Wednesday, January 8th, would’ve been Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday.
The musical icon is legendary for his music, his voice, his swagger.
“(Presley) had great ambition, a great voice, and he wanted to sing *everything,*” Dave Luhrssen, co-author of Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel, told WTMJ’s Wis. Morning News. “He didn’t want to be stuck in rock n’ roll. He loved rock n’ roll, but he wanted to sing country, blues, gospel, etc.”
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Luhrssen credited Presley’s desire to perform various types of music for his growing fanbase. TV also helped.
“He became the first superstar (thanks to) television.”
Presley’s life was cut short when he died in 1977. If he had lived, what would his career have looked like?
“I’d like to think he would’ve followed the direction of Johnny Cash,” Luhrssen mused.
Later in life, Cash was challenged by producer Rick Rubin, who is credited with the musician’s return to prominence.
“Cash made some of his best albums in the last years of his life because of that (producer’s) influence,” Luhrssen explained. “Because Presley was interested in so many kinds of music, if he had found someone similar, he would’ve made spectacular recordings to finish his career.”
Presley’s been gone for nearly 50 years, but his legacy lives on. Are there other musicians who compare to him?
“Taylor Swift would be the only comparable phenomenon,” Luhrrsen said. “She’s not so much a product of TV, but has astute social media marketing. And in terms of having an enormous audience of young people (like Elvis) she’s accomplished that. Will she become a popular, idolized, pop culture figure forty years from now? I think it’s possible.”
David Luhrssen is the managing editor of the Shepherd Express. Click below to hear his entire interview with WTMJ’s Erik Bilstad.
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