. It was the final date of a tour the band almost didn't complete.

Gonzaga University’s Theatre & Dance Department is presenting its second annual “Dance Presents! Concert” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and the free event, livestreamed from the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, will feature original choreography by Kyle Davis, principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Gonzaga Ballet Ensemble.

Much has been made of Seattle's storied history of rock music, which commenced with the Sonics in 1960. Jimi Hendrix, Heart, Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Fleet Foxes, Pearl Jam and Band of Horses are just some of the notable recording artists to emerge from the Emerald City.

Any other year, the Spokane Community College campus would start to buzz about the Spokane Fall Folk Festival, which launches Saturday. The two-day festival, which debuted in 1996, typically brings more than 100 performing groups and 5,000 attendees to town each year.

Britney Spears wants to be freed from her father. The pop star's moves have been missing from stage and screen in a career hiatus that shows no signs of ending, but she's been making all kinds of maneuvers in court in an attempt to gain greater control over her life and money after 12 years of a court conservatorship.

In his book, “Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life,” trumpeter, composer and educator Wynton Marsalis wrote, “Because jazz musicians improvise under the pressure of time, what's inside comes out pure. It's like being pressed to answer a question before you have a chance to get your lie straight.”

The 54th Annual CMA Awards – Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are the hosts for what is touted as “country music’s biggest night.” Organizers say the event at Nashville’s Music City Center marks the first time this year that the genre’s top stars will gather together – safely and socially distanced – in a single venue.

Spokane singer-songwriter Liam St. John performed Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy” for his blind audition in the new Season 19 of NBC’s “The Voice” on Oct. 20, and his appropriately sexy rendition caught the attention of coaches and newly engaged couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton.

Spokane resident Jan Oliver answered questions over the phone after her son, Liam St. John, 29, joined Gwen Stefani’s team on the new Season 19 of NBC’s “The Voice” on Oct. 20: How proud are you of Liam’s debut on “The Voice”? All our family is incredibly proud of him and so excited for his dream coming to reality.

When Elvis Costello made his one and only local appearance at the Big Easy, which is now the Knitting Factory, in 2005, it appeared that the celebrated singer-songwriter was content and about to enter the back end of an incomparable career. Costello was busy with a few distractions during that period.