Raise your hand if you miss the good old days of Elvis Presley! Remember those younger days, when the only thing you wanted for Christmas was an Elvis vinyl and it was the only record you ever wanted to listen to?
Elvis Presley was the King of Rock during his prime, but even though it has been four decades since his unfortunate passing, he still lives on as a legend in the music industry.
His story was that fairy tale one. Where he grew up humble in Mississippi as a child and then transitioned into becoming an international rock star as a young adult. He had the look, the voice, and the charisma that no one else could or will ever come close to!
Why will this King of Rock forever live on as a legend? Here are all our reasons why.
- His creativity opened doors for other musicians
While his voice is still preserved forever through vinyl, it is his stage presence that is most dearly missed. When Elvis Presley came onto the music scene, he gave the world a shock because he brought sex appeal to the stage! Before Elvis came around, musicians were normally cookie-cutter good citizens who never really caused drama or pushed the boundaries of becoming a sex idol. Then Elvis took to the stage fearless in his tight leather pants and hip thrust himself all over the stage. That and his bravery in mixing blues with rock made his music something unlike anything else in the music world—and it had people going absolutely bananas for it!
- He made being a bad boy cool
While critics loved to hate him at the time and with older generations being appalled about how the youth were entranced with his music, Elvis Presly gave permission to other musicians to not be scared of being a bad bay. This was proven by the number of girls in relationships who were willing to throw their whole life away just for a chance to be with this bad boy! While today’s version of a bad boy is so extremely different than what it was when Elvis took on this persona, for the time in life it took place, he was certainly pushing boundaries.
- His music never dies
It has been over forty years since Elvis last sang a tune himself. But his legacy lives on and new generations keep falling in love with him. He has hundreds of impersonators who make a living pretending to be him in their own Las Vegas entertainment shows. His vinyl records are collector’s items that no one wants to ever get rid of. His music is still played on the radio. Musicians today take inspiration from him. And it seems that as time goes on, he only gets more and more popular! Not many musicians can say that who aren’t even able to produce new songs, have a mass TikTok or Instagram following or go on World Tours. Elvis still has the world in love with him, and he never even had the help of the digital age to skyrocket his fame.
- He fought for what he believed in
Elvis is also a poster boy for the Vietnam War, as him being drafted to fight sent the world into a frenzy as they were concerned for his life. But Elvis used this as an opportunity for musicians to become social and political advocates and have a platform to talk about issues larger than music. It is something that many musicians today have followed in Elvis’s footsteps on.
Elvis may be gone in person, but his spirit, music and vinyl records will live on as a legend forever.
