18 Music Stars Who Were Influenced by Elvis
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There’s a reason Elvis Presley is known as the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. Between his dynamic onstage presence as a performer, his musical style that impacted so many songs we listen to even now, and his scandalous dance moves and attitude that created controversy, he was long ago cemented as one of the biggest cultural icons ever.
It’s not uncommon to hear music stars tout Elvis as one of their sources of inspiration and motivation. Many used his music and his overall style to craft the public persona they were or are known as. It’s hard not to recognize his enormous impact on the music industry, and many musicians following in a similar genre note they wouldn’t be where they are if it weren’t for the King. Here’s a look at music stars who were influenced by Elvis Presley.
The Beatles
All four members of The Beatles were profoundly influenced by Elvis, with John Lennon even once saying, “If there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been a Beatles.” Paul McCartney once spoke about Elvis’ album Heartbreak Hotel in particular, stating, “Everything we did was based on that album.” The Beatles met Elvis only once, in 1965.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen has spoken about Elvis’ impact on him and his music many times. Elvis’ classic track “Hound Dog” was one that the New Jersey singer says changed his life.
“When I heard it, it just shot straight through to my brain,” he has said. “I realized, suddenly, that there was more to life than what I’d been living. I was then in pursuit of something, and there’d been a vision laid out before me. You were dealing with the pure thrust, the pure energy of the music itself. I was so very young, but it still hit me like a thunderbolt.”
Springsteen saw Elvis in concert and once even tried to knock on his door to see if he was home.
Jim Morrison
The lead singer of The Doors Jim Morrison said Elvis has had a big impact on his vocal style. “Elvis is the best ever, the most original,” the late Morrison once said. “He started the ball rolling for us all. He deserves the recognition.” In a biography, Morrison called him one of his favorite singers and said he was one of his earliest influences.
Lana Del Rey
Not only has Lana Del Rey’s style and music drawn comparisons to The King in the 1950s and ’60s, but she also has been compared to his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.
In 2023, Del Rey sang his song “Unchained Melody” for an NBC special about the iconic singer. In a 2009 interview, when she was still known as Lizzy Grant, the singer said, “I knew Elvis’ songs would be the soundtrack to my life as soon as I laid eyes on his photograph.”
David Bowie
David Bowie was never shy about how he was a massive Elvis fan—the pair even shared a birthday on January 8. Many of Bowie’s stage costumes were inspired by the Elvis suit, and Bowie’s dream was to work with Elvis.
“[Elvis] was a major hero of mine,” he once said. “And I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something.” A few months before Elvis’ death, Bowie was asked to produce an album for him, but unfortunately, it never panned out.
Freddie Mercury
Elvis had a huge impact on Freddie Mercury, from his music to his stage presence. He wrote a tribute song for Elvis two years after he died titled, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which he famously wrote in the bath in just 10 minutes.
In his biography, the late Queen vocalist wrote, “When I was little I was in the choir, and I just liked to sing. I would copy Elvis Presley songs, then I suddenly realized that I could actually write songs and make my own music—call it a natural gift, or whatever.”
Adam Lambert
Many fans wouldn’t find it surprising that Adam Lambert has cited Elvis as an inspiration, both for music and his visual look. “I’ve put down a lot of the makeup. I put the flat iron in the attic. I’m looking at people like Elvis and James Dean,” he once told Billboard about his look.
He also took part in an NBC All-Star tribute to Elvis, and when talking about it, he said: “Elvis defined pop culture in the ’50s with his voice, style and swagger. He was one of the first icons I ever listened to, so to take the stage during this anniversary tribute feels like a big honor.”
Elton John
Elton John’s mother introduced him to Elvis back when he was a kid when she brought home Heartbreak Hotel. ”So that was the record that really changed everything,” he told The Guardian.
John has since stated that Elvis’ music was part of what inspired his own. Shortly before Elvis died, John met him and found it “so sad” to see the way drugs had changed his idol. That meeting helped inspire John to work on his addiction issues and finally get sober.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus has been open about how Elvis has impacted her musical career, and she has also called him her “first true love.” She once said, “My biggest inspiration is Elvis Presley—and fashion icon.”
