Elvis Presley

"Before Elvis, there was nothing." John Lennon

With a nickname like the king of rock and roll, the influence Elvis Presley had on rock and roll music is undeniable. With his provocative hip swinging and unorthodox voice, Presley broke down barriers of the modern expectations onstage and stood out as the flashy kid from Memphis. Elvis’ inspiration comes from his roots as a teenager in Memphis. At an early age, he was exposed to all different kinds of music like country, rhythm and blues and gospel music. Presley combined all of these styles to make his own unique sound. Many people thought Elvis was black at first because his voice was similar to African American singers at the time. This fact was not lost to Elvis or black singers alike. From an early age, Elvis embraced black music, listened to it and even incorporated it into his songs. Many people credit Elvis with helping to break down the color barrier in music and open the door up for African American artists to make it big. Elvis’ popularity stretched from the early 1950s all the way into the early ‘70s. Over that span, Presley won three Grammy Awards and also holds the record for most Top Forty Hits (107), Top Ten Hits (38) and for the most weeks at #1 (80). Elvis will always be remembered as the king and one of the main reasons rock and roll was born.

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