Who was the King? Entertainer

[eelcat]

I don't know about where you are but in Australia MJ has been recently associated with the term Prince of Pop. Elvis has always been referred to as the King. I'm a fan of neither but Elvis did have the wider range of credentials.

[tabler]

The whole musical world was changed by Elvis, go back to any band that we think of as 'greats' (Beatles, Stones etc) and they will all quote Elvis as their inspiration.
Elvis was the king.

[Mal Hombre]

Elvis without a doubt, MJ insisted on being called "King of Pop"

[imtrying]

The Beatles will always be the greatest to me, but between Elvis and Michael, Elvis was "The King".

[tamsmith]

Funny how things change when people die. "Some" of MJ's music was good but most was trash. However I'm sure as I am writing this that his fans will have him alive and well and working in a chip shop with the REAL King and Queen. Elvis and Diana.

"Conspiricy Theory"

[imtrying]

Lisa Marie Presley was quoted as saying that MJ told her that he was afraid that he'd end up like her dad. They both died young, addicted to pain killers, surrounded by sycophants who just wanted to keep the gravy train rolling. They both died prisoners of their own fame. Sad.

[anklebiter]

Music is such a vast world, I believe there is room for many kings.Elvis was nuts, and surrounded by yes men, had a nice voice, and was an incredible stage performer.I think MJ was exactly the same in the pop world.
They both had legions of fans, made contributions to music, dance, and pop culture.They were both eccentric as hell, and neither really understood their own vast wealth.
I liked them both-not for their incredible talents, but for their colorful personalities.
Elvis-King of Rock n Roll
Jackson-King of POP

God bless them both.

[billybunter]

Not a fan of either. But Elvis brought rock 'n' roll to the people. And for that i'm grateful. If MJ didn't have the tv vids he wouldn't have made it as big.

[brianwp]

Unknown Hinson, the King of Country Western Troubadors:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPtHVTFqOCA

[tabler]

Unknown Hinson, the King of Country Western Troubadors:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPtHVTFqOCA


Brian, that is one of the funniest things I have seen for ages:D:D:D
A New King Is Born....:D:D:D

[JerryFalwell]

Cab Calloway was the King of Musical Entertainers. Everyone after him is an imitator.

[brianwp]

Brian, that is one of the funniest things I have seen for ages:D:D:D
A New King Is Born....:D:D:D

Yeah!!!! The King!
http://thumbnails7.imagebam.com/4064/f89ff440636725.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/f89ff440636725)
Cheeseburger...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LJf9fYM8-s
He also does the voice of Early Cuyler from Adult Swim's "Squidbillies"..http://thumbnails3.imagebam.com/4064/c37bd140636726.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/c37bd140636726)

Try some...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weWIw3uPEPY

Besides all that mess, he plays with Billy Bob Thornton in Billy Bob and the Boxmasters..http://thumbnails10.imagebam.com/4064/83097940636727.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/83097940636727)

[avidfan]

prince has surely got to be up there with the best of them, hes sublime live, can dance, sing, play a multitude of instruments and writes his own music.
all mj could do was moonwalk (who he pinched off jeffrey daniel of shalamar) do some jerky type dancing, mime live lol and sing other peoples songs.

[Genuine_Intrepid]

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson's music, so his sudden death was the most surprising thing I have seen in a long time. To me there is no one king of whatever genre, I think Elvis is undoubtedly the king of rock and roll, with MJ as the king of Pop to my eyes, both are absolute geniusses in my mind and made their unique mark in music history.

[Leprechaun]

Generally there are definitely too many 'kings' out there ... ;)

http://img9.imagevenue.com/loc415/th_60341_fvbgg_122_415lo.jpg (http://img9.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=60341_fvbgg_122_415lo.jpg)

but ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xacJzZ4iO8Y

butt ... :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAKvLzwB0YE

why looking for Japanese girls in school uniform when you can have them in petticoats? http://bestsmileys.com/love1/20.gif

[candela]

Both are overrated but I can't stand Elvis' music and especially his movies. Also Michael Jackson has better videogames :)

[tabler]

Therrrre is only one kinnng that kinnng is....THAT king can play GUITTAR with his dick.....See Brians post,.....BRILLIANT!!!

