Why Elvis Didn’t Like “The King” Nickname

The title “the King of Rock & Roll” has been used to refer to Elvis Presley for quite some time, yet this was never okay with the Memphis superstar artist. He gave the other rock star who came before him too much credit and thought of him as the real King of rock.

Early on in his career, Elvis was like many other well-known musicians. He took encouragement from the works of his idols, developed his natural abilities, and toiled tirelessly in pursuit of his dream. Without Arthur Crudup, a blues artist known as “Big Boy,” Presley’s career may not have taken off the way it did. The song “That’s All Right Mama” was written and first sung by Crudup, and although it wasn’t Presley’s first release, it would be the one that would launch his career.

Another musician that influenced Presley was Antoine Domino, Jr., best known as Fats Domino. New Orleans-born artists also became well-known immediately. Domino’s career got off at the perfect time, thanks to the popularity of the album, and he became an inspiration and a competition to Presley, but it seemed as though Domino’s career was more inspirational. It was also said that Presley would often pay homage to his idol by saying that no one could sing or perform better than Domino himself.

By 1969, Elvis quieted down a fan who referred to him as the “King of Rock” during a press conference. Elvis then pointed at Fats Domino, who also happened to be present in the event, and said: “That’s the real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Given his pure admiration for the blues legend, it didn’t seem that Presley was just being modest.