“The Hillbilly Cat.” “Elvis the Pelvis.” “The Memphis Flash.” The renowned singer and dominant performer Elvis Presley has had no shortage of nicknames, but his most memorable moniker is also his grandest: “the King of Rock ’n’ Roll,” or simply “the King.”
Although its exact debut is unknown, that nickname made one of its earliest appearances on April 19, 1956, when reporter Bea Ramirez called Presley the “21-year-old king of the nation’s rock ’n’ roll set” in the Waco News-Tribune. A month later a story in the Memphis Press-Scimitar referred to him as “the fledgling king of rock ’n’ roll.” Ironically, Presley himself declined that title: after his first opening in Las Vegas, in 1969, a reporter referred to him as “the King” in a press conference, which prompted him to point to Fats Domino at the back of the room and say, “No, that’s the real king of rock and roll.”
Despite his objections, Presley remained “the King,” becoming one of the most popular and influential artists of the 20th century. His music reached an unprecedented level of popularity: 149 of his songs appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop chart, and 18 of them went to number one. Wherever he went, the size of his following was massive. Presley’s appearances on television were among the most widely viewed of their time, and his concerts broke audience size records at venues across North America. Although he never performed outside that continent, Presley scored 18 top-ten hits on the U.K. singles chart in the late 1950s, and his 33 films helped bring him international acclaim through their box office success.
Presley’s popularity stemmed in part from his revolutionary music. His style combined a variety of influences, including country music and blues, to help form what would become known as rock ’n’ roll. Presley was not the sole inventor of the genre; other artists, such as Chuck Berry and Fats Domino, had already established it. However, music at the time was heavily segregated, and producers pushed white talents like Presley to the forefront, enabling him to become a major catalyst of the rock ’n’ roll movement.
Another cause of Presley’s success was his public persona. His flamboyant personality, combined with his good looks and abundant charisma, attracted hordes of people to his concerts and television specials. His massive stage presence was amplified by his elaborate outfits and scandalous dance moves, which grabbed the attention of fans around the world.
The impact of Presley’s career went beyond his lifetime. His presence and popularity made him the first rock star, the embodiment of an ideal others would chase for years to come. His music inspired thousands of other artists and opened doors for rock musicians of the future, regardless of their sound. Later rock legends, including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, have voiced the impact of Presley’s music on their own work. John Lennon, coleader of the Beatles, even went as far as to say that without “the King,” his band would not have existed. Presley’s status as one of the most influential musicians in history has cemented his position as “the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.”