Keith Richards Defends Who the Real Genius Was in Elvis Presley’s Career

Elvis Presley might have been the King of Rock and Roll, but Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards argues that the real brains behind the Presley operation was someone else entirely. During a 2023 appearance on the Howard Stern Show, the Stones’ founding member listed five people he would consider geniuses at their craft: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly.

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As for the King of Rock and Roll, Richards attributes that musical innovation and creativity to the man behind the mixing board, not the microphone.

Keith Richards Pinpoints The Brains Behind Elvis Presley’s Career

Elvis Presley’s influence on rock ‘n’ roll is undeniable. He inspired countless artists, including the Beatles, with early hits like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” His stage persona and natural charisma made him an entrancing performer and garnered him the title of the King of Rock and Roll. But according to Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, the real genius behind Presley’s career was Sam Phillips, producer and founder of Sun Records. Presley famously got his start at the Memphis label that also cut records by artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Howlin’ Wolf.

“Sam Phillips is the guy that made the record,” Richards explained to Howard Stern in 2023. “Elvis fantastically fell into place with an incredible band. Bill Black on bass, Scotty Moore on guitar. There are no drums on this record. This is a rock and roll record and no drums. It’s rhythm, you know. Rock and roll, that, doesn’t necessarily need the whole battery of drums in it, right?”

The record in question was Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” which he released in late January 1956. “It’s feel,” Richards said. “It’s got to do with when to not hit. What do you got if you’re making music? Silence is your canvas.”

The King Likely Would Have Agreed With The Rolling Stones Guitarist

Despite what his royal moniker might suggest, Elvis Presley was the first person to admit that he only contributed so much to his overall career. Speaking to a reporter in October 1957, Presley said his musical abilities were “all a big hoax, honey. I never wrote a song in my life. I get one-third of the credit for recording it. It makes me look smarter than I am. I’ve never even had an idea for a song. Just once, maybe.” (That song was “All Shook Up,” by the way.)

Indeed, sometimes the best thing a performer can do for their career is step back and acknowledge when other people can do something better than they can, whether that’s writing, producing, engineering, or even playing an instrument. Elvis Presley was undoubtedly fantastic at what he did. He wouldn’t have earned his nickname and forged a decades-long career if he wasn’t. But he knew when to let those around him take the reins, whether that was his producer, Sam Phillips, or Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, the primary songwriters behind “Heartbreak Hotel.” And that, in a way, is genius in and of itself. 

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