Elvis Presley Named the Real King of Rock and Roll During Private Conversation With Tom Jones

Elvis Presley still holds the title of King of Rock and Roll decades after his death, but the late rocker reportedly believed someone else should have it.

Fans have long debated about Presley being the King of Rock and Roll. While he made history with his music, the "Burning Love" singer reportedly told Tom Jones who was the real king.

Express UK shared the story Jones said in a concert, revealing what Presley thought of the title.

"One night, Elvis said to me, 'Chuck Berry's playing tonight do you want to go see him?' I said, 'Sure.' So we go to see Chuck Berry where he was singing and playing and Elvis is looking at him on stage," said Jones. "And Elvis turned to me and said, 'There's the real King of Rock and Roll up there right now' and that's what Elvis Presley said about Chuck Berry."

Berry, who pioneered rock and roll, died on March 17, 2017, at the age of 90. Instead of a title similar to Presley's, he has been referred to as the Father of Rock & Roll.

Several outlets and critics also explained why Berry deserved the title, but some fans shared why he never scored it.

"Elvis made rock and roll popular with white people. Chuck Berry didn't. Berry was a better musician, he wrote better songs, but he didn't make it popular. Elvis did," one wrote on Reddit. "This was around the time they replaced the term 'Race Music' with 'R&B' so they could sell it to white people. Being an icon has nothing to do with being good, and everything to do with being popular."

"Elvis was the big bang of rock and roll, the sexual revolution, and the counterculture. Lester Bangs said Elvis was the only time they (the boomer generation) were all totally in agreement. Chuck Berry was certainly a more creative force, but he had a tenth of Presley's charisma," a second wrote.

On the other hand, some musicians also tried to prove they were the King of Rock and Roll instead of Presley.

The book The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography revealed how Little Richard released King of Rock and Roll album to reclaim the title, but it was never a hit.

Tags

Chuck berry, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones