Cultural impact of Elvis Presley

The cultural impact of Elvis Presley was a seismic and defining phenomenon of the 20th century. As a musician and entertainer, Presley's influence extended far beyond music, shaping popular culture in the realms of fashion, youth identity, sexuality, and media. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll describes Presley as "an American music giant of the 20th century who single-handedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s".  His synthesis of diverse musical genres (particularly African-American blues, Christian gospel, and Southern country) combined with an uninhibited performance style, challenged the social and racial barriers of his time and galvanized a new youth-oriented consumer culture. In a list of the greatest English language singers, as compiled by Q magazine, Presley was ranked first, and second in the list of greatest singers of the 20th century by BBC Radio.

Presley sang hard-driving rock and roll, rockabilly dance songs, and ballads, laying a commercial foundation upon which other rock musicians would build their careers. African-American performers such as Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris and Fats Domino came to national prominence after Presley's acceptance among mass audiences of white American adults. Singers like Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and others immediately followed in his wake. John Lennon commented the day after the Beatles visited the singer at his home: "The only person that we wanted to meet in the United States of America was Elvis Presley. You can't imagine what a thrill that was last night. Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles."

Presley’s image, from the rebellious rocker of the 1950s to the Las Vegas showman of the 1970s, has become an indelible part of global iconography, making him one of the most recognizable and enduring figures in modern history. Along with Presley's "ducktail" haircut, the demand for black slacks and loose, open-necked shirts resulted in new lines of clothing for teenage boys.

Presley's impact on the American youth consumer market was noted on the front page of The Wall Street Journal for December 31, 1956, when business journalist Louis M. Kohlmeier wrote, "Elvis Presley today is a business", and reported on the singer's record and merchandise sales. Half a century later, University of Auckland historian Ian Brailsford commented, "The phenomenal success of Elvis Presley in 1956 convinced many doubters of the financial opportunities existing in the youth market."