The king of rock n roll would have turned 80 this month.

Let's remember him and the many styles he incorporated into his music.

Jailhouse Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk

Blue Suede Shoes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5HKlQ6nGM

That's Alright Mama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWgprZu4Hk4

And music was never his strongest subject at school.

I'm not that keen on his rock and roll songs, but In The Ghetto is still one of my all time favourite tunes.

We still have a load of Elvis on vinyl somewhere in the house. Must dig them out some of these days and give them a listen.

Well, today is the 80th anniversary of the birth of the king of rock n roll. Happy birthday, Elvis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YhLIq3q19Q

Love Elvis

Love the early stuff, especially what he recorded for the Sun label.

Not that keen on his sixties and seventies tracks.

The dramatic change in tempo for the middle eight on "Suspicious Minds" in my opinion, makes it one of his best records.

The full comeback 68' special

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqKQ5OxYofE

For a time, he lit up the world. Happy Birthday in Heaven Elvis.

The main event, the show stopper, the icon, the legend, the biggest selling artist ever simple put..........THE KING!

Man would of being cool to have lived through his era

He made some good records. This song, he really made his own.

The keyboard message board to which I contribute is having an "Elvis Day."
Various people have been sharing some of their renditions of his songs.

This was my contribution. I never tire of his version. You might soon get sick of mine.

https://app.box.com/s/bw4tsosvw5qjrqxevoqh

not keen myself, although i accept he was revolutionary in his rock n roll era..

i like suspicious minds though..

My favourite of E's. Certainly his rawest vocal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfUhip9jvH8

As one reviewer commented, when you hear the pain in that vocal it becomes less remarkable that he died a year later and more so that he even lived that long. Words to that effect anyway.

The outtake version (NSFW) is well worth a listen too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2SsWfZK1uA

We were always 'Cliff' in my house........

The first one of Elvis that we had to admit wasn't bad was Return To Sender......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU5xxh5UX4U

I've always liked the Hot Banana song.......hot banana, hot banana.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n4kcvGS_Lk

Maybe he was the first official rock and roller, hence his title 'The King'. But quite honestly looking back he wasn't all that great. He succeeded largely on his good looks and movements onstage, but was someone who was told what to do and how to perform by his manager Col. Tom Parker. So Elvis was always something of a showbiz puppet. There were better exponents of rock and roll, who didn't need to be told anything, namely Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and perhaps Jerry Lee Lewis, all of whom were more talented musically and for me were more like the real deal.

Heartbreak Hotel, Latest Flame and Suspicious Minds (not rock and roll) still sound good today though.

Ha! Nobody told Elvis how to perform, that was ALL HIM! Whatever gave you that idea? He was moving like that long before he ever met Col. Parker!

You got a lot of learnin' to do, son.

He was a man of the people,
My wife's brother-in-law has a brother who was in the forces in Germany doing his national service.
I've see the photograph of himself and his best army buddy, with Elvis standing between them.
Elvis would pose for any soldier for a photo when he was out there.

Elvis dressed in black leather in the 1968 comeback special has to be one of the finest sights ever! He looked so utterly gorgeous! Love him!

True, even Michael Jackson looked good (halfway through his endless cosmetic surgeries).

That's how we like to remember them.

And he never lost his voice, even when his body gave up..

God bless The King

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWqax9iHfRU

Thank you so much for that video!

Elvis sang just ONE song at the Colonel's urging: Are You Lonesome Tonight, which was a favorite of Parker's wife. But anyone teaching Elvis how to move? Hilarious thought. Check out Eddy Arnold, who Parker managed until 1953, when Eddy Arnold dismissed him in a dispute.

Here is Eddy Arnold singing Make the World Go Away.

And here is Elvis singing the same song. Both great talents, just completely different.

As anyone who has followed the making of the '68 Special knows, Col. Parker's vision was that Elvis would wear a tuxedo and sing Christmas songs like Perry Como and so many others had done. (it was aired at Christmas time). Instead, we got Elvis in black leather, in a red suit, in a white suit, in denim jeans and jacket, in gold lame and black velvet, singing everything from gospel to blues to country to rock to If I Can Dream, which Elvis recorded lying down on the floor, with the lights off.

This video flips through the book '68 at 40 Retrospective by Steve Binder, producer of the '68 Special. It shows the list of Christmas songs Col. Parker wanted Elvis to sing. (Elvis sang NONE of them.)

So much for the notion Elvis was Col. Parker's puppet.

He had simply had the full package. The voice, he was insanely handsome, and had more sex appeal than all the others put together.

Plus he could sing anything. Two of my favourites prove this. Young & Beautiful and One Night.

Long live The King.

I like a lot of his earlier rock n roll stuff over later material like "Suspicious Minds".

1968 comeback special on Channel 5+1. There are no words to how utterly brilliant this is!