Rough
road to the top for The King's Daughter:
As
the only child of rock & roll's first and most celebrated
rock star, Lisa Marie Presley would have to work extremely
hard to establish her own individuality, far far away from
her famous Father.
It
would be a rough road, but Lisa Marie had the spark and rawness
to do it and to do it on her own terms. Born to Elvis and
Priscilla Presley on February 1, 1968, Elvis's only daughter
spent the first four years of her life at Graceland where
she was the apple of her father's eye. When her parents split
in 1972, Lisa Marie left Nashville with her mother for the
suburbs of Los Angeles, but would regularly visit Elvis in
Memphis.
Music
was undoubtedly a big part of her life; Elton John, David
Cassidy and some of Elvis' softer songs were her favorites.
Having music around allowed Lisa Marie an escape. The tension
between two households and the geographic distance apart was
emotionally taxing for a young girl; such stress came to head
August 16, 1977 when her father died after an apparent drug
overdose. Lisa Marie was nine-years-old. The decade that followed
showed an aggressive young lady that lacked direction and
discipline. Lisa Marie meddled in drugs during her teenage
years while listening to Devo and The Sex Pistols.
At
age 18, she left drugs behind and began following Scientology.
During this time, Lisa Marie began writing songs, but the
process proved nerve-racking. Lisa Marie was aware of the
pressures of being Elvis Presley's daughter, so she didn't
exactly pursue songwriting that seriously. She had something
else in mind; she married her longtime boyfriend, Danny Keough,
in 1988.
The
six-year marriage produced two children, Danielle and Ben.
Motherhood grounded her, but not entirely--Lisa Marie was
a rebel at heart and the tabloids loved it. In 1994, rumors
circulated that she and Michael Jackson had tied the knot
in the Dominican Republic. The union was initially denied
in May, but the world couldn't believe their eyes when Lisa
Marie and the King of Pop appeared on the annual MTV Music
Awards four months later. The two locked lips to the crowd's
surprise and those watching at home were equally a gasp. Was
it a gimmick or real love? Between television appearances
and media scrutiny, Lisa Marie had had enough of Michael Jackson
and divorced him 1997. She was mentally and physically exhausted.
Music
soothed her once more and a chance meeting with producer Glen
Ballard motivated Lisa Marie to give the music thing another
try. Ballard was impressed with her dark, luckless melodies
and inked her a deal with Capitol. Her debut album was slated
for a 2000 release, but Ballard didn't stick around to the
final product.
The
next year, Lisa Marie starting dating actor Nicolas Cage;
the couple married in summer 2002 despite it being a tumultuous
relationship from the start. Sadly, Cage and Lisa Marie's
wedded bliss fell short three months later when the pair split
for good. Lisa Marie might have been down, but she wasn't
out.
Lisa
Marie Presley bravely made her musical debut in spring 2003
with the release of To Whom It May Concern. Deeply personal,
edgy and furious, To Whom It May Concern showed a side of
Lisa Marie that was both smart and brash. She wasn't interested
in living up to her Father's legacy in the eyes of others
because she was comfortable with her own. To Whom It May Concern
sold 140,000 copies during its first week of release in April.
It was also one of the year's highest debuts with its #5 position
on Billboard.
(Source:
MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide/VH1.com)
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