Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley, the 'King of Rock and Roll,' was the most commercially successful and culturally transformative popular musician of the twentieth century, and his roots in the blues (particularly the recordings of Arthur Crudup, Big Mama Thornton, Junior Parker, and the broader African American musical tradition of Memphis and the Mississippi Delta) were foundational to his art. His first recording at Sun Studios, a cover of Crudup's 'That's All Right,' fused blues feeling with country instrumentation and youthful energy in a way that changed the course of popular music. While his relationship to the blues tradition raises important questions about cultural appropriation, racial dynamics, and credit, his undeniable talent and his role in bringing Black musical forms to the widest possible audience make him a significant figure in the broader blues story.