Music Banter - View Single Post - Who deserves the title "The King of Rock and Roll"?

Certif1ed · 09-22-2009, 01:39 PM

I don't know what the criteria are - hey, Kings aren't elected, they just take their rightful place, correct?

It has to be Elvis.

As has been noted, his was the face, voice and hips of rock and roll - he effectively kicked off the rock and roll party and kept it swinging right into the 1970s, when by rights it should have given way to the musical trends that followed.

Just because someone starts a trend, it doesn't mean that they were either better at it or better at "ruling" the music.

Elvis, while he was alive, completely ruled - it's easy to forget that now he's not here, like it is difficult to appreciate the impact of Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra and Little Richard, but people continued to play his songs, slick back their hair and generally want to be him in so many other ways right through the 50s, 60s and 70s. There's a guy in my town who thinks he IS Elvis, and there's a guy works down the chip shop...

Little Richard wasn't king of rock and roll - he was a huge explosion of wildness into a scene that was already considered wild, and his legacy lives on - but his energy died out pretty quickly - he had no momentum.

Likewise Chuck Berry. Guitar God and all that, with a few stonking numbers, but only Elvis actually kept it going the whole time and grew (quite literally) with his subjects.

Ask someone to name an Elvis song. Easy right - they can probably name several.

Now a Little Richard song. Bet they can't name as many - they may get "Tutti Frutti" or "Lucille", but that's about it.

Now Chuck Berry. "My Ding-a-Ling". Hmm. Not much of a legacy, eh Chuck?

Then there were the films - Presley had the whole media machine in the palm of his hand right from the start, while Little Richard and Chuck Berry were simply flavours of the month. Films? What films!

Harsh but fair, I think.

Elvis = The King.

09-22-2009, 01:39 PM	#106 (permalink)
Certif1ed Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 194	I don't know what the criteria are - hey, Kings aren't elected, they just take their rightful place, correct? It has to be Elvis. As has been noted, his was the face, voice and hips of rock and roll - he effectively kicked off the rock and roll party and kept it swinging right into the 1970s, when by rights it should have given way to the musical trends that followed. Just because someone starts a trend, it doesn't mean that they were either better at it or better at "ruling" the music. Elvis, while he was alive, completely ruled - it's easy to forget that now he's not here, like it is difficult to appreciate the impact of Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra and Little Richard, but people continued to play his songs, slick back their hair and generally want to be him in so many other ways right through the 50s, 60s and 70s. There's a guy in my town who thinks he IS Elvis, and there's a guy works down the chip shop... Little Richard wasn't king of rock and roll - he was a huge explosion of wildness into a scene that was already considered wild, and his legacy lives on - but his energy died out pretty quickly - he had no momentum. Likewise Chuck Berry. Guitar God and all that, with a few stonking numbers, but only Elvis actually kept it going the whole time and grew (quite literally) with his subjects. Ask someone to name an Elvis song. Easy right - they can probably name several. Now a Little Richard song. Bet they can't name as many - they may get "Tutti Frutti" or "Lucille", but that's about it. Now Chuck Berry. "My Ding-a-Ling". Hmm. Not much of a legacy, eh Chuck? Then there were the films - Presley had the whole media machine in the palm of his hand right from the start, while Little Richard and Chuck Berry were simply flavours of the month. Films? What films! Harsh but fair, I think. Elvis = The King.