As John Lennon once said of rock 'n' roll: "Before Elvis there was nothing." And readers of the Australian Herald Sun agree. Readers have rated Elvis Presley as the greatest of the world's deceased rockers. Presley gained 27 per cent of the vote, beating the Beatle who idolised him by just three percentage points. Such was Lennon's love of Elvis, he was also quoted as saying: "If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been a Beatles."
Jimi Hendrix finished third on 13 percent, with the highest-placed Aussie rocker, AC/DC's wild-living Bon Scott, getting 7 per cent. Music commentator Glenn A. Baker said it was appropriate that Presley and Lennon headed the poll.
"Elvis was innately the greatest rocker who ever lived because he created this absolute firestorm when he fused black rhythm and white country music," he said. "And when rock 'n' roll seemed to be dying in the late 1950s, bands in England kept it alive. One of those at the forefront was John Lennon.
"The Beatles can be credited with keeping rock 'n' roll alive during that period when Elvis was in the army and things were going wrong for the original rockers." Over 2650 votes were cast in the Australian Herald Sun poll, The Verdict.
Elvis Rules In Rock And Roll heaven
June 09, 2008 | Other Source:GoogleHarvey Alexander wrote on
June 09, 2008
I'm sick to death of hearing that quote from Lennon. There were LOTS of people rockin' before Elvis. Cats like Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Bill Haley and Fats Domino were out there. It's just that I suppose Lennon never heard them. Still, it wouldn't have been the first time he was talking rubbish - just like the joker who is quoted as saying the Beatles kept rock n roll alive when Elvis was in the army. The Beatles weren't even formed then! Who are these people who spout all this garbage?
Ruthie wrote on
June 09, 2008
Let's not get in an uproar! It's quite an honor & well deserved that Elvis is the undisputed king of rock & roll heaven. It's true there were many "cats" before him but it was Elvis who brought that unique rock & roll sound to the forefront. Before him, we never heard the songs that Turner, Harris, etc. did because the music from the deep south wasn't played up in the north - I am talking USA here. So, until Elvis brought us that liberating sound, most of us from my era had no clue about black music from the south. Once we began listening to Elvis & other musicians were able to emerge from the constraints that held them back, we also began discovering other great rockers, r&b artists, etc. It was an exciting time in music for us but you would probably find it boring today. As far as Bill Haley goes, it was yawn time. He was nothing more than a throwback to the 40's & 50's boogie woogie. And there is nothing wrong with that era, either, so that's not criticism. I am just saying that most of us weren't impressed with his take on rock & roll. Doing Shake, Rattle & Roll didn't make him a rocker. And yes, that was a terrible misquote because the Beatles certainly were not around when Elvis was in the army! I am not offering any excuses but we have to remember that we are dealing with individuals who have no concept of any time other than the present. That's why many of us try to educate people about Elvis music & his impact upon tlime. A courteous reminder to the author of the article usually suffices!
ext_mnx wrote on
June 09, 2008
"The Beatles can be credited with keeping rock 'n' roll alive during that period when Elvis was in the army and things were going wrong for the original rockers." I a quote wrong. But I am happy that Elvis Presley is the winner.
ext_mnx wrote on
June 09, 2008
I agree with Ruthie. Bravo Ruthie!!. For me Elvis Presley always will deserves the first place.
Natha wrote on
June 09, 2008
Well said, Ruthie. Harvey Alexander mentioned cats, but here we are talking about the lion. (Yes, I know the other word of cat.) There was nothing wrong with the mentioned cats - I could name quite a few more, - but when the hillbilly cat came in he dragged a completely different way, style and power into the mworld of music that was unheard of before. Whether Lennon knew what he was talking about is not relevant. The truth behind his statement is. He meant of course 'nothing like that excellence'.
John4126 wrote on
June 09, 2008
Harvey Alexander - 'Talking rubbish'? Pot, kettle black comes to mind.
Harvey Alexander wrote on
June 10, 2008
What, do you have a black kettle, John4136576825? Or a black pot? Bill Haley made inroads and had rock n roll hits BEFORE Elvis. That's a fact. Check out the dates on 'Crazy, Man, Crazy', 'Rock The Joint' and, of course, 'Rock Around The Clock'. But we can't have anything said that might be taken as being AGAINST our Elvis, can we? That's not what I was trying to do. Elvis was a HUGE Bill Haley fan. He loved lots of black music too and would have been the first to acknowledge that it influenced his own style in such a huge way. To understand Elvis you have to be able to understand what he was listening to and what came before him. Mind you, I'll never understand those ridiculous jumpsuits...