Legends of Rock & Roll: Elvis Presley

I have resisted writing about Elvis Presley ever since I started this project. This is the 27th book in what is so-far, three different series of books. How can you write about the legends of rock and roll or any genre of music for that matter and not include Elvis.

I know a lot has been written about him, but I felt I could add something new, something that has not been written about before. That is, my viewpoint on the man and his music. After all, that is what the series is about.

I grew up in the Fifties. I watched Elvis come from nowhere and turn into a superstar. Looking back, I admit, he was pretty cool. But at the time, neither I nor my friends could understand what all the fuss was about. The thing I remember most is that the girls all loved him and the boys, well, didn’t.

I remember thinking when he was drafted and sent off to Europe to be in the Army that maybe we had seen the last of Elvis. But, of course, he came back and when he did, he was hotter and bigger than ever. Oh, how the girls loved a man in a uniform.

Today, I look back and while I can think of a few acts that might be called the King of Rock and Roll, there was never anyone like Elvis. I was driving to work one morning in 1977 and they announced on the radio that Elvis had been found dead. Most of us knew that he was having problems, but we never dreamed it would lead to this. I felt sad for several days after that and wondered how the world would be without Elvis.

Of course, the world went on and others took his place, but I still look back on the Fifties as a great time for music and a great time to be alive.

This is my tribute to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.