A crucial element in Elvis' sonic signature was his use of vibrato. The final Battle Hymn of the Republic' segment of the 1972 recording of An American Trilogy features the sound of his vocal folds vibrating together in all their glory creating a sound that has been much copied in pop music but never bettered.
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'.
'Elvis' lowest effective note was a low-G, as heard on 'He'll Have To Go' (1976); on 'King Creole' (1958), he growls some low-F's; going up, his highest full-voiced notes were the high-B's in 'Surrender' (1961) and 'Merry Christmas Baby' (1971), the high-G at the end of 'My Way' (1976 live version), and the high-A of ' ...
Elvis' perfect pitch was just one of the many factors that contributed to his success. The singing range of Elvis Presley was quite extensive, ranging from three octaves to a full seven. He was able to identify pitches accurately, which helped him to create his own unique style of music.
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.
The world is full of Elvis Presley impersonators, but only one, Jimmy 'Orion' Ellis, sounded so much like him that people were convinced he actually was Elvis.
The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, had one of the most unique and recognizable voices of all time. Though he was mostly self-taught, Elvis did receive some vocal training early on from his mother, who was a singer herself.
I've never had a singing lesson in my life. No music lesson of any kind, in fact. I just started singing when I was a little kid, like I told you, and I've been doing it ever since. I was 11 years old when I went in front of a real audience for the first time.
Elvis held Roy Orbison is very high regard, publicly stating that Roy had ' most perfect voice' and referring to him as the 'greatest singer in the world' during one of his Vegas concerts.
Aretha Franklin. Rightfully bestowed with the title of Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin's inimitable voice propelled songs like “Respect” and “I Say A Little Prayer For You” into worldwide hits.
One theory is that Elvis was lip syncing to pre-recorded tracks. This would explain why his voice sounded so perfect on recordings. Another theory is that Elvis used vocal enhancements or Auto-Tune to make his voice sound better on recordings. Whether or not Elvis actually sang all of his songs is still up for debate.
After a performance at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, Elvis was told by the concert hall manager that he was better off as a truck driver because he would never make it as a singer.
On his vocal warm-up routine:
Funnily enough, Elvis Presley said that before he went on stage, he would sing “Delilah” — my version. He would sing along with it. And once he could sing it like that, he knew he was ready.
It was during a live performance in Hawaii that Elvis Presley was famously seen crying. It was 1965 and he was performing his hit song “Can't Help Falling in Love.” The moment was captured by photographer Alfred Wertheimer and has become one of the most iconic images of Elvis.
The Oscar-nominated Elvis star is *still* talking in his Elvis accent. Austin Butler, born and raised in Anaheim, California, still talks like Elvis Presley, who was raised in Mississippi with a distinctly southern drawl.
Makeup helps sell the illusion, but so does Butler's voice. “There was a change in vocal energy as the character aged,” says Byrne. “That has to do a little bit with the pitch that he's speaking at, which got lower and gruffer as it went on, which is probably pretty true to what Elvis experienced in real life.”
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.
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.
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.
Kjell Elvis was born in Farsund, was raised in Vanse, and currently resides in Lyngdal. While he was in the military in 1988, he started doing some Elvis impersonating. He has had plastic surgery a number of times, to look more like his idol, Elvis Presley, the first one in 1994.
Elvis enjoyed plenty of popular artists as well, like the Bee Gees, Tom Jones, Neil Sedaka and Peter, Paul & Mary.
The well-known names compiled here include Cliff Richard, The Drifters, Conway Twitty, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Burnette, Billy Fury, Ral Donner, Charlie Rich, Johnny Rivers, Charlie Gracie etc, while the unknowns include Jimmy Meng, Eli Whitney, Barry Stanton, Lafay Hawkins, Gary Middleton and Bobby Stevens.
I learned very early in life that: 'Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song. ' So I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you.”
In a 1978 interview with Playboy Magazine, Parton discussed the parallels drawn between herself and Elvis. She explained that, while she sadly never had the chance to meet Elvis, “There was nobody that [she] ever related to more.