[kananga]

The king ain't dead. He's in a Zeppelin tribute band, doin' it reggae style!

http://thumbnails10.imagebam.com/4074/b5ab2b40730859.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b5ab2b40730859)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LI4TUucW4

[buttsie]

Weird Al Yankovic over Michael everyday

Weird Al Yankovic-Fat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqz1ojIQTBk&feature=channel

Weird Al Yankovic-Eat It
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyfcOriVKBM&feature=channel

[ballyhoo]

Frank Zappa baby, Frank Zappa!!!

http://img165.imagevenue.com/loc144/th_23481_zappa1_123_144lo.jpg (http://img165.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=23481_zappa1_123_144lo.jpg)

"there are two types of success; commercial and musical. and we should NEVER confuse the two."

Frank didn't give a crap about the things MJ and EP obsessed over. all he did was make music, great music! period.

[kananga]

Frank Zappa baby, Frank Zappa!!!

Frank didn't give a crap about the things MJ and EP obsessed over. all he did was make music, great music! period.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You..
It was my misfortune to watch part of an Australian tribute to MJ a couple of nights ago, in which they proclaimed Jacko as "a musical genius who gave the world the moonwalk", then proceeded to focus on his dancing and challenging each other to moonwalk, until I turned it off in disgust.

My thoughts went to Frank, who is rightfully one of very few of the last century who deserves to be called a musical genius.

Moonwalking is as bicycles to fish, when it comes to music.

Speaking of bicycles Frank 'played' one on the Steve Allen show in 1963 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

[Estreeter]

Just my humble opinion
The King,:cool:
http://img262.imagevenue.com/loc47/th_25215_elvis70_123_47lo.jpg (http://img262.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25215_elvis70_123_47lo.jpg)
Gave modern rock music a huge kick start:cool::)

The Boss:cool:
http://img207.imagevenue.com/loc416/th_25348_1244218293-brucespringsteen_123_416lo.jpg (http://img207.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25348_1244218293-brucespringsteen_123_416lo.jpg)
Wearing a button in a small tribute to The King:cool:
Also a title he earned but is uncomfortable with

Insisting on being called a King:mad:
http://img256.imagevenue.com/loc473/th_25450_mjbubbles_123_473lo.jpg (http://img256.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25450_mjbubbles_123_473lo.jpg)
didn't write the majority his of music or songs:(

[retro72]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You..
It was my misfortune to watch part of an Australian tribute to MJ a couple of nights ago, in which they proclaimed Jacko as "a musical genius who gave the world the moonwalk", then proceeded to focus on his dancing and challenging each other to moonwalk, until I turned it off in disgust.

My thoughts went to Frank, who is rightfully one of very few of the last century who deserves to be called a musical genius.

Moonwalking is as bicycles to fish, when it comes to music.

speaking of bicycles frank 'Played' one on the Steve Allen show in 1963http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

Agreed. Musical genius has zero to do with mainstream limelight and media popularity. It does my head in when 'pop' stars are hailed as such when bands that don't court the spotlight or aren't 'commercial' enough have 500 times more talent. I mean Pete Docherty = genius?! Crap....

[Rfan]

If you're talking entertainer then I dont think just fronting a band covers it. The 50-60's produced some of the best entertainers, like Dean Martin etc. They did it all, sang, danced, comedy etc. This may be an odd choice but I'm going to opt for Sammy Davis Jnr. He was a ball of energy and did everything to entertain his audience, sadly I've only ever seen recordings of his shows.

Cheers.

[Leprechaun]

... Just my humble opinion
The King,:cool:
http://img262.imagevenue.com/loc47/th_25215_elvis70_123_47lo.jpg (http://img262.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25215_elvis70_123_47lo.jpg)
Gave modern rock music a huge kick start:cool::)

The Boss:cool:
http://img207.imagevenue.com/loc416/th_25348_1244218293-brucespringsteen_123_416lo.jpg (http://img207.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25348_1244218293-brucespringsteen_123_416lo.jpg)
Wearing a button in a small tribute to The King:cool:
Also a title he earned but is uncomfortable with

And here's The King's king and The Boss' boss (historically):

http://img173.imagevenue.com/loc454/th_85736_rockroll_006_bill_haley_122_454lo.jpg (http://img173.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85736_rockroll_006_bill_haley_122_45 4lo.jpg)

Bill Haley, the 'founder' of Rock music.

[Estreeter]

...

