The case for Elvis Presley

Elvis was the biggest entertainmemt star and most impactful cultural figure of the 20th Century. I think this is widely understood.

 

I love what Brian Mc had to say above.

“I sing all kinds” pretty much sums it up.

 

I agree but nearly 20 years into the 21st century some from the 20th still seem to resonate with folks that Elvis doesn't.
That's why I am hoping one day they grasp his significance.

 

I haven't seen it yet but I just ordered it and sent to my mom's addresss so she can wrap it for me for Christmas.

 

My only complaint about The Searcher is that it wasn’t longer.

 

Well, I am pretty much with @Brian Mc, when it comes to these threads on Elvis that sometimes drive non-Elvis fans to lose their sanity. In 2018 alone, Elvis received 17 new Gold or Platinum certifications from the RIAA. He now has over 145 million in US album sales alone. He had a fantastic two part documentary on HBO that makes the case for his singular effect on popular music over the course of his relatively short life of 42 years. Elvis had two best selling "new" albums hit the higher reaches of the British album chart in the last year alone and has had several new box set releases this year as well as his own dedicated collector label (FTD) for several decades now. Elvis also recently received the Presidential Medal Of Freedom for his cultural and historical contribution to his native country. He is only the third posthumous singer in history to receive this award. Elvis will probably release more albums this next year than any current best selling artist in the world. His box set collections now number in the dozens.

I am sure a number of these facts drive some Elvis haters nuts, but as Johnny Cash would say on their behalf and for their sake, "I Don't Like It, But I Guess Things Happen That Way!"

 

Not to be one of those guys.....but Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, Dylan are on that list (which of course is meaningless really, but a fact is a fact.) But Elvis is not. He should be, but thats according to this list anyway.

TIME 100 Persons of The Century

 

My only complaint about the Searcher is that there is no Blu Ray release, I mean cmon- it's practically 2019!

 

TIME Magazine -- U.S. Edition -- June 8, 1998 Vol. 151 No. 22

Aretha and Sinatra are on that list too

 

Always a huge Elvis fan ever since I was a kid... every since My dad introduced me to his music. I recently read a few books while researching for a review on his second Gold Records album, released in 1959. Those books really brought the mystique of Elvis to a whole new light, including his unique record sessions:
A Life In Music: The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen
Elvis, The #1 Hits by Patrick Humphries
“Elvis Music FAQ” by Mike Eder
“Untold God: The Stories Behind Elvis’ #1 Hits” by Ace Collins;

Truly one of a kind, and my respect for his music only increased after reading more about him.

 

The thing to remember about Elvis Aron Presley is that he did not come out & say, "You can forget all about these black performers now, because I'm here". No. Elvis was just as thrilled with all his chart family as any bobby soxer then. Chuck Berry, Fats, Little Richard, Platters, Jimmy Reed, his Sun family with Cash, Perkins, Lewis, Orbison & Rich, the country performers on "Louisiana Hayride", he was a pal to Pat Boone, Pop singers like Dean & Frank he had mad respect for, the ones following behind like Ricky Nelson, of course any of the gospel quartets....the list goes on. He knew he was but one big piece of fabric on the musical quilt in post-war America, and I'm sure he was embarrassed at the constant "king" moniker he was saddled with. It's true he did not know how to process the big change that arrived on February 7th, 1964, but someone should have told him, "Look...these new arrivals from England may look a little freaky, but you know what? They're here because of all the work you & your chart family did back then, and to continue selling it to the younger ones. You ought to be thinking exactly how YOU were perceived in '56. It wasn't that different". That he still can fascinate & still move an occasional disc in almost 2020 is pretty damn remarkable. Especially when you consider dated things like the slap-back echo all over those records.

 

Here is a partial list of some famous musicians and celebrities who have felt the need to visit Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of Elvis Presley, just in this past year:

Dua Lipa - British pop star - Age 23 - First solo female artist since Adele to have a number one song on British charts.
Kacey Musgraves - Country music singer - Age 30 - and current Grammy Album of the year nominee.
Millie Bobby Brown - Emmy winning actress - Age 14 - Also youngest person to ever make Time Magazine's Most Influential 100 List.
Niall Horan - Former One Direction member - Age 25
Lana Del Rey - Pop singer - Age 33
Betty Wright - Soul Singer and songwriter - Age 64
5 Seconds Of Summer - Australian pop-rock band.
Sum 41 - American rock band

As you can see, Elvis is still a major influence on a rather diverse group of music artists and reaches across many genres and ages as well. Again, this is just a small sampling.

 

Elvis' recording of Hound Dog wasn't even HER version, he covered this version:



Ironically, L&S changed the lyrics because the original was too raunchy for a white audience. Then Elvis releases his version of Freddie's cover and scandalizes it.

 

Most black artists, hell most artists period, were duped into signing terrible deals that left them with no money. When Roy Brown, who I argued might be the real architect of rock and roll (not sorry, Little Richard, get off your religious soapbox smh), confronted King Records about his finances and sued them, he never was able to have a hit again.

 

Elvis' legacy can always use a 'bump', in life and in death. That's what got him in trouble!

 

Yeah -- I don't get it.
Baffling.

 

Among my family and friends, I am known for my memory. I cannot tell you how long I have believed what I posted was true. And no, you are not one of those guys because as you say, facts are facts.

 

It's not just young people.

 

Those four Fab lads from Liverpool wanna have a word with you.

 

Agree, but the OP targeted "the youth today", so I answered.
Also, older folks are not (and never been) influenced that much by musicians by default, but for teenagers before the new millennium pop and rock musicians and their music and what they preached and represented was of huge importance, which is no longer the case with the new generation, IMO.

 

First, that's four lads. You'd have to put someone like Dylan or Bing or Armstrong or Picasso up against him. And even if we counted groups, I don't think the lads would anyway. Elvis was the man for them too.

 

I think it depends on the what the teenager wanted to be influenced by.

Sex and drugs and rock & roll? Sure, why not - it fell in line with those feelings of rebellion anyway. But if a musician spoke of the plight of people in impoverished countries I don't think their entire flock was going to suddenly give donations. A few certainly, but not all.

One difference I would agree on is that young people today have different role models they look at...not just musicians.

 

Yes, and often they even don't have (or need) role models. They consume and enjoy entertainment without taking the entertainers so seriously, and this is not necessarily a bad thing.. they just have different priorities compared to some previous generations.

 

Roy was definitely an influence on Elvis--the first time I heard Roy's voice I instantly recognized from where Elvis and Jackie Wilson derived their big theatrical streak in vocal tone.

 

Beautiful piece of writing. Not only can't they grasp it but they haven't got a clue as well. Not only in regard to Elvis, but also to many classic rock singers, painters, musicians, etc.
I learnt it the hard way both as a father and a teacher. They live in a bubble of mass consumption and they treat themselves to their ipod controllers. I was born in 64 so I was merely
a teenager when Elvis died. My parents did not like his music but they respected him both as an artist and an influencer. They remarked how big his achievement was for a guy born
in an unforsaken place like Tupelo (with due respect, of course), 3000 miles away from where I was born. So that tickled my interest, and through friends I started listening to tapes
with his music and then buying the records. That opened the door to Beatles, Kinks, Stones and then, to all the rest. I learnt about rock, music, painting, cinema. I learnt about Dylan and
I developed this hobby I am so proud of. I doubt any of these millennials will ever do. And that makes me sad and should make us all think where we are heading to.
Elvis was unique and irreplaceable. An incredible talent and the driving force for generations on end. God bless him