I have to go with Little Richard. Don't get me wrong, I like Elvis. And from an image standpoint, he really was an icon in the same vein as Marilyn Monroe and James Dean

But let's be real here...He could sing, but he wasn't exactly THAT great. His dance moves may have been new to mainstream audiences of the time, but they weren't anything new at all, not to mention that there may have been others that danced better. He didn't even write his own material.

Now Little Richard...this guy was probably the original rock and roller for sure. His voice was amazing and distinctive, and he not only wrote his own stuff, but they definitely pushed the line(The original Tutti Fruiti). Also, the guy was ALOT more outrageous than Elvis, wearing very obvious makeup and shrieking as if he was just receiving a prostate exam.

Speaking of which...I was seeing the Geico commercial on youtube Amazing...he just seems to get crazier with age.

But yea...Elvis is cool, but he aint got shit on Little Richard

HANDS DOWN.

Didn't Chuck Berry pretty much lay the foundation for rock and roll guitar?

newskin69 said:

If there was a king, it would be Chuck Berry, check out Hail Hail Rock and Roll...that is a lesson in the origin of Rock and Roll as we know it 2day.

revolution75 said:

Include Muddy Waters also..

Imago said:

ain't that what he did with his cousin?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

This debate...again?

carl perkins

If you're asking you is the "real" king of rock and roll, then Chuck Berry.

If you're asking you is better out of Elvis Presley and Little Richard, then Elvis.

oh my god.....where is NDRU? He mentioned this in another thread recently.

Imago said:

ugh....and then she was 13 too

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

first laugh: the pic
second laugh: Dansa's stupid butt

What not Cliff Richard

Personally i'd say Little Richard

it's a strange toss up

cus i gotta give it to Richard Penniman, but and i do mean but, Chuck laid the ground work, Carl Perkins did his "Rockabilly" thang Elvis was something manufactured by Sun Records and sam Phillips as was Jerry Lee and Roy Orbison

PAPAROBBIE said:

a u mista Robbie,a him a run ting'

TonyVanDam said:

Real talk

Him, Bo Diddley, Ike Turner and Little Richard can battle to gain that title. Elvis woulda been ripped to shreds if he got squeezed between them.

my vote goes to elvis, mainly because little richard gets on my nerves.

funkpill said:

I agree. You can't have this conversation without Muddy.

a biter and racist like Elvis CAN'T be the REAL King.
classic case of stealing/biting and blowing up exponentially because of one's whiteness. (i.e. Vanilla Ice, New Kids, Eminem, Justin).
Not to say none of the above didn't/don't have ANY talent, but i think yall get my drift.

TonyVanDam said:

I second that or I'm after whoever.

LQ

While a slightly pointless debate, for me, it'd be Little Richard, as he was basically pure rock n' roll (if there be such a thing). He was classic r n' b turned up to the max, until it screamed.

Elvis was obviously the better all-round singer/ performer, but while making many great rock n' roll tracks, he never equalled the greatness of Richard's half dozen best.

And this is coming from a major Elvis fan, who has researched Elvis deeply, and appreciates his musical roots.

And let's not play the 'racist' card. That is just so old and disproven. Elvis grew up with black people, was respected by great black artists like BB King, Jackie Wilson and Little Richard and had black female singers the Sweet Inspirations in his later band, and was close friends with them.

The following is a quite well-known fact - When Elvis died in 1977, James Brown thought so much of his friend Elvis (with whom he used to sing gospel songs informally) that he flew straight to Graceland, and was the only non-family person who got to spend time alone with the body. 'I want to see him,' he said.

JB didn't think Elvis was racist, and called him a 'true soul brother'.

Ike Turner

I'm watching t.v and that Little Richard Geico commercial just aired. How weird is that. I thought they had stopped airing it, and all of a sudden they air it while I'm looking at this thread.

sosgemini said:

To me Chuck Berry is the prototype for the rock & roll singer/songwriter/guitar player/performer.

He didn't have the voice of Richard or Elvis, but to me his songs (particularly the lyrics) are better than Richard's, and he's more of a creative force than Elvis. And he played guitar really well, which is important to me in terms of being a Rock & Roll pioneer.

Elvis was only called the king because of his enormous success and the popular impact--not that he wasn't good, he was a great singer & performer.

Chuck Berry is the King





























Little Richard is the Queen