And here's The King's king and The Boss' boss (historically):

http://img173.imagevenue.com/loc454/th_85736_rockroll_006_bill_haley_122_454lo.jpg (http://img173.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85736_rockroll_006_bill_haley_122_45 4lo.jpg)

Bill Haley, the 'founder' of Rock music.
Well said Leprechaun, and here are some of his disciples
http://img203.imagevenue.com/loc495/th_92030_Johnny_Cash_-_Ultimate_Gospel_press4_123_495lo.jpg (http://img203.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=92030_Johnny_Cash_-_Ultimate_Gospel_press4_123_495lo.jpg) http://img157.imagevenue.com/loc196/th_92094_orbison_123_196lo.jpg (http://img157.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=92094_orbison_123_196lo.jpg) http://img226.imagevenue.com/loc122/th_92171_buddy_holly_123_122lo.jpg (http://img226.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=92171_buddy_holly_123_122lo.jpg)

:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:

[imtrying]

Here's a name I haven't seen mentioned yet (including by me): Chuck Berry. John Lennon once said, "If Chuck Berry was white, he would have been called The King of Rock and Roll". Chuck sang, played guitar, danced, wrote songs that are the very foundation of the music we call "Rock and Roll" and did it all looking cool as hell. Maybe Lennon was on to something.

[tommel]

Mojo Nixon had it right.... Elvis is everywhere and Elvis is still the King.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hkIN38qnY

-Tommel

[snorkie]

It could easily be argued that for the title of King of Rock N' Roll, Chuck Berry and Little Richard never got a fair shot. Think of how closely the Beach Boys copied Berry's melodies (they eventually had to pay royalties). Pat Boone's career was built on ripping off Little Richard.

That said, I have three nominees:
King of Jazz and Standards (vocals): Frank Sinatra
King of Rock and Roll: Elvis Presley (for extra points Elvis won his Grammies in what category*)
King of Pop: Micheal Jackson - just on the strength of "Thriller" alone.


BTW, if you want a King of Bedroom music, Marvin Gaye retired that trophy a long time ago (sorry Barry White, and Mike McDonald fans).


*Gospel

[eelcat]

Two of the greatest names in music at the time, namely Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney get together for a duet. You'd have to think that whatever these two churn out would be the greatest thing since sliced bread. "Say, Say, Say" and "This Girl Is Mine" would have to be two of the crappiest pieces of crap in the history of music.

Now lets spare a thought for Karl Malden who just passed away. At least he entertained me in The Streets of San Francisco....and the American Express commercials.

[John C. Holmes]

I always liked MJ's music but the guy I always gave the true 'King of Pop' title to was Elton John. His Billboard chart success and album sales are virtually untouchable and I don't think we will ever see someone go over 25 consecutive years with at least one #1 Billboard hit in our lifetime again.

The only difference between Sir Elton and MJ is that Elton never had that one album that made him bigger than the business. Then again, he didn't need one since he had so many great ones.

[avidfan]

i know ill probably get shot down for saying this but how about cliff richard :eek:? hes sold more records than anyone else with the beatles second and elvis third!

[spitalhouse]

The whole concept of 'King Of Pop/Rock' is a rather spurious one. Every performer who ever set foot on a stage or in a recording studio was at some time in their lives influenced or inspired by a musical form or style created by those who came before them.

The first 'King Of Pop/Rock' was therefore born around 30-40 thousand years' ago and was the very first person ever to let-out a sound and call it a song or to clap his/her hands and call it a rhythm or to hit a mammoth's leg-bone against a hollow tree trunk and call it a beat.

Regards

[MaxJoker]

http://img180.imagevenue.com/loc849/th_20936_Richard_thrid_123_849lo.jpg (http://img180.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=20936_Richard_thrid_123_849lo.jpg)

Born 2 October 1452 - Reign 22 June 1483 – Died 22 August 1485 ( Aged 32 on field of battle Bosworth ,with sword in hand and a curse against his betrayers on his lips )

How is he an entertainer ?

Well for centuries the reality of his noble achievements , personal bravery plus physical and moral integrity was ignored .To be replaced by misinformation , historical inaccuracies and out and out lies. Thanks to politically biased authors and historians , step forward Tudor chroniclers ,Thomas More and William Shakespeare (Are you forward ?, good well then piss off )

All of which led to much merriment and mirth amongst certain would be upper classes not to mention film makers etc etc , and the last true King of England called a hunchback named a coward and even worse a bloody child killer etc :mad:

Now that`s entertainment :(

Thankfully with the help of modern historians and organizations such as the Richard III Society
historical falsehood`s are being replaced with fact , but don't take my word for it if you've got the time and interest check it out for yourselves :cool:

http://img31.imagevenue.com/loc641/th_23866_1_123_641lo.jpg (http://img31.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=23866_1_123_641lo.jpg)

As usual some might think i`m "Going my own way" here but for me at least i`m being consistent with the literal interpretation of the topics title :o

http://img217.imagevenue.com/loc389/th_23685_Kneelingknight_123_389lo.jpg (http://img217.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=23685_Kneelingknight_123_389lo.jpg)

:D

[kananga]

I'm so happy you didn't go with Henry the Eighth, GS.
Henry was a musical composer and played, among other things, a mechanical virginal !! ,
but was a bit of a #*@%$ when it came to alimony.

http://tudors.crispen.org/music/

[eelcat]

i know ill probably get shot down for saying this but how about cliff richard :eek:? hes sold more records than anyone else with the beatles second and elvis third!

