The Man who the other Men sang about

How great must you be, if other great men sang of you?

In the mid 1950s, a poor boy from Tupelo, Mississippi changed the face of popular music forever. Though by no means is he credited for creating rock 'n' roll, it was he who made it mainstream and gave it unprecedented popularity across the United States and beyond. The white boy with the black voice, was indeed the goldmine that Sam Phillips once predicted he would be. One of the greatest singers of all time, he inspired a new generation of musicians to break out of the ordinary and be themselves.

His humble beginings in the deep south of the USA, where he never truly strayed far from, gave him much of his musical influences. These include rhythm & blues and gospel. These interspersed with the up-and-coming rock 'n' roll at the time paved the way for a style loosly termed 'rockabilly', which was Elvis' sound back then.
There was no stopping him from there on.

At the age of 42, he was gone too soon. But not before monumentally changing the lives of a host of starry eyed youth, who went on to become musical legends in their own rights.

Among those who considered him their inspiration, their idol, are giants such as Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury and Brian May (of Queen), Paul Simon, CCR, Dire Straits, Roy Orbison, Bryan Adams, Jimmy Buffet, the Bellamy Brothers, the Bangles, Alannah Myles and Marc Cohn. For me (with my limited knowledge of music), these are the ones who stand out of a large crowd of like minded musicians. Each of them have written and sung songs dedicated to the life, the memory and the legend that is Elvis Presley.

The Boss is another of my favourite singers, and I came across this audio clip quite by chance.The song called "Johnny Bye Bye" was written when Springsteen had first heard the news that Elvis was dead.
The lyric "you didn't have to die" is just stunning.

The more popular "Fire" which he performed himself, was actually written with the intention that his idol would sing it. Sadly, the latter had died by the time Springsteen had sent him the demo.

Then there are those songs which are often heard on the radio;

Queen sang "Crazy little thing called love" taking much influence from Elvis' style. In the music video of this song, it's quite clear that Mercury dresses like Elvis in his signature 1968 black leather jumpsuit. Though a lovely song, it's a poor visual.

The Bellamy Brothers say it well, in highlighting the 3 names that spell American Culture;

And a haunting walk through Memphis. For those who know, the references to Elvis are delightful in this one; 

The man with the side burns; the curled lip and those swivelling hips. 

He is the King.