"They say that one time Elvis said, 'a black cant do nothing but shine my shoes.' He never said nothing like that.He never said that. Elvis used to slip around and catch black folks that he'd known all his life.He'd pay their rent for a year and so many good things.They said he didnt like blacks but this is a lie.The man had a legitimate affection for people."~ James Brown (1980)

I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother. Last time I saw Elvis alive was at Graceland. We sang 'Old Blind Barnabus' together, a gospel song. I love him and hope to see him in heaven. There'll never be another like that soul brother." ~ James Brown (1985)

"There is no one greater as an artist on this earth, Elvis was my inspiration... he is the Man. Period."~ Elton John

"Elvis was my close personal friend. He came to my Deer Lake training camp about two years before he died. He told us he didn't want nobody to bother us. He wanted peace and quiet and I gave him a cabin in my camp and nobody even knew it. When the cameras started watching me train, he was up on the hill sleeping in the cabin. Elvis had a robe made for me. I don't admire nobody, but Elvis Presley was the sweetest, most humble and nicest man you'd want to know." - Muhammad Ali.

"Elvis has always been on Top... His records always made me feel good. I thought the Beatles had gold records, until I had a private tour of Graceland... the hall of Gold says it all... Elvis has the most Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum sales of all of us.... amazing man... simply amazing". ~ Paul McCartney

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

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.~Bob Dylan

"Before Elvis there was nothing". ~
John Lennon

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.~Jackie Wilson

Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles.~ John Lennon

"There are pretenders and contenders... but their is only one King". ~ Bruce Springsteen

Blacks didn't have the air--waves Elvis had. He delivered what he obtained beautifully.~Chuck Berry

"Elvis was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let Black music through. He opened the door for Black music." -- Little Richard.

He was unique and irreplaceable. 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 his country. ~ President J. Carter, 08-17-1977

"On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Elvis eleven." -- Sammy Davis Jnr.

I learned music listening to Elvis' records. His measurable effect on culture and music was even greater in England than in the States.~Mick Fleetwood

"The Greatest Entertainer of the 20th Century". ~ The Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.

"Early on somebody told me that Elvis was black. And I said 'No, he's white but he's down-home'. And that is what it's all about. Not being black or white it's being 'down-home' and which part of down-home you come from." -- Sammy Davis Jnr.

He was as big as the whole country itself, as big as the whole dream. He just embodied the essence of it and he was in mortal combat with the thing. Nothing will ever take the place of that guy.~Bruce Springsteen

"I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun studios. Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent. He was a dynamic young boy. His phraseology, his way of looking at a song, was as unique as Sinatra's. I was a tremendous fan, and had Elvis lived, there would have been no end to his inventiveness." - B.B. King

It was a real thrill sitting there with the King. I mean he was always one of my favorites. I always knew that no matter how I felt if I played an Elvis record it would make me happy. I've always dreamed of producing an album for Elvis.~Paul McCartney

He was ahead of his time because he had such deep feelings. He had the privilege of deep feelings because he was deeply loved by his mother, Gladys. He was able to appreciate profound beauty in sounds. And he started a musical revolution. They say all revolutions start from love.~Imelda Marcos

He helped to kill off the influence of me and my contemporaries, but I respect him for that. Because music always has to progress, and no one could have opened the door to the future like he did.
~Bing Crosby

I'm sitting in the drive-through and I've got my three girls in the back and this station comes on and it's playing "Jailhouse Rock", the original version, and my girls are jumping up and down, going nuts. I'm looking around at them and they've heard Dad's music all the time and I don't see that out of them. ~Garth Brooks

It was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear, and somehow we all dreamed it.
~Bruce Springsteen

If it hadn't been for Elvis, I don't know where popular music would be. He was the one that started it all off, and he was definitely the start of it for me."
~Elton John

It's rare when an artist's talent can touch an entire generation of people. It's even rarer when that same influence affects several generations. Elvis made an imprint on the world of pop music unequaled by any other single performer.~Dick Clark

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 1960's comes from it. ~Leonard Bernstein

Before Elvis, everything was in black and white. Then came Elvis. Zoom, glorious Technicolor.~Keith Richards