Hearing an Elvis Presley vinyl on your home turntable, you are often immediately reminded of the man's standing. Rock and roll as the art form we know would likely not be extistant if it were not for his guidance.
With his good looks, women all over the nation were enamored with him, and the tough guy image that he put forth gave many young men something to identify with. He was a very different artist from the crooners whom the older generation admired, which is a further reason why young people were drawn to him. The youth of the day felt that they were breaking with the old ways and dissenting with their elders by embracing his music.
Almost the entire younger generation of listeners was entranced by Elvis and his music, and there was no turning back. Music would indelibly be changed after he and others like Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Chuck Berry had etched their mark. Instrumentation, although certainly discernible in pop, played second-fiddle to voice; guitar, bass, and drums were now making their presence more prominent in the overall sound. Vocal styles were also much different than they had been before, with Elvis and other vocalists now widely attempting different tones and meters. Younger listeners were hearing a wild interplay of wavering voice and visceral playing, and they were loving every minute of it.
Popular music was turned upside down by the sounds of Elvis and others, which utilized many more structural elements than just classic pop. There had been an association of pop and big band styles predominately with the city-based white culture of the Northeast. Rock and roll, though, employed some other styles like R&B, blues, and gospel that had ordinarily been popular within black communities. Those who helped create these genres were from various areas of the country, both urban and rustic, so they lacked the geographical ties that the aforementioned styles seemed to have. Country, with its origins in the rural white communities of the South and West, was also given space by certain rock artists like Elvis. Elvis himself was wholly a Southerner, having been born in Mississippi and living his adolescent years in Memphis, which ensured that he was a perfect messenger for these stylistic leanings. Rock, then, was definitely a more "American" musical form than anything preceding it, in view of the array of sub-cultures that Elvis and others' music represented.
Elvis' admirers followed his career into the 1960's and '70's, so focused were they on him and his music. Vinyl records of his albums and singles are valuable possessions for collectors who lived in those eras and even some who did not. For one of America's musical trailblazers, the honors and praise will never be adequate, and continue through modern times.
With his good looks, women all over the nation were enamored with him, and the tough guy image that he put forth gave many young men something to identify with. He was a very different artist from the crooners whom the older generation admired, which is a further reason why young people were drawn to him. The youth of the day felt that they were breaking with the old ways and dissenting with their elders by embracing his music.
Almost the entire younger generation of listeners was entranced by Elvis and his music, and there was no turning back. Music would indelibly be changed after he and others like Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Chuck Berry had etched their mark. Instrumentation, although certainly discernible in pop, played second-fiddle to voice; guitar, bass, and drums were now making their presence more prominent in the overall sound. Vocal styles were also much different than they had been before, with Elvis and other vocalists now widely attempting different tones and meters. Younger listeners were hearing a wild interplay of wavering voice and visceral playing, and they were loving every minute of it.
Popular music was turned upside down by the sounds of Elvis and others, which utilized many more structural elements than just classic pop. There had been an association of pop and big band styles predominately with the city-based white culture of the Northeast. Rock and roll, though, employed some other styles like R&B, blues, and gospel that had ordinarily been popular within black communities. Those who helped create these genres were from various areas of the country, both urban and rustic, so they lacked the geographical ties that the aforementioned styles seemed to have. Country, with its origins in the rural white communities of the South and West, was also given space by certain rock artists like Elvis. Elvis himself was wholly a Southerner, having been born in Mississippi and living his adolescent years in Memphis, which ensured that he was a perfect messenger for these stylistic leanings. Rock, then, was definitely a more "American" musical form than anything preceding it, in view of the array of sub-cultures that Elvis and others' music represented.
Elvis' admirers followed his career into the 1960's and '70's, so focused were they on him and his music. Vinyl records of his albums and singles are valuable possessions for collectors who lived in those eras and even some who did not. For one of America's musical trailblazers, the honors and praise will never be adequate, and continue through modern times.
