Elvis Aaron Presley (Tupelo, January 8, 1935 – Memphis, August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most famous singers of the 20th century, a source of inspiration for many rock and roll musicians and performers, so much so that he was nicknamed the king of rock. Over the course of his career he has ranged from rock and roll (of which, thanks to the historical period in which he began his career, he is usually considered among the main creators) to the genres of rhythm and blues, country and western, gospel, spiritual, traditional, melodic and pop music. In his twenty-four year career he has released 61 albums and it is estimated that he has sold over 1 billion records worldwide.