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 By 1957 Elvis Presley was the most famous entertainer in the world.
After pioneer band leader Bill Haley spawned interest in rock and roll
in western Europe, Presley triggered a wide shift in tastes with
effects lasting many decades. Singers in dozens of countries made
Presley-influenced records in many languages and his own records were
sold around the globe, even behind the former Iron Curtain. By 1958
Cliff Richard was rising to prominence in the UK and in France Johnny
Hallyday became a rock and roll idol singing in French, soon to be
followed by others like Claude Fran?ois. Airplay and sales of Presley
recordings across Europe were followed by those of other American
rockers who began touring there. Teenagers around the world copied his
"Ducktail" hair style.
Following Presley's untimely death in 1977 US President Jimmy Carter said:
Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was
unique and irreplaceable. His music and his personality, fusing the
styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed
the face of American popular culture. His following was immense and he
was a symbol to people the world over, of the vitality, rebelliousness,
and good humor of his country.
Or as James Brown once put it, "He taught white America to get down."
Wink Martindale, who was a close friend of Elvis, aired a nationwide
tribute in his memory following the news of his death. Martindale was a
up-and-coming radio DJ in Memphis at the time Presley's career began to
take off in high gear.
Richard Dawson also paid tribute to Elvis on an episode of Family Feud.
After his death a kitsch industry grew up around his memory,
chronicling his dietary and chemical predilections along with the
trappings of his wide celebrity. Critics said this tended to obscure
the vibrant and vital music he made as a young man, the
vocally-influential recordings of his later career and his lasting mark
on popular culture.
Among his many accomplishments, Elvis Presley is only one of two
singers (Roy Orbison being the other) to ever have two Top 5 albums on
the charts simultaneously. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame (1986), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1998), and the
Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2001). In 1984 Presley was given the W.C.
Handy Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis for "keeping the blues
alive in his music - rock and roll." In 1993, Presley's image appeared
on a United States postage stamp.[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]
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Lasting Legacy 
