Elvis Presley is being called the Artist of the Century. He had and continues to have a great impact on music of all types even though it has been over 20 years since he left us. I have been an Elvis fan since I first heard him on the radio singing "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Don't Be Cruel" in early 1956. I remember watching him perform his gospel rendition of "Peace In The Valley" later that same year on the Ed Sullivan Show. This performance proved to many skeptical parents and morality critics alike that he was not just a "hip-shaking rock and roller." It demonstrated that his knowledge and delivery of gospel music was exceptional, and was based on childhood and early teen years of attendance and singing with his mother at church and tent revivals. He knew and could sing from memory a large number of gospel and hymnal songs.

In his later teens, Elvis could be found at every gospel concert appearing in Memphis. It was during this time that he was befriended by such gospel greats as J. D. Sumner and the Blackwood Brothers, as well as many of the Black gospel groups. He was often invited backstage and would join them in song. He developed a unique style that incorporated the styles of all of these groups. His personal favorite artist at this time was Jake Hess, who still is active in gospel music through the Gaither Reunion concerts. Elvis won the senior talent contest at Humes High School just prior to his 1953 graduation.

Elvis had a tenor voice and a full 3 octave range. He loved to sing the bass parts, but he could hit the high notes so clearly and dramatically that it came to be recognized as one of the greatest aspects of his style.