(Credits: Far Out / MGM)
Tue 3 March 2026 19:00, UK
Elvis Presley wasn’t even that far into his career when he was dubbed ‘The King’. The moniker came as early as 1956, after his successful breakout with ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, when the Waco New Tribune called him the “21-year-old king of the nation’s rock ‘n’ roll set”.
However, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ wasn’t Presley’s first single. It was his first on RCA, but the only reason he’d even caught the major label’s attention was because of his earlier singles and the cult following they were bringing in. Already, Presley had a gaggle of girls screaming. Sure, they might have been tiny in comparison to the scales he would hit after, but they were still loud enough to get him noticed.
But Presley also caught attention because he had respect. By the time he was old enough, he was heading down to the blues capital of Beale Street in Downtown Memphis and watching jam sessions and begging to get involved.
Back then, Beale Street was bustling in its prime. The bars and clubs were overflowing, and so concerts also spilt out onto the street. For a young boy like Presley, it would have been a mecca of excitement and inspiration, but specifically, all of that was coming from Black artists.
That was Presley’s basis, and all of his singles before ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ were covers of tunes originally written by Black musicians. Even after his breakout, he’d keep that up, taking tracks like ‘Hound Dog’ by Big Mama Thornton, or Ray Charles’ ‘I Got A Woman’ and presenting them to white audiences, making himself a huge star in the process.
The eternal question has always been this one – did Presley realise that? Did he feel bad at all? One thing we do know is that there was at least some awareness, as ‘The King’ believed he should give up that title to the true hero and the one artist he knew he could never beat, better or even equal.
“Rock ‘n’ roll was here a long time before I came along,” Presley said in a 1957 interview with Jets Magazine, shining at least some light on the true origins of the genre he was suddenly a part of. He continued, “Let’s face it. I can’t sing it like Fats Domino. I know that,” shouting out one legend.
Fats Domino was still releasing music at the same time as Presley was, but obviously, while Presley was topping the mainstream chart, Domino was still relegated to only soaring to the top of the R&B charts. However, his impact is immeasurable as not only was Presley a devotee, but many of the 1960s rock bands that were emerging, such as The Beatles, later spoke of him as a key influence, as did The Rolling Stones, helping to craft their classic blues influence.
Fats Domino is one of those supermuses who impacted the music world in a broad and powerful way. However, while his success was still huge and it still made him an immortal force of influence, the fact that he was lost behind the white man he inspired remains a crime.