Elvis Presley's influence on early rock and roll has been well documented. When RCA purchased his contract from Sun Records and Colonel Tom Parker became his manager, the young singer's career took off. Parker negotiated to get his client on television and thus exposure to a national audience. The result was a phenomenal success. Elvis Presley became the undeniable leader in the world of pop music, and more specifically the new sound of rock and roll. 

From 1956 to 1963, Elvis Presley had eighteen #1 Billboard songs, five that reached the #2 spot, thirty-three in the top ten, and forty-two in the top twenty. No other artist came close to this performance.

But while his success during the first decade of rock and roll is obvious, it is also obvious that his dominance of popular music was in decline by 1963. The raw rockabilly sound of his Sun recordings and early RCA releases gave way to a slicker middle of the road sound.  Songs written by rock and roll aficionados like Otis Blackwell ("All Shook Up") and Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller ("Jailhouse Rock") gave way to the pop sound of Eduardo di Capua ("It's Now or Never").  Live performances of rock and roll such as "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (1956) gave way to songs from the movie soundtracks such as the title cut from "Kissin' Cousins" (1963).  By 1963 Elvis's career was well on its way to the pablum of the middle and late '60's.  He had no number one records in 1963 and wouldn't have another one until 1969 ("Suspicious Minds").

However, from 1956 to 1963, Elvis Presley was "the king." While he would produce some appealing music in subsequent years, especially in the comeback period after his December 1968 television special, The Elvis Era was his golden age.   It is appropriate to designate these years as The Elvis Era.  What else could it be?