100 Most Influential Americans-Elvis 66th!

[MauriceColgan]

Extract.
"THE ATLANTIC'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL LIST 1 Abraham Lincoln 2 George Washington 3 Thomas Jefferson 4 Franklin D. Roosevelt 5 Alexander Hamilton 6 Benjamin Franklin 7 John Marshall 8 Martin Luther King Jr. 9 Thomas Edison 10 Woodrow Wilson 11 John D. Rockefeller 12 Ulysses Grant 13 James Madison 14 Henry Ford 15 Theodore Roosevelt 16 Mark Twain 17 Ronald Reagan 18 Andrew Jackson 19 Thomas Paine 20 Andrew Carnegie 21 Harry Truman 22 Walt Whitman 23 Wright Brothers 24 Alexander Graham Bell 25 John Adams 26 Walt Disney 27 Eli Whitney 28 Dwight D. Eisenhower 29 Earl Warren 30 Elizabeth Cady Stanton 31 Henry Clay 32 Albert Einstein 33 Ralph Waldo Emerson 34 Jonas Salk 35 Jackie Robinson 36 William Jennings Bryan 37 J.P. Morgan 38 Susan B. Anthony 39 Rachel Carson 40 John Dewey 41 Harriet Beecher Stowe 42 Eleanor Roosevelt 43 W.E.B. DuBois 44 Lyndon Baines Johnson 45 Samuel F.B. Morse 46 William Lloyd Garrison 47 Frederick Douglass 48 Robert Oppenheimer 49 Frederick Law Olmsted 50 James K. Polk 51 Margaret Sanger 52 Joseph Smith 53 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 54 Bill Gates 55 John Quincy Adams 56 Horace Mann 57 Robert E. Lee 58 John C. Calhoun 59 Louis Sullivan 60 William Faulkner 61 Samuel Gompers 62 William James 63 George Marshall 64 Jane Addams 65 Henry David Thoreau 66 Elvis Presley 67 P.T. Barnum 68 James D. Watson 69 James Gordon Bennett 70 Lewis and Clark 71 Noah Webster 72 Sam Walton 73 Cyrus McCormick 74 Brigham Young 75 George Herman "Babe" Ruth 76 Frank Lloyd Wright 77 Betty Friedan 78 John Brown 79 Louis Armstrong 80 William Randolph Hearst 81 Margaret Mead 82 George Gallup 83 James Fenimore Cooper 84 Thurgood Marshall 85 Ernest Hemingway 86 Mary Baker Eddy 87 Benjamin Spock 88 Enrico Fermi 89 Walter Lippmann 90 Jonathan Edwards 91 Lyman Beecher 92 John Steinbeck 93 Nat Turner 94 George Eastman 95 Sam Goldwyn 96 Ralph Nader 97 Stephen Foster 98 Booker T. Washington 99 Richard Nixon 100 Herman Melville

The Atlantic "

Full story on the link. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,25233.shtml

NOW can we have a life-sized bronze statue of Sergeant Elvis Presley?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/MauriceColgan/BUSH12001.jpg

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Only 66th :supriced:

Matt

[elvislady]

Some great people in there but i think elvis should have been up at the top as well.
thanks for the link maurice.
elvislady.

[ThatsAlrightMama]

66 huh? hmm *thinks* Not bad but I think he should have been in the 20's at LEAST... and I can't help but notice James Dean's not in there... *pouts and shrugs* Can't win em all I s'pose. ;)

[EP6873]

He definitely should be higher than Reagan

[U.S. Male]

I'll agree with that he should have been in the 20's at least.

But hey, to me, he'll always be #1(y)

[elvisdownunder]

Half the people in that list i don't even know, so how can they be influencing?

Elvis should at least be in the top 20 also, well at least he made the list :D

[MauriceColgan]

Thanks elvislady and everyone for your interest in this thread. We really should let The Atlantic magazine know our feelings. I have already sent my message to them:)
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials Check out the link to see the 100 chosen by 10 eminent Historians, and comments about them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/MauriceColgan/Elvisdisplay14.jpg

Number 58 was a supporter of Slavery!!! letters@theatlantic.com A few well chosen words may send ripples across the Ocean :-)

[Raised on Rock]