I don't know about anyone else but I have on more than one occasion heard Cliff being referred to as the Peter Pan of Pop, but mind you I probably haven't heard that saying for maybe 15 or 20 years.

[imtrying]

:i know ill probably get shot down for saying this but how about cliff richard :eek:? hes sold more records than anyone else with the beatles second and elvis third!

Sorry guys, but here in the States, Cliff Richard means zippo. He only has two hits that anyone here remembers: "Devil Woman" and "Suddenly" (with Olivia Newton John). Two hits does hardly a king make.:p

[Trip]

http://img261.imagevenue.com/loc483/th_72743_jimi_hendrix_123_483lo.jpg (http://img261.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=72743_jimi_hendrix_123_483lo.jpg)

[tabler]

Oohh good call trip, Jimi re-defined guitar playing period, and was a huge influence.:cool:

[snorkie]

Oohh good call trip, Jimi re-defined guitar playing period, and was a huge influance.:cool:

It's no secret that Bob Dylan -The Bob Dylan- changed the way he performed his own song "All Along The Watchtower" after hearing the Hendrix version. Dave Mason played some guitar and bass on this track; however, it's hard to know how much of his work survived as Hendrix laid down track after track after track trying to perfect the recording.

Hendrix, BTW, once toured as a backup musician for Little Richard (another King of Rock & Roll nominee). The UNCONFIRMED story goes that Hendrix left the gig because Little Richard wouldn't let anyone else wear lace trimmed shirts on stage. :D

[Lasse Einström]

I actually prefer Dick Dale, the King of the Surf Guitar.

http://www.tunefan.com/dickdale.htm

[John C. Holmes]

For King of Rock N Roll, how come Bo Diddly hasn't been mentioned? Dude was one of the most influential artists ever and damn was he a sight to see live.

[kananga]

I actually prefer Dick Dale, the King of the Surf Guitar.

Then there was also Link Wray who'd been around since the fifties,
and was the first to have an instrumental banned by radio in 1958.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDwjWl9UVZY&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_Wray

[brianwp]

The king of country western troubadours give advice on romance, baby, yeah, yeah...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IL_pbFbYK0

[jimmyjams]

liberace !!

[blatt]

I don't know about where you are but in Australia MJ has been recently associated with the term Prince of Pop. Elvis has always been referred to as the King. I'm a fan of neither but Elvis did have the wider range of credentials.

Didnt jackos former manager start calling him the prince of pop :confused: Think i remember reading about it coming from him probably as another way to kiss up to his boss and give his hype even more glitter . Couldnt stand jacko then and even less now. The bloke never changed his dance routines never stopped grabbing his testicles and only ever spoke in a whisper and sang in a dog calling high voice. Might have had something to do with all that grabbing of his balls suppose:) Whats weird is i saw him when he was really little singing with his brothers about a robin or something and he had a better voice back then than he did when he was older :confused:

Elvis is forever the king :cool: He was crowned by the public not media hacks :thumbsup:

[Pukindog]

Elvis was definitely the King. The Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Beatles are all great in their own right also. MJ, IMO, is vastly overrated. But the one that stands out, at least to me and doesn't receive his due accolades, is Tom Jones. His voice is just over powering and tremendous.

[moreteavicar]

Elvis will always be known as the King but I think (as mentioned by others) that the greatest all rounder was Sammy Davis Jr. Possibly the "coolest cat" to have lived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXy2lBCyAjo&feature=related

[Pukindog]

Elvis will always be known as the King but I think (as mentioned by others) that the greatest all rounder was Sammy Davis Jr. Possibly the "coolest cat" to have lived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXy2lBCyAjo&feature=related

How in the hell did I forget Sammy Jr? I love listening to him. The consummate entertainer!

[dbailey]

Elvis wasnt the King, he was the great white hope...a little like Rocky Marciano.

What elvis did was make delta blues merged with bluegrass and contry acceptable to middle class white folks.

