Cash

 

Elvis, because I enjoy his stuff more.

 

Loved Johnny Cash and respect the things he had to endure
Seems like every one of his songs personafies another chapter of his life.
Elvis? I like about 3 of his songs and honestly never understood the hype. There is no doubt he is/was a National Icon, and I very much respect that aspect.

 

You should have done a Sun Records Throwdown. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Oribison, and Carl Perkins.

There's so much musical talent there it's ridiculous.

For me though, this one isn't even close, it's Cash by a mile.

Mainly because while I like Elvis's early stuff, he descended into self-parody in his later years. I was never a huge fan of the "Vegas Elvis." For me, Elvis's early stuff (Sun Records and immediately following) is easily his best stuff.

Cash on the other hand, always managed to stay relevant throughout the course of his career. His work on American Records in the twilight of his career should go down as some of the seminal work in not just country music, but all music period.

 

Cash hands down. Presley had a few good songs, but like azfin said up above he was part of a hype machine. If he had stood still onstage and had not worn those Liberace-esque jumpsuits he would have had nowhere near the starpower that he did.

 

I'm sticking with the Man in Black, more of a creative influence. :up:

 

This is a brutal, brutal choice. I love and respect Cash, but my dad was the ultimate Elvis fan and did a great impersonation of him, so I have an inescapable Elvis bias.

 

I voted for Cash, but it wasn't an easy decision.

I HIGHLY recommend that if any of you find yourself in Memphis, you take a tour of Sun Studios. You actually get to go into the room where all that great music was recorded. It was amazing.

 

elvis, he made rock superstardom IMO.

 

I think he took the music of Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry mixed it with a little of the showmanship of Little Richard and ended up with what he became.

I hate to bring this point up but in the 1950's Elvis had a lot more chances than some of the other early Rock & Roll pioneers.

 

Elvis...the first metal singer.

Let's face it, in the 50's Elvis was the equivalent of metal.

 

sure, but he still was the man responsible. Its not really a knock on anyone else to say he was responsible, it just is what it is................

 

Actually I think that Col. Tom Parker made it happen. Presley was just a sequined monkey in a jumpsuit.

:tongue2:

 

Elvis reached a level of superstardom few have even dreamed of. I'm not thinking that was all because of Liberace-esque jumpsuits. It was because he had an amazing voice and was a great performer. I really like Cash but Elvis wins this one.

 

I lump the jumpsuits in with the overall performance package.

 

The king!

 

From what I know, talking to people who work in the industry, Elvis didnt even write his own work.


I dont like either honestly.

 

elvis!!!! but only because you have cash in your sig :D



nah i voted cash. burn, burn burn the ring of fire

(btw can cash ride those pants any higher in his pic with elvis :lol:)

 

Elvis was not a songwriter. Before the Beatles, no one cared about such matters.

 

Cash...really like his stuff.

 

Cash. Loved the rebel in him, Kristofferson, Willie and Waylon back in the day.
That last song he did tore me up. Can't remember the title right now.

 

You're probably thinking of "Hurt," the rare cover song which far outclassed the original.

 

That's it, thanks.
He was so sad and old looking in the vid, it broke my heart.

 

i think it was elvis's 2nd drummer(or 3rd but money is on his 2nd/name escapes me) that made elvis. if you go back and listen to the first album it was slow stuff. when they parted ways with the first drummer they brought in a guy who up'd the tempo big time and all of a sudden elvis is the next big thing. it was hard for even elvis to "get down" on love me tender,but the drummer really got him shakin..well that and the speed.

big,big fan of JC. why? dunno. i just really liked his sound both vocally and instrument. my mom likes her some cash too so i guess i got it from her.

 

Great, great performers, both! Gotta go with the King though. As a teen both loved and hated him. Mister "Black Velvet" himself, through all of his ups and downs, skinny or fat, sober or drugged up, he never lost that beautiful voice. Say what you will the man was a true presence on stage and I loved to watch him work the crowd!

 

What the music industry won't tell you is that a lot of people don't write their own songs. To a lot of people this is common knowledge.

What they also won't tell you is that even if an artist is credited on the album notes as being (for example) the drummer on "song A" it might not be true. Sometimes studio musicians are hired because the drummer might perform much better live than he does in the studio. Contracts are signed in which the studio musician can never reveal he played on the album and even the drummer for the band himself might not know his track was re-done.

There is a theory out there that some of Ringo's drum tracks aren't his own just to give an example.