Well of course we Elvis fans, and Elvis fans are the greatest group of fans on earth, will want to see Elvis as close to No 1 as its posible, and sure its argurable that some of the people over there should be under Elvis Presley in terms of influencing america; but hey this is no who is who in music by some stupid teen magazine when we see an ashole rap singer having his lucky day rankin above Elvis, the people listed here is kind of diferent form that isnt it, I mean, we have to think well before dare to say that Elvis should be above someones like Twain or LutherKing, I mean Walt Whitman and Albert Einstein? those are lots of brains, so above or below, so complex and reltive to determine, we should notice that for Elvis, to be listed among most of this men it would be a tremendous honour. ( I said most not all, I detest some of the people on that list, but hey detestable huge influence they had! lol.) Personaly I really think Bob Dylan and Miles Davis have to be on this list.

P.S. Just a few musicians, and Elvis is above the great great Louis Armstrong, thats a big deal to say lads.

[MauriceColgan]

Yes Elvis is honoured by being on the list. The news is reaching many of the Business Journals, including the Memphis edition. Search Elvis on google news and you will see the impact the news is having.

On the wonderful Ed Sullivan DVDs Sam Phillips said "Elvis was the foremost citizen of Memphis............he put the city on the world map!"

http://irelandtoo.blogspot.com

[vulcandude]

ELVIS IS 66th?!?!? You have got to be kidding me......Elvis can not be lumped into the same list as politicians or world leaders or even those who are influential business leaders...(ex. Bill Gates) Elvis was a singer and an actor, and deserves far more recognition than most of those people on the list.....didn't know half of them. I can understand Washington or Lincoln's positions in the list, but Elvis should be at least listed somewhere in the 20s.....his music continues to touch people every day nearly thirty years after his passing, and I don't know many people that actually would start a forum on some of those that made the list. What is equally as shocking as Elvis' position in this list, is the amazing absence of the late, great James Dean. Hello?......what Elvis meant to music in the 50s, James Dean meant the same to the movie industry, and yet, he's conviently forgotten. What will really be interesting is to see how this list changes next year.....and if Elvis gets a better position or if he loses his "Blue Suede Shoes" to someone else.....and I'm not even going to think about that.

[Suspicious Minds]

[QUOTE=MauriceColgan;86027]Extract.
"THE ATLANTIC'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL LIST 1 Abraham Lincoln 2 George Washington 3 Thomas Jefferson 4 Franklin D. Roosevelt 5 Alexander Hamilton 6 Benjamin Franklin 7 John Marshall 8 Martin Luther King Jr. 9 Thomas Edison 10 Woodrow Wilson 11 John D. Rockefeller 12 Ulysses Grant 13 James Madison 14 Henry Ford 15 Theodore Roosevelt 16 Mark Twain 17 Ronald Reagan 18 Andrew Jackson 19 Thomas Paine 20 Andrew Carnegie 21 Harry Truman 22 Walt Whitman 23 Wright Brothers 24 Alexander Graham Bell 25 John Adams 26 Walt Disney 27 Eli Whitney 28 Dwight D. Eisenhower 29 Earl Warren 30 Elizabeth Cady Stanton 31 Henry Clay 32 Albert Einstein 33 Ralph Waldo Emerson 34 Jonas Salk 35 Jackie Robinson 36 William Jennings Bryan 37 J.P. Morgan 38 Susan B. Anthony 39 Rachel Carson 40 John Dewey 41 Harriet Beecher Stowe 42 Eleanor Roosevelt 43 W.E.B. DuBois 44 Lyndon Baines Johnson 45 Samuel F.B. Morse 46 William Lloyd Garrison 47 Frederick Douglass 48 Robert Oppenheimer 49 Frederick Law Olmsted 50 James K. Polk 51 Margaret Sanger 52 Joseph Smith 53 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 54 Bill Gates 55 John Quincy Adams 56 Horace Mann 57 Robert E. Lee 58 John C. Calhoun 59 Louis Sullivan 60 William Faulkner 61 Samuel Gompers 62 William James 63 George Marshall 64 Jane Addams 65 Henry David Thoreau 66 Elvis Presley 67 P.T. Barnum 68 James D. Watson 69 James Gordon Bennett 70 Lewis and Clark 71 Noah Webster 72 Sam Walton 73 Cyrus McCormick 74 Brigham Young 75 George Herman "Babe" Ruth 76 Frank Lloyd Wright 77 Betty Friedan 78 John Brown 79 Louis Armstrong 80 William Randolph Hearst 81 Margaret Mead 82 George Gallup 83 James Fenimore Cooper 84 Thurgood Marshall 85 Ernest Hemingway 86 Mary Baker Eddy 87 Benjamin Spock 88 Enrico Fermi 89 Walter Lippmann 90 Jonathan Edwards 91 Lyman Beecher 92 John Steinbeck 93 Nat Turner 94 George Eastman 95 Sam Goldwyn 96 Ralph Nader 97 Stephen Foster 98 Booker T. Washington 99 Richard Nixon 100 Herman Melville

