Artist Playlists
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There's a good reason why the King of Rock 'n' Roll couldn't stop swiveling his hips: His music swings with soul. His '50s hits “That's All Right” and the haunted “Mystery Train” are grooving rockabilly showcasing his brash musicianship. In the '60s, this stylistic chameleon adopted a big, absurdly romantic baritone and excelled at lush, dramatic ballads like “It's Now or Never.” Toward the decade's end, Presley re-embraced pure rock with “Suspicious Minds”—a galloping, desperation-stained masterpiece reflective of his late-career love for Southern soul. - Nobody brings out the underlying loneliness some folks feel during the holidays like Elvis Presley does on his legendary Yuletide lament "Blue Christmas." But The King has a way with carols that goes far deeper than a single song. Hearing him delivering season’s greetings in the form of a gritty, grooving 12-bar blues on "Merry Christmas Baby" or digging into his spiritual side for a goosebump-inducing version of "Silent Night" underlines the fact that Elvis had more of a handle on the holidays than any other first-generation rock 'n' roller.
- Highlights from the King's '68 Comeback Special.
- Elvis Presley's gospel grounding was as strong as his roots in country and blues. He was cutting spiritual tunes as early as 1957, and he'd been singing gospel songs since boyhood. Over the next 20 years, he'd record tons of classic gospel tracks, and while his approach was always reverential, The King didn't mind bringing a little bluesy grit and rock 'n' roll energy to his performances.
- With his smooth, emotive voice and achingly passionate delivery, Elvis made love songs a staple of his repertoire for his entire career. From the sweet lilt of his sentimental ballads to the driving ardor of his celebratory romps, the King made sure every romantic tune was, first and foremost, a great song.
- Elvis may be rock ‘n' roll's eternal king, but he didn't emerge in a vacuum. The array of artists who inspired him is almost as wide as those who followed in his footsteps. The down-and-dirty blues of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, the haunted honky-tonk of Hank Williams, and the sweaty, sensual R&B of Big Joe Turner all played a part in the evolution of Elvis' explosive, revolutionary sound.
- Without Elvis, rock ‘n' roll as we know it today would not even exist. The influence of the hip-shaking man from Mississippi turns up in an enormous range of styles: in the rough ‘n' ready outlaw country of Waylon Jennings, in the ‘60s Brill Building pop of Neil Diamond, even in the larger-than-life hard rock of Led Zeppelin. The King indeed lives on.
- Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.
- Between the King's hits there were so many great ballads, rockers, and blues tracks. Start with the tiptoe backing and haunting vocal of the spooked “Blue Moon,” then cut a rug to the thumping bass, barrelhouse piano, and lip-quivering vocal of “(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care.” Then get a little soul in your life with the finger-popping bass and steaming horn section of “Rubberneckin'.”
- Some of Elvis Presley’s history-making happened in the recording studio, but a lot of it occurred onstage in front of adoring fans. Elvis’ legendary ’68 comeback TV special showed that the King still reigned supreme, especially when he stripped things down for a raw, rocking version of his first recording, “That’s All Right.” And in 1973, the global broadcast of his <i>Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite</i> special attracted more than a billion viewers and electrified them all with supercharged performances like the unrelenting “See See Rider.”
- Grab the mic and sing along with some of their biggest hits.