Took a history professor's advice on Elvis and it changed how I see him

I used to roll my eyes any time someone called Elvis the King. Then I took a class at community college two years ago where the professor said most people only know his hits from the 70s. He said go listen to his 1956 Sun Records stuff where he sounded raw and hungry. I finally did last month and I get it now. So is Elvis actually overrated or did he get watered down by the jumpsuit years?

3 comments

3 Comments

colethomas10d ago

The Sun sessions prove he earned the crown before Vegas ever touched him.

grant15510d ago

A buddy of mine from the kitchen used to make fun of Elvis non-stop. Kept calling him a washed-up Vegas act. Then his girlfriend made him watch that documentary "Elvis '68 Comeback Special" from 1968. He said it was the first time he saw Elvis just standing there with a guitar, no jumpsuit, just pure rock and roll swagger. He texted me at like 2am saying he finally understood what the big deal was. Now he's got a bootleg of the Sun sessions on his phone and plays it during prep. The jumpsuit era messed with his legacy, but that early stuff is legit.

shane_bell10d ago

lol wait, just a small thing - the '68 Comeback Special isn't really a documentary, it's a live TV special. But yeah, your buddy's right about that moment where he's just sitting there in that black leather, ripping through the Sun stuff. The documentary came later, but that special is what really reminded everyone he was a rocker first.