Elvis Presley's talent as a musical artist was double barrelled and more; he was an exceptional vocalist and a unique stage performer with instinctive, natural ability in both areas. It appears from available recollections that Presley was born with a love of music.
Elvis Presley often used his guitar as a prop, before abandoning it completely in the Las Vegas stage of his career, but it turns out that he could really play the instrument. Nobody would call him a virtuoso, but he could do more than just bang on it and break strings.
He was a master of showmanship and had a magnetic personality that drew people to him. He was also a skilled songwriter, and many of his songs have become classics. Elvis was a true original, and his creative genius helped to shape the sound and style of popular music for decades to come.
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 did play his own Instruments, Guitar, Bass and Piano. So for argument sake he could be considered an "Musician" but just a player of Instruments. Elvis WAS a showman, he performed on stage as a musician and did break the barriers that transcended traditional Blues,Classical and Jazz to Rock and Roll.
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.
Elvis Presley's talent as a musical artist was double barrelled and more; he was an exceptional vocalist and a unique stage performer with instinctive, natural ability in both areas. It appears from available recollections that Presley was born with a love of music.
Without Elvis, there would be no Beatles", John Lennon famously said about the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
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.
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.
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.
While he couldn't read or write music and had no formal lessons, he was a natural musician and played everything by ear. He could often hear a song, pick up an instrument, and play. He often played an instrument in his recordings, and always produced his own 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.
Presley was not a virtuosic guitarist, but he played pretty good rhythm guitar. And he was a really good pianist — on those "Million Dollar Quartet" tapes, that's him playing the majority of the piano parts, even though Jerry Lee Lewis is right there. His best instrument may have been the electric bass guitar.
What instruments did Elvis play? He played guitar, bass and piano, and often toyed with instruments like the drums, accordion and ukulele. While he couldn't read or write music and had no formal lessons, he was a natural musician and played everything by ear.
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.
Growing up in 1950s Liverpool, John Lennon – who would have been 82 this month – and Paul McCartney fell in love with rising star Elvis Presley's rock and roll music. When The Beatles reached the heights of his fame for themselves, the Fab Four famously met The King at his LA home in 1965.
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 Beatles guitarist was, like so many of his generation, indebted to Elvis. Discussing Presley's music in the 1980s, Harrison said: “It had an incredible impact on me just because I'd never heard anything like it. I mean, coming from Liverpool, we didn't really hear the very early Sun Records.
'When Elvis died, people were harassing me in Tokyo for a comment. Well I'll give it you now - he died when he went into the Army. That's when they killed him. That's when they castrated him.
John Lennon was once asked what he thought about Elvis Presley and replied, “He's one of my heroes. I saw him in '56 in Liverpool. I was just a kid then, but I've loved him ever since.” It was John Lennon who suggested that The Beatles' song 'She Loves You' could be inspired by an Elvis Presley song.
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“People love him, not only for his talent, but because he was a great, humble, kind man. He loved God. He loved his parents. He loved his country.” And his country loved him–for his voice, for his spirit and because it saw in him, for better and for worse, what it was and what it hoped to be.
Elvis was known for his musical talent, good looks, and fashion. But it may have been his showmanship that is his most enduring legacy. His abilities as an entertainer were truly one of a kind and make him stand out from other rock legends.