But who else did as good a cover of Blue Moon of Kentucky as the King?
Gobear Wrote:
Good criminy. Well, I’ll list some songs that I would say were definitely done better before, but subsequently became better associated with Elvis. A lot of the covers I’m skipping here might belong on the list, because I’ll bet if I survey people, a lot more songs would turn out to be associated with Elvis more than anyone else. And there are some cases where I wouldn’t assert that the Elvis version is distinctly inferior, such as with Blue Suede Shoes.
Crying in the Chapel – Sonny Til and the Orioles
Good Rockin’ Tonight – Wynonie Harris
A Fool Such as I – The Robins
Hound Dog – Big Mama Thronton
Money Honey – The Drifters
One Night with You – Smiley Lewis (One Night of Sin)
Such a Night – The Drifters
Ain’t that Lovin’ You, Baby – Jimmy Reed
High-Heel Sneakers – Tommy Tucker
I Can’t Stop Loving You – Ray Charles
Lawdy Miss Claudy – Lloyd Price
Mystery Train – Little Junior Parker
Actually Pat Boone’s music career didn’t take off until 1955, so he was hitting the charts the same time that Elvis was.
Also, I think that white kids were listening to “black” radio stations, in fact, Alan Freed was a Dee-Jay for what probably would have been called a "black radio station. All that meant was that the stations format leaned heavily on R&B, which was primarily played by black acts.
As for the Phillips quote, what he said was, If I could find a white man who sounds like a black man when he sings, I’ll make a million dollars."
Sam Phillips was not the type of person to use the word nigger.
Elvis didn’t play the guitar very well. He only knew three chords, but he definitely was a musician. He played the piano and did a pretty good job of it too.
And I don’t agree with the statement that Elvis’ singing wasn’t as good before his death. I think some of the recordings before his death were some of his best vocal performances. I never say he was fat because I think there’s a difference between being fat and being bloated. He was unhealthy and his body was bloated from years of drug abuse, but his voice was still pretty damn amazing.
What’s been said by previous posters is on the mark about Elvis’ talent and popularity. He was the right guy at the right time to funnel hip-shakin’ Black music into a mainstream American audience. Good-lookin’, great voice, and loved his Mama plenty, with all the right M’am and Sirs. To me, a lot of his music pales in comparison with the originators, but he had more energy than his contemporaries. And certainly beared the brunt of a naiscent Star mechanism. The man behind the curtain, Sam Phillips, should get a good heap of accolade too, for funneling African hip-shake into 1950’s America. He knew exactly what he was doing, he loved the music, and Elvis was the perfect white guy to more acceptably cast out the diaspora of African rhythm. Not to say that Sam was a multi cultural advocate, but he well saw the power of the music.
If you’d like to know the whole story, Peter Guralnick has written the definitive biography of Elvis, in two hefty books: Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love, by Little Brown and Co. Guralnick is an impeccable researcher, and presents the whole history of Elvis, warts and all, no sensationalism. A must read for Elvis fans, but also important in understanding the Elvis Era in context of current popular music.
To add a bit: In Mississippi, I lived around the corner from Elvis’ saddlemaker and jeweler, the guy who made all those TCB necklaces. He lived at Graceland for awhile, and always commented on Elvis’ generosity and loyalty to friends. As superstars go, Elvis really did keep to his humble roots with sharing the wealth.
Elvis was pretty weird in the end, but oh my GOD! He oozed sex appeal back in the fifties.
And he DID have a fantastic voice. Ever listen to “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” Oh wow…I get chills.
I mean, back then, remember, conformity was everything. Then you had this guy with bedroom eyes and a sexy sneer and a Southern drawl, that hank of hair hanging in his eyes, thrusting his pelvis around…that was something! He had to be shot from the waist up on the Ed Sullivan Show, because back then the censors would never DARE allow such raw sexuality on television!
If you don’t get it…well, I guess I can’t help you.
There’s a picture on a CD case here (Louisiana Hayride/Elvis Broadcasts) that has Elvis behind the drumkit, but I don’t know if he played. He also seemed to have played bass guitar, based on his ownership of two Fender basses and pictures of him playing them. I consider the voice to be a viable instrument, anyway.
[sub]And – sorry, Elvis – Hound Dog is Ms. Thornton’s song. :)[/sub]
Okqy FINE! he had a good voice…i got it, i got it.
Otherwise, thanx for the answers…
I had to take issue with this one; the others on your list were maybe open to debate, but Little Junior Parker’s Mystery train better than Elvis’s? I regret to inform you that I now question your sanity. 
djf750, Elvis Aron Presley did indeed have a twin brother who died at birth, named Jesse Garon Presley. Jesse is buried at Graceland now, with Elvis and their parents.
And elelle, I’m glad you mentioned the Guralnick books; they are fantastic and should be required reading for anyone with an interest in the history of rock and roll.
It’s long been trendy in some circles (especially among rock critics) to dismiss Elvis as nothing more than a white guy who got rich re-making of songs black artists had already done better, but I don’t take such stuff seriously.
First, because Elvis’ version of Hound Dog" was a million times better than Willie Mae Thornton’s.
Second, Elvis was NEVER a Pat Boone type who watered down black music. He frequntly revved up and energized songs. By the time Elvis got through with a song (be it Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” or “Hound Dog”), it sounded very different from (and usually better than) the original.
Moreover, Elvis’ roots were NOT solely in black music. Of COURSE he’d grown up listening to black music (primarily gospel and blues), but also to country, and also to crooners like Dean Martin! In case you didn’t know it, Dean Martin was Elvis’ idol, and the guy he tried hardest to emulate, both vocally and in appearance (his trademark bouffant was copied from Dean Martin).
Elvis was a synthesizer, not a mere copycat.
His Sun Sessions material is absolutely legendary rock’n’roll. I normally do prefer the original R&B recordings over white artists’ cover recordings. But while giving Wynonie Harris, Big Mama Thornton, and Arthur Crudup props for being the originators, what Elvis and his boys did with their songs just sends chills down my spine.
Elvis had charisma. Charisma is a thing rooted in time and context. The films and recordings don’t convey much but a hint of that magnetism. If you weren’t there, you probably won’t ever understand it.
Think of it in these terms: When you watch old newsreels, do FDR and Hitler seem like particularly charismatic guys? To the people of their time and place, they were.
ps Elvis was also genuinely a very talented performer. He can hang with any of the great musical performers, no question about it.
Love Elvis to pieces, but Simon & Garfunkel OWN “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” I’ve yet to hear one person or group that could sing it better.
that’s an insult. how can you compare him to madonna? unlike most singers today, elvis was a straight, talented, soulful and respectable singer who deeply believed in God. He didn’t cross dress, sing like a girl such as prince or perform homosexual and sacriligious acts like madonna. Elvis was the King of rock ‘n’ roll. today’s musicians are disgusting. singers like elvis, would wear the best suits and ties and the women were always well-dressed. now it’s all about body piercings, tattoos, sex, drugs, and sexual perversion.
This thread is 14 years old, Mockingbird hasn’t posted here since 2006.
Capitals can be your friend.
I’d like to hear from a higher ranked “for real” than no. 7.
And that has what to do with the music?
Rhinestone encrusted jumpsuits were the best suits around in the 70s?
I was once in a bowling league with Ulaanbaatar.
Are you not aware of the nickname Elvis the Pelvis? I’m not sure what you mean by “sacriligious acts” but he certainly played up the fucking motion to the teens…like Madonna.