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How Elvis Became King
Today would have been the 90th birthday of Elvis Presley, often called “the King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King.” But where did the nickname come from, and what did Presley think of it?
CoronationAlthough its exact debut is unknown, the nickname made one of its earliest appearances on April 19, 1956, when reporter Bea Ramirez called Presley the “21-year-old king of the nation’s rock ‘n’ roll set” in the Waco News-Tribune. A month later a story in the Memphis Press-Scimitar qualified it by referring to Presley as “the fledgling king of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Paying homageIronically, Presley himself declined the title. After his first opening in Las Vegas, in 1969, a reporter referred to him as “the King” in a press conference, which prompted Presley to point to Fats Domino at the back of the room and say, “No, that’s the real king of rock and roll.”
PioneersPresley’s popularity stemmed in part from his revolutionary music, which combined a variety of influences, including country music and blues, to help form what became known as rock and roll. But Presley did not invent the genre. Other artists, such as the aforementioned Domino, had already established rock and roll, while musicians such as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry were pushing it forward. However, music at that time was heavily segregated, and talented white performers like Presley were pushed to the forefront by promoters and producers.
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