Thornton's story is not unique, as Elvis was influenced by B.B. King, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Jackson, Tharpe, Big Boy and more. Little Richard argued that he was the rightful heir to the king of rock 'n' roll title, with Berry up there with him.
Elvis Presley publicly stated in one of his Las Vegas concerts in 1976, that Roy Orbison was the "greatest singer in the world” indicating that Orbison had the most prefect voice. Elvis had so much respect for Orbison's songs that he would never ever do any cover versions of them.
Colonel Tom Parker was Elvis Presley's manager, friend, and mentor for most of his career.
He says Elvis's favorite groups were the Harmonizing Four and Golden Gate Quartet and his favorite gospel singers included Jimmy Jones, Jake Hess (who sang with the Statesmen and later formed the Imperials) and Mahalia Jackson.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
Elvis Presley's three-octave vocal range was exceptional, 'very narrowly all at once a tenor, baritone, and bass'. A 1987 article in the Village Voice included an assessment of his voice in classical terms, categorizing it as a 'lyric baritone ... [but with] unexpectedly rich low [notes] ... and astounding high notes'.
However, The Beatles outrank Elvis in terms of “fame”: The Beatles scored 4.423 vs. Elvis at 3.592. In terms of achievement (referred to as “gravitas”), Presley ranks at 3.523 vs. The Beatles at 2.284.
Elvis loved the twang of country music. He had several records by his pal Johnny Cash, as well as records by Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline and Hank Williams. His collection includes a 45 of “Ode to Billie Joe” by fellow native Mississippian, Bobbie Gentry.
It was a novel idea, since most TV specials then featured multiple artists and this one would focus solely on Elvis, but it wasn't until onetime Hullabaloo director Steve Binder and his producer foil Bones Howe took creative control and told Elvis it could be an opportunity to do what Binder called 'something really ...
Young Hendrix was particularly fond of Elvis Presley; the color drawing below, showing Elvis wielding a guitar,was made by an impressionable 15-year-old Hendrix two months after attending Presley's concert at Sick's Stadium on September 1, 1957, as a follow up to his note taking there, during the concert itself, in ...
Elvis and the Beatles were, at best, frenemies
At best, Elvis and the Beatles had a strained relationship. There's only one well-publicized meeting between the two, which occurred on August 27, 1965 when the Beatles visited Presley in his Beverly Hills home.
As teenagers, The Beatles, especially John Lennon, were strongly influenced by Elvis Presley. They started wearing their hair slicked back like Elvis. They admired his rebelliousness and his appeal to women, not to mention his musical talent. “Nothing affected me until I heard Elvis,” John Lennon said.
The future King of Pop had met the King of Rock and his daughter in late 1974 while performing with the Jackson Five in Las Vegas. Michael, 16 then, was on his way up; Elvis, pushing 40 and terminally addicted, was on his way down.
But the real difference between Elvis and other singers was that he could sing majestically in any style, be it rock, country, or R&B – because he had soul. He sang from the heart. And that is what made him the greatest singer in the history of popular music.
Voice characteristics
Elvis Presley was a baritone whose voice had an extraordinary compass — the so-called register — and a very wide range of vocal colour. It covered two octaves and a third, from the baritone low-G to the tenor high B, with an upward extension in falsetto to at least a D flat.
In terms of numbers, The Beatles have sold 36.5 million more albums in the U.S. than Elvis, yet Elvis sold 25.5 million more singles than The Beatles.
As to be expected, due to his far greater number of total chart entries, Elvis has the advantage over The Beatles in most performance categories. Presley placed 102 titles in Billboard's top 40, while The Beatles had 50 entries that made it that far up the chart.
Elvis has the highest amount of Riaa certifications in history , far more than mj. Elvis has the highest amount of Riaa certifications in history , far more than mj. Elvis is commonly called the king or king of rock and roll.
Miles Teller was a top fan choice for the role of Elvis. At the time of the international casting call for the part, fans were abuzz posting side-by-side comparisons of the Top Gun: Maverick star next to the iconic crooner Presley.
Baz Luhrmann, the director behind the Elvis Presley biopic, has revealed pop icon Harry Styles auditioned for the starring role, and compared striking similarities between the two artists.
While his gorgeous locks of jet-black hair that perfectly complement Elvis Presley's eye color of striking ice blue helped him seduce any woman possible, it's surprising to know that The King of Rock' n' Roll was actually born a natural blonde.
The admiration of Elvis expanded greatly when Paul got to see Presley's sense of humor and good looks in the movies. “We all loved Elvis – he was so hot,” Paul McCartney gushed years later. “We were just so in love with him.