He was a cross between a crooner, a bluesman and a Gospel singer...and he was white.

For blues, dang 'ebody 'nows ya hasta be an african mercan.

Me, give me Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Bo'Diddly, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles ..anyday...at least they wrote their own tunes and robbed a few its true.

So for me Elvis and Jackson are the same...both hyped by a media frenzy and some kind of political movement.

Elvis wasnt original IMHO, he was good, but he wasn't original.

David Bowie=Original (hmm dont mention Iggy Pop or Lou Reed)
Jimi Hendrix=original
Carlos Santana =original
Beatles =original
Beach boys=original
Jethro Tull=original
Led Zep=Original ( forgetting delta blues, bluegrass and folk)

I am proud to say that of a collection of 1000 cds all bought and paid for neither Presley nor Jackson are represented

So ...king of Pop??

my suggestions

Stevie Wonder
David Bowie
Elton John (yeah it hurts me to say this)
Abba
The Beach Boys ( barbershop quartet on a surf board anybody?)
The Beatles

ok, let the flaming begin.....db runs and hides

[monogroover]

I don't know about where you are but in Australia MJ has been recently associated with the term Prince of Pop. Elvis has always been referred to as the King. I'm a fan of neither but Elvis did have the wider range of credentials.

I think Michael Jackson's credentials are a bit more impressive than Elvis, who couldn't dance and didn't write a single one of his songs.

I wasn't a huge fan but while there are other candidates, I'd have to give the nod to Michael Jackson for the title.

[tony_grego]

Hi.
Sorry if this sounds too serious, but i think sometimes we endeavor to classify, label and compare ...
Who is the king, Porsche or Ferrari...
Who is the Queen, Harley or BMW...
Which is better, Harley or Porsche...
What i prefer, burger or Pink Floyd...
Football (soccer if you want) or tuna fish???

Elvis was great. Jackson was great, Diddley, Dylan, Hendrix, ...

Surely most of them laugh (or cry) to see the comparisons and disputes about who is doing better.

For me, in this area, however many people. His works are those that remain, and they all have very good works (and some not so good).

The only undisputed queen, is music. All other names are mere servants.

Salut !

[Smoothman218]

Just my humble opinion
The King,:cool:
http://img262.imagevenue.com/loc47/th_25215_elvis70_123_47lo.jpg (http://img262.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25215_elvis70_123_47lo.jpg)
Gave modern rock music a huge kick start:cool::)

Insisting on being called a King:mad:
http://img256.imagevenue.com/loc473/th_25450_mjbubbles_123_473lo.jpg (http://img256.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=25450_mjbubbles_123_473lo.jpg)
didn't write the majority his of music or songs:(

Always seems unfair to me the way Mike gets bashed for not writing his material. While Elvis gets accepted for what he is. Michael Jackson has well over 100 songs to his name, going right back to the days of the Jacksons. Including the big hitters like Bille Jean. He's hardly a fraud in that department.

I never really like the title King Of Pop, it's a bit tacky. But if anyone deserves it it'd be Michael in my book. If he's not the King Of Pop, he's certainly a King Of Pop. Robbie Williams wanted the KOP title for himself a few years ago. Cliff Richard's been called Prince Of Pop a number of times, I've seen Justin Timberlake called that too. I can't say I've ever heard MJ being referred to as Prince.

[damp-patch]

King Curtis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Curtis

[dbailey]

In France and the french speaking world there was Johny Hallyday.

He took every pop trend and made cover versions for the french public and so his career spans from Elvis to Bowie to The Smiths.

Like Elvis, he never wrote his own stuff but he acted as a barrometer for what was going on in the rest of the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Hallyday

So should the Title 'King of Pop' be about innovation? or about bringing pop to the masses. :confused:

If it is the later then Hallyday and Presley both fit the bill, Jackson was almost a trend setter in comparison. ;)

But all in all I agree with Tony above, what does it all matter, if the music moves your soul and lightens your spirit, it doesnt need a title or a gold medal. :)

Thanks to all the artists who have made the pain of our days that bit more bearable..:thumbsup:

but in particular

Bowie
Dylan
Floyd
Zep

amd many more

[slut-lover]

If you check out Youtube on ABBA/Bono, you will find that U2 are heavily influenced by Abba. Taken this picture into consideration, it seems to be heavier than I thought.


http://img15.imagevenue.com/loc221/th_32204_ulveus_122_221lo.jpg (http://img15.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=32204_ulveus_122_221lo.jpg)