Who Was Elvis Presley?By: Geoff Edgers, Who HQ Illustrator: John O'Brien Series: Who Was? Put on your blue suede shoes and get ready for another addition to the Who Was? series! The King could not have come from humbler origins: Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, during the Depression, he grew up with the blues music of the rural South, the gospel music of local churches, and the country western classics. But he forged a sound all his ownand a look that was all his own, too.