Quotes About Elvis Presley

Nobody refrained from voicing his or her opinions about Elvis Presley. Some of them were harsh in judgment; while other put him on a higher pedestal. Whichever way you see, Elvis Presley was a strong influence that people could not choose to ignore. Here is a collection of quotes about Elvis Presley made by the movers and shakers of society. These quotes give you an insight into the enigma that was Elvis Presley.

Frank Sinatra

His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people.

Rod Stewart

Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps.

Mick Jagger

He was a unique artist… an original in an area of imitators.

Hal Wallis (Producer)

A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood.

John Landau

There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home. He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect from rock 'n' roll singers.

Greil Marcus

It was the finest music of his life. If ever there was music that bleeds, this was it.

Jackie Wilson

A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the Black man's music, when in fact almost every Black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.

Bruce Springsteen

There have been a lot of tough guys. There have been pretenders. And there have been contenders. But there is only one king.

Bob Dylan

When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.

Leonard Bernstein

Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution… the 60's comes from it.

Frank Sinatra

There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend. He was a warm, considerate and generous man.

President Jimmy Carter, on Elvis' Death

Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique, irreplaceable. More than twenty years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and Black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense. And he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness and good humor of this country.

Al Green

Elvis had an influence on everybody with his musical approach. He broke the ice for all of us.

Huey Lewis

A lot has been written and said about why he was so great, but I think the best way to appreciate his greatness is just to go back and play some of the old records. Time has a way of being very unkind to old records, but Elvis' keep getting better and better.

Time Magazine

Without preamble, the three--piece band cuts loose. In the spotlight, the lanky singer flails furious rhythms on his guitar, every now and then breaking a string. In a pivoting stance, his hips swing sensuously from side to side and his entire body takes on a frantic quiver, as if he had swallowed a jackhammer.

John Lennon

Before Elvis, there was nothing.

Johnny Carson

If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.

Eddie Condon (Cosmopolitan)

It isn't enough to say that Elvis is kind to his parents, sends money home, and is the same unspoiled kid he was before all the commotion began. That still isn't a free ticket to behave like a sex maniac in public.

Ed Sullivan

I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy.

Howard Thompson

As the lad himself might say, cut my legs off and call me Shorty! Elvis Presley can act. Acting is his assignment in this shrewdly upholstered showcase, and he does it.

Carl Perkins

This boy had everything. He had the looks, the moves, the manager, and the talent. And he didn't look like Mr. Ed like a lot of the rest of us did. In the way he looked, way he talked, way he acted… he really was different.