Elvis Presley getting more popular?

You can't really force someone to like something. Some just aren't interested in Elvis or his contemporaries for whatever reason.

Also, some people judge music based on the period it was made, and some judge music based on whether it's good or not. As for me, I don't care if a song was written in 2000 BC or on April 18, 2018. If it's well written, well performed and speaks to me in some way I'll like it. Even then not all 3 have to apply at the same time for me to enjoy a piece.

 

It's like literature. If it's good it's timeless, production values aside. That can be a barrier sometimes, but personally I love the texture of older music, if that makes sense...

 

As an Elvis fan, I of course would love it if he was even more popular. But speaking objectively, he's done pretty well for himself. How many other 1950s rock and roll stars enjoy the popularity that he still does? Johnny Cash might be regarded as more cool, but that's because he survived long enough to cut those final albums. Time eventually kills everything, and even Elvis must someday become another part of history. Al Jolson was once the king of the world--who listens to him now?

That said, Elvis's music still resonates, and there are a couple of factors that might prevent him from being even more popular.
First, the death of genuine oldies stations, which is a cultural crime. 1950s-60s music is becoming harder and harder to hear on the radio. I became interested in Elvis after hearing "Kentucky Rain" on a classic rock station; I doubt many people after me will. On the other hand, radio itself is in decline and there are many other music venues around...
More serious is the second factor--Elvis is seen by many as a thief and cultural appropriator of black music. Anyone who knows anything about Elvis and about black music knows this is nonsense, but for those with imperfect knowledge and an (understandable) desire to blame someone for the racist treatment of African American artists, Elvis becomes the scapegoat. Their ire would be more accurately wielded against folks like Pat Boone, but who listens to him nowadays?

Anyway, Elvis is doing pretty well for himself regardless of such hurdles. And I think rock critics, thanks to the efforts of Messrs. Marcus, Marsh, and Guralnick, are treating him better than he ever has been, and the reception given to the Legacy albums has been tremendously encouraging.

 

Elvis has left the building. Long ago!

 

I accept the Status Quo. Great band!

 

Just not popular in the worlds biggest market.

 

That's OK, the US had and still has ZZ Top.

 

This. It's insidious and the real reason for Elvis' disappearance from public view as an artist in "the world's biggest market"(@dudley07726). I place these unfounded and erroneous attacks on Elvis' legacy on a par with the publication of Albert Goldman's biography in 1981 as an act of "cultural genocide" (to paraphrase Greil Marcus)

 

I have never heard that said in any way. Where has that been insinuated. It is ridiculous of course.
You're right about Boone but I just saw something with him and his wife recently (I don't know where) so he is still somewhat in the limelight in certain circles.

 

I guess I'd be one of the nay-sayers. I do like Elvis. But my liking him is not the point. Even the excellence of some of his work is not the point. It's just the way that people listen to music in part through their identifications and their media exposure. There will be some kids out there who are happy to investigate and enjoy music before 2010 and, if you're going that far back, you may as well stretch it back to the beginnings of the rock and roll LP. There will be those kids. And they'll know the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin, and Bowie, maybe Hendrix and the Doors, maybe the Pixies and Nirvana, maybe Lennon, James Brown, or Michael Jackson. Maybe Presley too, why not? Throw in a bonus of +2 if the kid is a white southerner or has a parent who is fascinated by pop music history. But, really, we should all accommodate ourselves to the fact that, overwhelmingly, the voices that spoke (sang) to earlier generations are just not on the radar for young people today. That's not a slam on quality -- it's just the fact that these older acts are not really a part of the contemporary pop culture scene, not part of the conversations that young people have about what's relevant to their time and place.

 

Of course it is, but hey...

As far as I know, it made its first appearance in a public forum here....

Helen Kolawole: He wasn't my king

... and despite the inaccuracies contained within the article, it's taken on a life of its own.

 

Hmmm maybe some of the people who continue to buy Elvis' music just don't want to admit it, much like they didn't in the 60s and 70s and 80s and 90s!

 

David Lee Roth does.

 

People grow up and grow older. I believe Elvis waits patiently to be discovered and appreciated, maybe even loved, by many future generations .

 

She can't even spell Big Mama Thornton correctly. sigh.

 

The Elvis is racist canard has been widely repeated and (I'm going from memory and shooting from the hip here) was originally hung on him back in the '50s, per Peter Guralnick's bio. A reporter from Jet magazine was sent to ask him about racist remarks attributed to him and wrote that he believed Elvis' strong denial. In Fight the Power, Chuck D said "Elvis was a hero to most/But he never meant **** to me/Straight up racist, the sucker was/simple and plain/Muther**** him and John Wayne." In recent times Chuck D has backtracked somewhat and said it was nothing personal against Elvis, he was just the "fall guy" for white people ignoring black history and proclaiming him the King.

The cultural appropriation debate, which has at times reached ridiculous conclusions, has now dragged Elvis into the discussion. Keep in mind one thing when reading that Guardian piece: Big Momma Thornton didn't write Hound Dog, as she wrote. It was written by a couple of Jewish guys named Leiber and Stoller.

 

I teach elementary music and my students love Elvis. Of course, I play his music for them.

 

I was at a record store in Tupelo, MS for RSD. As you can imagine, they had a large number of used Elvis records. Owner told me they couldn’t hardly give them away. Of course, this doesn’t prove a thing, just thought it was an interesting note.

 

The real issue with Elvis is that he did not write original material very often. He is lucky that he was one of the first pop entertainers of the TV and high fidelity recording age. So there is a lot of video material available and the sonics are pretty good. Sinatra also benefited from that. Elvis does have the advantage over the Songbook singers that at least much of his material was either written for him or did not have a long independent existence. His Christmas LP is another factor in maintaining awareness of him. So leaving Top 100 popularity aside, the chances are good that Elvis will remain an iconic figure in some pantheon of past colorful entertainers.

 

I'm apart of generation Z, and I can't imagine anyone not knowing who he is. Everybody does and will continue to do so. When my generation thinks of the 50's, they think Elvis and black and white TV.

 

Nice to hear. I know of a number of instances where kids in generation Z are unfamiliar with Elvis Presley (other than perhaps loosely recognizing the name) and other 1960's and 1970's music icons. Clearly, the fact that you are on this site suggests you are a true music enthusiast -- I know a number of kids from generation Z who are casual music fans, who mostly pay attention to the present music trends and artists.

 

Me too, unfortunately. I'd say that The Beatles and Elvis are the two most known stars from 'old' music. Neither seem to have any respect whatsoever, though.

 

He's a cartoony character to most people under 50.

This statement bothers me as it implies that Elvis is somehow singular in his cartoonishness. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, the Parliament/Funkadelic continuum, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck D, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Kurt Cobain, and almost any other well known rocker is cartoonish. The Beatles had a cartoon series dedicated to them in the 1960's. Enter the name of any Rock legend and then the word "cartoon," and you will see how widespread and ultimately non-damning cartoonishness is.

 

Elvis is Alive!

 

If you like a good live performer, you like Elvis!