Breakthrough year: 1956

Several major record labels had shown interest in signing Presley. On November 21, 1955, Parker and Phillips negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $35,000.

To increase the singer's exposure, Parker finally brought Presley to television (in March 1955, Presley had failed a TV audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts). He had the singer booked for six of the Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show (CBS), beginning January 28, 1956, when he was introduced by Cleveland DJ Bill Randle. Parker also obtained a lucrative deal with Milton Berle (NBC) for two appearances.

On January 27, Presley's first RCA single, Heartbreak Hotel, was released. By April it reached number one in the U.S., and sold a million copies. On March 23, RCA released the first Presley album: Elvis Presley. As with the Sun recordings, the majority of the tracks were songs by or from country artists.

From April 23, he had a two-week booking at the Venus Room of the New Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas—billed this time as the Atomic Powered Singer. His performances were badly received, by critics and guests (it was an older, more conservative audience). However, Presley, Scotty and Bill saw Freddie Bell and the Bellboys live in Vegas, and liked their version of Leiber and Stoller's Hound Dog. By May 16, Presley had added the song to his own act.

After an April 3 appearance for The Milton Berle Show, shot onboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock in San Diego, Presley, Moore and Black took a chartered flight to Nashville for a recording session. The pilot got lost, made two unscheduled landings and after further mishaps along the way, all three were badly shaken. After more hectic touring, Presley returned to The Milton Berle Show on June 5 and performed Hound Dog (without his guitar). After singing it uptempo, he then began a slower version. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle around the microphone stand stirred the audience—as did his vigorous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat.

Presley's gyrations created a storm of controversy—even eclipsing the 'communist threat' head-lines prevalent at the time. The next day's press used such words as vulgar and obscene because of the strong sexual content perceived in his act. Presley was obliged to explain himself on the local New York City TV show Hy Gardner Calling: Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it.

The Milton Berle Show appearances drew such huge ratings that Steve Allen (NBC), not a fan of rock and roll, booked him for one appearance in New York. Allen announced: ... We want to do a show the whole family can watch and enjoy. And that’s what we always do. After Allen introduced the new Elvis (in white bow tie and black tails), he remarked: You are certainly being a good sport about the whole thing. Presley then sang Hound Dog to a top hat and bow tie-wearing Basset Hound sat on a pedestal (the performance lasted less than one minute). According to author Jake Austen, the way Steve Allen treated Elvis Presley was his federal crime. Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition... The day after (July 2), Presley recorded the single Hound Dog, making thirty takes before he was satisfied. Scotty Moore later said they were all angry about their treatment the previous night. (Presley often referred to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career.).

A few days later, Presley made a triumphant outdoor appearance in Memphis at which he announced: You know, those people in New York are not gone change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight.

Though Presley had been unhappy with the Steve Allen appearance, Allen's show had, for the first time, beaten The Ed Sullivan Show in the Sunday night ratings, prompting a previously critical Sullivan (CBS) to book Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.

Country vocalists The Jordanaires accompanied Presley on The Steve Allen Show and their first recording session together produced Any Way You Want Me, Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog. The Jordanaires would work with the singer through the 1960s.

Presley's first Ed Sullivan appearance (September 9, 1956) was seen by an estimated 55-60 million viewers. During the second show, Presley only had to shake his legs to get screams from the audience, which a bemused Sullivan did not notice him doing when stood next to the singer. For the third broadcast, the family-minded Sullivan censored Presley's gyrations: he was shown only above the waist. According to the show's director, Marlo Lewis, Sullivan told him that Presley was hangin' some kind of device in the crotch of his pants and that it was waving back and forth when the singer moved. Sullivan said: We can't have that on a Sunday night. That's a church night. Although Lewis ordered a cameraman to film only Presley's chest and head, he never believed the device was there at all. Despite his misgivings, Sullivan still declared at the end of the show: This is a real decent, fine boy. We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you... you're thoroughly all right.