Elvis Presley: What Musicians Said About the King

By editorial board on June 9, 2019

The influence of Elvis Presley on singers and musicians is incalculable.  Here’s a collection of quotes, some whose names you might be surprised to see.

Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi.

“Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been a Beatles”—John Lennon

“When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted to be was Elvis Presley.”—Paul McCartneyelvis

“Before Elvis, everything was in black and white. Then came Elvis. Zoom, glorious Technicolor.”—Keith Richards

“When I first heard Elvis’ voice, I just knew that I wasn’t going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss…Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.”—Bob Dylan

“I had always wanted to be like Elvis, to be a rock ‘n’ roll star, but I couldn’t sing, so I joined a mod band instead.”—Roger Daltrey

“Elvis is the best ever, the most original. He started the ball rolling for us all. He deserves the recognition.”—Jim Morrison

“Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps.”—Rod Stewart

“Describe Elvis Presley? He was the greatest who ever was, is or ever will be.”—Chuck Berry

“I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun Studios. Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent. He was a dynamic young boy. His phraseology, his way of looking at a song, was as unique as Sinatra’s. I was a tremendous fan, and had Prelsey lived, there would have been no end to his inventiveness.”—B.B. King

This boy had everything. He had the looks, the moves, the manager and the talent. And he didn’t look like Mr. Ed like a lot of the rest of us did. In the way he looked, way he talked, way he acted—he really was different.”—Carl Perkins

“None of us could have made it without Elvis.”—Buddy Holly

“Elvis was a major hero of mine. I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something.—David Bowie

David Bowie sits holding a cigarette in Cannes, May, 1983. (AP Photo)

“A lot of people have accused Presley of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.”—Jackie Wilson

“I learned music listening to Presley’s records. His measurable effect on culture and music was even greater in England than in the States.”—Mick Fleetwood

“Ask anyone. If it hadn’t been for the King, I don’t know where popular music would be. He was the one that started it all off, and he was definitely the start of it for me.”—Elton Johnelvis

“He was just amazing and spectacular. He really opened the door to my whole love of music. Because of him, and because of the choice of his material, I found Smiley Lewis [and] all those great singers.”—Robert Plant

“You have no idea how great he is, really you don’t. You have no comprehension—it’s absolutely impossible. I can’t tell you why he’s so great, but he is. He’s sensational.”—Phil Spector

“Elvis was God-given, there’s no other explanation. A Messiah comes around every few thousand years, and Elvis was it this time.”—Little Richard

 

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