Elvis Presley is undoubtedly the King of rock ‘n’ roll. His music, a mash-up of country, gospel, and rhythm and blues, not only revolutionized the 1950s and beyond, but his distinct voice, electric dance moves, and magnetic persona did too. Beyond his influence on music, his talent graced the big and small screen, and he defined what it meant to be a triple threat. Today, his legacy is synonymous with the word icon, and it’s hard to believe during his lifetime that anyone else could outmatch his talent. However, Presley would go on to praise, towards the end of his life, one other performer, whom he called the world’s greatest singer.
Elvis Presley Called Roy Orbison the Greatest Singer in the World
In 1968, following his widely televised comeback special, several media outlets proclaimed Elvis Presley as the greatest living music performer. The greatest music performer is a title that was not given without merit to the then 33-year-old. By the end of his tragic passing in 1977, Presley was already one of the best-selling solo artists ever. To his credit, he has achieved seventeen number-one singles and eight number-one albums, starred in seventeen top-ten films, and won three Grammy Awards. However, despite his global fame, the “Can’t Help Falling In Love” singer credited another artist as the world’s best vocalist.
During a performance at his Las Vegas residency, Presley proudly proclaimed that the rockabilly singer Roy Orbison was the “greatest singer in the world.” Orbison had achieved fame throughout the 1950s and 1960s with hit songs such as “Mean Women Blues,” “Sweet Dream Baby,” and “Oh Pretty Woman,” and was known as the Caruso of rock ‘n’ roll. Orbison had a longstanding working relationship with Presley for years, and the two even went on multiple tours and sang together. Orbsion’s style and music inspired Presley’s (and other established acts) early music in the 1950s. And Presley would later inspire and outsell Orbison.
Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Elvis looking at the camera in a glamor shot.
As Presley later inspired Orbison, he went on to outsell him. The two mega-stars also had mutual admiration for one another, and on one occasion, Orbison was quoted as saying that Presley was “the firstest with the mostest.” A famous story between the two singers led to a temporary falling out between them. According to a report in Express UK, Orbison, an accomplished songwriter, wrote a song called “Only The Lonely Back ” in 1960. However, when he tried to pitch the song for Presley to sing, he was swiftly turned down. Orbison eventually recorded the song himself, and the two mended fences. Not long after Presley died, Orbison left his longtime friend and colleague this heartfelt message: “Elvis Presley was bigger than life. His success was documented and laid out for him. He came to the first show I had in Memphis, and it was very nice. He sort of treated me like an equal, because we were both fresh in the business. We got to be great friends and kindred souls.”
Elvis Presley Once Proclaimed He Didn’t Like These Two Artists
Despite his immense fame and talent, Elvis Presley was known for being relatively humble in the industry. It was a trait his longstanding partner Priscilla Presley said followed him throughout his career.
According to the latter’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, the “A Little Less Conversation” singer was impressed by several contemporary and longstanding acts. “Elvis could spot talent instantly,” said Presley. “In Las Vegas, we regularly took in lounge acts featuring various up-and-coming artists and if Elvis liked the show, he patronized the club, encouraging the entertainers to pursue their careers, infusing them with confidence and enthusiasm.” The then forty-year-old added, “Some of his favorites were Ike & Tina Turner, Gary Puckett, and the Union Gap, dancers Tybe and Bracia, and old-timers Fats Domino and the Ink Spots, all talented people deserving acknowledgment in their craft… Elvis [also] had some other very special favorites – Arthur Prysock, John Gary, opera star Robert Merrill, Brook Benton, Roy Orbison, and Charles Boyer’s recording ‘Where Has Love Gone?’”
Presley would later recall in her memoir that there were also some artists the King didn’t particularly enjoy. “He couldn’t abide singers who were, in his words, ‘all technique and no emotional feeling’ and in this category, he firmly placed Mel Tormé and Robert Goulet,” she said. “They were both responsible for two television sets being blown away with a .357 M*gnum.”