She has paid homage to him before, like in her “Younger Now” music video which featured the singer dressing as Elvis. Her song “A Week Without You” was specifically trying to capture Elvis’ sound. She explained: “I really wanted to create a song that kind of felt like Elvis... whether it’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ or whatever. It is just kind of being able to take some of that Elvis spirit and put it onto a song.”
Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart once said, “Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger, and all the others only followed in his footsteps.” You can see some of Elvis’ influence on Stewart’s music and style, like the cover art for his 12th album Body Wishes that replicates the album art for the classic Elvis record 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong.
Buddy Holly
Elvis and Buddy Holly are often compared to each other—both rose to fame in the 1950s and both made major contributions to the music world. “Without Elvis, none of us would have made it,” he said once.
Harry Styles
Although Harry Styles and Elvis might seem different, Styles has said that Elvis was always an inspiration to him. “The first music I ever heard was Elvis Presley,” he told Rolling Stone. “When I was little, we got a karaoke machine, and I sang Elvis because that’s what my grandparents listened to. I made my grandfather a tape of me doing Elvis songs on one side and all Eminem on the other side.”
He added that Elvis is the reason he sings with a twang. The pop star’s sister also once told Vogue that Styles would sing in an “Elvis warble” in front of the mirror as a kid.
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger has credited Elvis with his love of music. “It was Elvis that got me interested in music,” he once said. “I’ve been an Elvis fan since I was a kid. Ask anyone. If it hadn’t been for Elvis, I don’t know where popular music would be.” Clearly, Jagger had a lot of respect for Elvis, though the two never met.
Paul Simon
In 1987, Paul Simon told Spin how much Elvis meant to him, saying: “He was the most important force in rock ’n’ roll, no question about it. Nobody even close. It was his invention, he blended black and white music, and that’s the single most powerful idea that’s emerged from rock ’n’ roll. Plus he had the voice, a great investment.”
Simon has also stated that Elvis’ cover of his song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is his favorite cover. “How the hell can I compete with that?” he said.
Post Malone
Perhaps a bit unexpectedly, Post Malone has also been inspired by Elvis. He has covered his songs multiple times and took part in a Christmas at Graceland NBC tribute to the star, where he performed a rendition of “You’re the Devil in Disguise.” You can see Elvis’ influence in some of his outfits as well. Although he has never spoken about Elvis at length, he does have a tattoo of his portrait on his arm, alongside other musical influences.
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton is another star who took part in the NBC tribute to Elvis. He has spoken about his love of the icon, telling Kiss 99 radio: “I think when I came out of the womb, you’re born knowing who Elvis is. The name Elvis is just a part of the fabric of humanity. You know [who] he is, he just is this thing that exists in the air and contributed obviously so much to music, but I think he is the definition of what’s cool.”
Tom Petty
Elvis had a huge impact on Tom Petty and his music, something the late singer was never subtle about. He once told Rolling Stone that he met Elvis when he was younger, back in 1961. “He arrived in a fleet of white Cadillacs,” Petty recalled. “People were screaming, handing records over a chain-link fence for him to sign. I remember his hair was so black that the sunshine was glowing off of it. Just a nod and a hello made your skin tingle. I was high for weeks. It lit a fever in me to get every record I could, and I really digested it. Elvis became the soundtrack of my early years.”
Drake Milligan
America’s Got Talent star Drake Milligan has not only drawn many comparisons to Elvis (he’s even been dubbed “the Elvis of country”), but he has also talked about his love of the singer. In his AGT introduction, Milligan recalled a profound memory of meeting an Elvis impersonator, saying: “I was out eating with my family, and there was an Elvis impersonator at the restaurant. I was enthralled. I think that’s where I decided I wanted to be like Elvis. Well, it was cute at first. I’d go put on the jumpsuits. I was dying my hair black, but it probably wasn’t until one of the first times I got on stage and sang some of my old songs. I figured, man, this is something I can do. I can pave my own way.”
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