Why is elvis the "king" of rock n' roll if he couldnt even play guitar? And rock n' roll is all about guitar?

Question

Right????? Elvis is OVERRATED!!!!!!!!!!
Jimi hendrix was a way better guitarist than elvis, shouldnt he be the king of rock n' roll???????

Answer 1

Actually, Elvis could play guitar (some of the most famous photos of Elvis have him playing). He just rarely did in his later, most popular days.

The whole title of "King of Rock and Roll" is silly, yes. There's no one person who could be declared "King" or "Queen" of any genre, and there are a lot of folks who are probably much more deserving of the title than Elvis. And I'm actually a big Elvis fan.

Answer 2

Rock 'n Roll is NOT all about the guitar. (Although that is a common misconception of the present day.) Rock 'n Roll is all about the MUSIC. Elvis Presley was at the forefront of musical innovation. He brought several genre of music together to create a new sound which became rock 'n roll. Others were doing the same thing at the same time, but he got greater notice sooner.
P.S. Elvis started rock 'n roll in the 1950's and Jimi Hendrix did not come along until the mid 1960's. Also, almost all the big names including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, etc. paid tribute to the "King" as a driving influence.
He was "cool" before it was cool to be cool.

Answer 3

Elvis DID play the guitar, quite well to. He was no Hendrix, but he played well. Besides, being the king of rock n' roll has nothing to do with guitar skills. It has to do with the fact that he did rock n' roll before anybody else did. Without Elvis, there wouldn't be a Hendrix.

Answer 4

Elvis was one of the first, hendrix came into the picture thousands of years after. I agree hendrix is a better guitar player, but fyi elvis does know how to play.

Rock and Roll isn't about the giuitar or any other instrument, it's the passion for music that moves the world.

I'd say the more accurate claim for elvis should be the "Father" of rock n roll.

Answer 5

Well...let's look at the comparison, shall we?

Elvis was out there jamming way before Jimi.

Jimi was still a teenager when Elvis hit the scene.

In NO time flat: Elvis was BOTH a household name AND a pop culture icon....known even amongst todays teenagers!

There are some adults who are clueless on who Jimi is!!

Stack side by side every record ( 45 AND 33 1/2 rpm) Elvis has sold, and you'll see it travels from Earth to the Moon--orbiting the Moon 22 TIMES, a path BACK to Earth--where they orbit Earth 17 times, before touching Earth soil!! And his records are STILL selling well EACH DAY!!!

Let's see Jimi's stack of sold albums......uh.....where are they?

Bottom line: I'm really NOT dissing Jimi--the man was a WIZARD of electric guitar--still is. But when it comes down to several hard facts of Rock n' Roll.....Elvis reigns as the King of Rock n' Roll.

Oh...and Elvis DID play the guitar....he just didn't play it very well.

Answer 6

Elvis DID play guitar,yes Hendrix was a better player, but Elvis had the voice, stamina, and personality. He didn't need a guitar and Hendrix was only on the scene, big like 3 years before he OD. Elvis was around alot longer, more hit records and movies and fans. Yep, he deserved the title, not Hendrix. No, I'm not doggin him. I like Hendrix, he had some really good songs in the 60's. I have most of them.

Answer 7

The King did play the guitar, not as well as others such as Hendrix or Clapton, but he did record a few records and accompanied live at several concerts. Yes he was the King of Rock and Roll, being the legend that started the showmanship around his craft. He was the first to bring rock and roll the popularity that others after him have enjoyed. Here's some of the greater facts from Askmen.com;

Elvis' appeal crossed over to film, having starred in 33 movies. His TV appearances sent shock waves and his record-breaking live performances were a "hazard" to the women attending. According to Elvis.com, he has sold over one billion records internationally -- more than any other artist. He has earned gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards for over 131 different albums and singles. He also received 14 Grammy nominations, of which he took home three awards. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at 36. More amazingly, he honourably served his country in the US Army when called upon.

I doubt if there will ever be any other artist that appealed to more of a variety of listeners for their career then Elvis. From the young teens when he first started to the mass audiences in Vegas later in his life. Even as popular as The Beatles were, they haven't matched what Elvis did.

Answer 8

Elvis did play the guitar.

He's considered the King of Rock 'n Roll because he was the first to popularized it in the mainstream music scene.

Overrated? Probably not. He influenced just about every major rock n' roll artist, including Jimmy Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, who all came after he popularized the genre. Hard to overrate that.

Of course, you don't have to like the music to respect the man... and let's face it, Elvis was the man.

Answer 9

Elvis Presley was the first musician to combine "black" music with "white" styles of popular music in U.S.A. He had an excellent voice and his band matches to his voice perfectly. I think that these features were the basement for his fame and popularity - not only among young girls but also among musicians.

Rock & roll, by the way, is not a synonym with the Rock music since early 60's. Rock & Roll was something for dancing, and serious (progressive) Rock started later by the bands like Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, Rollig Stones, The Who, Jethro Tull, Cream e.t.c., reaching up to masters like King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Colosseum.

Answer 10

Elvis is the "King" due to his wide spread appeal to the masses. No one before him had both whites and blacks listening to his music. And if you do a little more research you will see that Elvis did play the guitar. And yes Jimi is a rock guitar god.