I was never a big Elvis fan.  I was nine years old when he appeared on Ed Sullivan and I liked his music, but I was only nine.  By the time I was listening to the radio on a regular basis, Elvis was in his movie phase.  I did own some Elvis 45's, but never bought an album.  I saw some of his movies.  I'd seen "King Creole" and really liked it, but didn't see any others until I was dating in high school – "Fun in Acapulco," "Viva Las Vegas."  But I am a baby boomer and I must acknowledge that I am a product of the world that Elvis Presley helped create. 

When Elvis died in 1977 I bought a five album collection of his songs ("The Elvis Presley Story" from Candelite Music) – it contained most of his hits and some other material from albums.  It was on this collection that I first heard Elvis's version of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away," his cover of B.J. Thomas's "I Just Can't Help Believing," Ray Price's "For the Good Times," and Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night."  These recordings exemplify how much was lost while Elvis was confined to his movie soundtracks – due to contracts with the movie and publishing companies he wasn't able to record songs that would have been available from other song writers.

The internet has now made it possible to not only listen to all the Elvis "oldies" but to also view his performances.  There is a sharp contrast between most of his movie numbers and video of his post 1968 live performances.  For example, in 1965 "Viva Las Vegas" provided the movie producers a chance to display Elvis at his best.  On a Vegas stage with co-star Ann-Margaret? – it had to be hot.  But it's not.  One music number has Elvis coaxed on stage to perform "Come On Everybody" with Ann-Margaret dancing alongside.   The resulting contrived finger snapping, clapping and foot stomping and the distance kept between the co-stars is just simply a blown opportunity.  The song itself is the normal Elvis movie pap.  I can't help but compare it to an early rocker by Eddie Cochran, "C'mon Everybody."  Imagine Elvis and Anne-Margaret "dirty dancing" to that tune and you probably have a sense of what we missed out on with the Elvis movies.

Amazingly, my favorite Elvis record comes from a movie soundtrack and was never released as a single.  For me, "King Creole" is Elvis at his best.  It is hard core rock and roll and his performance in the movie comes as close as any to replicating his live concert energy.  Seven of the records in my top twenty are post Elvis Era songs.  Perhaps the most surprising of those is his rendition of "I Just Can't Help Believing."  The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil – a song writing team that had great success during the Elvis Era.  B.J. Thomas's version reached #9 on Billboard's chart in 1970.  Elvis's recording was never released as a single but was part of the 1970 documentary, "Elvis:  That's the Way It Is."

Do I think Elvis Presley deserves to wear the crown of rock and roll?  If that means there would have been no rock and roll without him, then no.  By the time Elvis showed up in the mid 1950's rock and roll was already gaining momentum in the pop music market.  The R&B or "race" music that Alan Freed had been playing to white teenagers since 1951 had so much appeal on its own that it probably didn't need Elvis Presley.  Maybe it was just a matter of time, but there is no doubt that the new sound got a big boost from Elvis Presley.  But Elvis was more than just in the right place at the right time.  His combination of a great voice, good looks and on stage movement attracted more attention than others might have been able to muster.  Presley himself admitted that "rock n roll was here a long time before I came along."  I'm not even sure rock and roll was Elvis's primary interest in music.  He was very drawn to gospel music – and he said himself that he liked singing Dean Martin types of ballads.  Perhaps Scotty Moore's comments about Elvis on stage are most revealing – Moore indicated that Elvis seemed to respond to the screaming girls by doing more and more outrageous things on stage.  Maybe, at least initially, Presley's rock and roll performances were very Pavlovian. 

If I were to make a list of my favorite pop music artists, I'm not sure Elvis Presley would make the top ten.  Even if I restricted the list to pop music vocalists, he might not make the top ten.  For me, early rock and roll artists such as Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, and The Everly Brothers would rank higher.  Bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Eagles and Beach Boys would get a higher ranking.  Simon and Garfunkel (especially if you include Paul Simon as a single performer), Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John might all get higher rankings for the simple reason that they wrote their own songs.  Groups like The Supremes, The Temptations, The Drifters, The Four Seasons– all of these would likely make my list before Elvis.  But even though he wouldn't make my all-time top ten, I would put him at #1 as far as his importance in rock and roll (and thus pop music) history.  I would whole-heartedly agree that he was / is "The King."