by N. David

Created on: November 17, 2009

Rock music comes in many varieties. Hard rock, soft rock, acid rock, country rock, heavy metal, and alternative are just a few of the evolutionary paths taken by rock music in the years since its creation. Each of these genres has its own stars and legends, but when you talk about pure Rock and Roll, that unlikely fusion of blues, country, and gospel music, the way they played it when it was still brand new, there can be only one King. His name is Elvis Presley.

Elvis didn't just take inspiration from the blues, country, and gospel music, he was a master of each of those genres. Not only was Elvis among the first group of performers to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he has been inducted into the Country and Gospel Halls, as well. He is the only performer in all three. Elvis won three Grammy awards for his Gospel albums, and 40 of his singles made Billboard's Country Top 20. The Blues? In 1984, the Blues Foundation in Memphis posthumously presented Elvis with the W.C. Handy Award, for "keeping the blues alive in his music". Between 1956 and 1963, Elvis had 24 singles reach Billboard's R&B Top 20. When his first record, "That's Alright, Mama" was played on Memphis radio stations, people thought he was a black R&B singer. Forget about Viva Las Vegas, and the jumpsuits of the 1970s. Listen to his recordings from the 1950s. Elvis understood Rock and Roll at its very core. Elvis felt Rock and Roll in his heart, soul, and body. Elvis WAS Rock and Roll.

We're all familiar with the numbers - one billion records sold worldwide, more than any other recording artist, 114 Top 40 singles, record-breaking concerts, and highly rated television specials, including Aloha From Hawaii, which was watched by more Americans than Neil Armstrong's moonwalk, are just a few of his achievements. To the fans, Elvis is clearly King, but what about his peers? Who, if anyone, did the Rock and Rollers themselves think was their King?

"Without Elvis, none of us could have made it," Buddy Holly said. Holly knew it was Elvis that led the way. It was Elvis who blazed the trail that other rockers, from Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent, to Holly himself, would follow. Elvis set the standard. Roy Orbison said "He was the firstest with the mostest," and fellow Sun Records artists Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash agreed. as have a long list of performers from all genres of music who came later, including John Lennon, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Mick Fleetwood, Issac Hayes, Al Green,

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