MJ vs Elvis Who will be remember as the biggest icon?

[bbgun]

Some did but i highly doubt to the same extent as white kids flocked to MJ's music.

That's my theory too.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

"1968"

The year that changed the world in more ways than you can imagine. Check out Time magazines' 40th anniversary issue. Outstanding read.

This?

http://www.nthposition.com/1968theyearthatrocked.php

Im going to read it when I get back from lunch.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I know who Brittany Spears is and her sound is distinctive enough for me to know when her song is on the radio. Doesn't mean i can tell you the name of her songs, except maybe the one she broke out with. Never mind i actually can't think of it now.

how did you find out that it was her though? did the thought just pop into your head out of nowhere? somewhere along the line, people who were pointed to a certain group enough to know who they are, and place them to what song, had to know the name of at least 1 of their songs in that process of indoctrination, no matter how slight that indoctrination was

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Elvis certainly borrowed from black entertainers and was inspired by them to a certain degree, but I don't think he transcended race or racial lines quite like MJ did. Did black people buy his records, attend his concerts, or go on Graceland tours in great numbers? I have my doubts.

not one black person ever attended an Elvis concert

 

[mldardy]

not one black person ever attended an Elvis concert

I think he means in general.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

not one black person ever attended an Elvis concert

That's not what BB said. Read his post, he said in "Great Numbers". Also, he never claimed that this was fact, he just said that he was highly skeptical of it.

I was just talking to my co-worker who is 55 years old. She actually told me she would be suprised if I "could" name an Elvis song. She was joking and said she knows how HUGE Frank Sinatra was but she can't name any of his songs.

 

[ethiostar]

how did you find out that it was her though? did the thought just pop into your head out of nowhere? somewhere along the line, people who were pointed to a certain group enough to know who they are, and place them to what song, had to know the name of at least 1 of their songs in that process of indoctrination, no matter how slight that indoctrination was

She is all over the media (TV and Radiao), seen parts of her videos while i channel surf, etc....

I'm sure i've heard the names of more than 1 song, but i just don't remember them.

I know who a lot of musicians are and have heard someone mention the names of their songs, if its not information i like to retain i usually don't.

Do you remember every single thing you hear?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

She is all over the media (TV and Radiao), seen parts of her videos while i channel surf, etc....

I'm sure i've heard the names of more than 1 song, but i just don't remember them.

I know who a lot of musicians are and have heard someone mention the names of their songs, if its not information i like to retain i usually don't.

Do you remember every single thing you hear?

my friend, you have the attention-span of a 2 year old then

 

[bbgun]

I think he means in general.

That's not what BB said. Read his post, he said in "Great Numbers". Also, he never claimed that this was fact, he just said that he was highly skeptical of it.

Kudos to both of you for being able to read.

 

[Avaj]

so you switched off the radio right after a Beatles song came on, every time?

radio stations don't play songs and not tell who played them, and what song it was

What part of I DON'T LISTEN TO THAT TYPE OF MUSIC you don't understand. I didn't growing up listening to it and I don't now. I don't tune into station that would play the Beatles or Elvis. I've stated I listen to ONLY jazz, gospel and R&B. No more no less.

 

[ethiostar]

my friend, you have the attention-span of a 2 year old

Riiiiiiiight.

 

[poke]

i am 53.
my mom is 76.
my oldest daughter is 29.

if you asked my mom she would say Elvis
if you asked my daughter she would say Michael Jackson

i liked both but neither is my favorite.

i would say Elvis but i could also understand how someone could say Michael.

to be astonished that someone could choose the one i didnt pick seems kind of silly to me no matter which one you choose.

 

[ethiostar]

i am 53.
my mom is 76.
my oldest daughter is 29.

if you asked my mom she would say Elvis
if you asked my daughter she would say Michael Jackson

i liked both but neither is my favorite.

i would say Elvis but i could also understand how someone could say Michael.

to be astonished that someone could choose the one i didnt pick seems kind of silly to me no matter which one you choose.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

As I stated in the thread before, all those genres existed BEFORE Elvis. He didn't create them.

Elvis was a very talented individual, but he leveraged those genres and brought it to pop culture. His biggest impact, IMO, is that he did bring certain aspects of those genres to the mainstream.



And really, no way you can say hip-hop or rap was influenced by Elvis. No way, shape, form, or fashion, is that true. The origins of rap weren't based on rock and roll...

This has nothing to do with the fact that those types of music existed or not. It has everything to do with how, why and who brought them into mainstream music. I mean, all of those music types had great artist who played great music but which of them can say that they enjoyed the kind of success with main stream America those who came after Elvis did? It's not about who created what. Elvis didn't create Rock and Roll either. He simply created the environment that allowed for wide spread acceptance of all of these forms of music. Early Rock and Roll was a mixture of Gospel, Jazz, Country, Blues, R&B and Folk. To view it as seperate is not really accurate IMO.

If you accept that Rap, Hip-Hop, whatever else has it's roots in these earlier forms of music, and they do, then you have to credit Elvis with the succesful marketing of them as well. Nothing in music, outside of technology improvements, are original. All of it has been done long before America was ever born.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Kudos to both of you for being able to read.

the Holley's performed in front of the Apollo,

your point is moot anyways, as an example was posted in this very thread by a black musician, that Elvis transcended racial lines

What part of I DON'T LISTEN TO THAT TYPE OF MUSIC you don't understand. I didn't growing up listening to it and I don't now. I don't tune into station that would play the Beatles or Elvis. I've stated I listen to ONLY jazz, gospel and R&B. No more no less.

I don't listen to Elvis either, my classic rock spans the Beatles, Led Zepp, etc., not Elvis

not all white people take Elvis classes in school, and not every white parent was an Elvis fan growing up

Riiiiiiiight.

I'm glad we pinpointed the problem then

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

What?

You do realize when Elvis was coming up, America was extremely segregated, especially in the south.

Alot of the Black artists were still limited to all black audiences (The Chitlin Circuit etc etc), so of course they didn't have the exposure that Elvis did. Doesn't mean they weren't talented, but the opportunities were very limited back in those days.

Yeah. That's kinda the point right?

 

[ethiostar]

I'm glad we pinpointed the problem then

Yes Bob, I got through graduate school and received a Ph.D despite the fact that i have an attention span of a 2 year old

I can't remember the name of a Britteny Spears song, i must be ********.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Yes Bob, I got through graduate school and received a Ph.D despite the fact that i have an attention span of a 2 year old

I can't remember the name of a Britteny Spears song, i must be ********.

then I'm just going to deduce that you're a liar

your guys' argument that more people around the world today know about Michael is extremely weak anyways

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

There could be some truth to that, but there was also changing attitudes and the Civil Rights Movement as well.

No, not really. That really didn't happen until the 60s. In fact, I'd say that Rock and Roll influenced that a great deal. It was a commonality that younger people could look to and see that black and white might not be as different as earlier generations thought. It's a pretty important step IMO but I don't believe that you can say it existed in the 50s. I assume this is what you were trying to say. If I am mistaken, I'm sorry.

 

[Avaj]

I'm not believing this

If someone played a Beatles song, I would recognize the voice but nothing more. If someone played a Elvis song, I would recognize his voice but nothing more. It is called listening to a sample of a song. No I wouldn't be tuning into radio station that plays that type of music. But if one you beloved Elvis fans played a song of his or the Beatles, I would know who it is but no more then that. I wouldn't know the song, lyrics, hook line or whatever. Just who sings the song and that is it.