Is Elvis the only singer in the Top 100? A lot of these names I have never heard of. It just shows Elvis is more influential than The Beatles. They might have changed the 60's life style and nothing more.

[MISSCLAWDY]

I'm not American so there are many people in the list I've never heard of; but I think Elvis should be at least in the first 30

[vulcandude]

[QUOTE=MauriceColgan;86027]Is Elvis the only singer in the Top 100? A lot of these names I have never heard of. It just shows Elvis is more influential than The Beatles. They might have changed the 60's life style and nothing more. Only reason the Beatles aren't in the list is because they were not American.....and how is it Martin Luther King ends up only at #8? And surely other singers like Buddy Holly deserve to be in this list. We at TCB should compose our own list of the 100 most influential Americans and post it, and show where Elvis' true place in history lies.......

[Suspicious Minds]

Sorry my mistake. If it had been top 100 influential people of the world. Now that would be a different result.

[Jungleroom76]

WOW!!!! :!:

I CAN'T BELIEVE that Elvis only made #66 on the list...perhaps we should consider a magazine boycott??? :hmm: ;)

Seriously though....I have to agree that Elvis should have definitely placed higher on the list than #66!!!

TCB!
Mike

[Raised on Rock]

Yes, lets make our own list, that would be fun to do!

Anyway, I just one to point out that the fact that we are not familiar either with the names or the work of some of the people there, that doesnt mean they had not have a huge influence on America and the World, just in the same way many teens today doesnt know anything about Elvis but that doesnt mean that Elvis isnt a huge influence in the way they dress, think, and on the music they hear.

It is curious to me that there were only a very few artist on the list, and those are mainly on the literature field (which is great! still people consider that writen words on paper can influence on people). Few musicians were listed, Ive said this before, but once again, Elvis Presley above Louis Armstrong? on the social path makes totally sence, but in strictly american musical terms, that it is daring to say!

Yes the absense of Dean on movies is an issue. One more thing, that the Beatles were not americans is not reason to left them behind cause neither Einstein was. I think we are just looking at this too much from the music-arts point of view, when that poll was more on the social field, about people thar change our views about the world; Beatles were a huge influence on musical terms, but not that much really on the social-ideology field, the social changes that happened during 60's where about to happen Beatles or not, in fact they where influenced by those changes and not the other way, while on the other hand Elvis Presley did was responsable in a big way for many of those changes, and not only for the 60's realted once. I guess people like Miles Davis or CHarlie Parker are not listed here because their huge influece was very much limited to the music world, but I personaly belive that if someone music changes the way we hear and understand music, that someone is changing something on you that goes beyond music. So more power to ELvis too.

Bob Dylan must have been listed.

[vulcandude]

Ok, if we are going to look at this list from a musical standpoint and include The Beatles despite the fact they were not American, then why stop there? Why not include The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Valens, Desi Arnaz, (who could forget "Babalu"?), Herman's Hermits, or any of ther other bands from The British Invasion? And why are we forgetting some of the legendary swing artists like Tommy Dorsey? Sure Elvis deserves a better place befitting his place in history, but so many others changed music, and influenced the way we listen to it. Overall, I think this list shouldn't have been made anyway, because so many people are going to have their own point of view in issues like this. And I still say you can't lump singers and politicians and business leaders in the same group anyway.

[MauriceColgan]

When discussing lists of famous people that have been chosen by Historians it would be wise to consider why they have chosen the names included in the 100 most influential Americans. There's always going to be bias.

The fact Elvis Presley is included speaks volumes!

Historians know that there is a general public concensus of oppinion not to be ignored.

We are all aware of the popular names that spring to mind when we speak of the famous names that are instantly recognised world-wide. Socratese, Beethoven, Mozart, Muhamid Ali, Ghandi, Joe Louis, Freud, Nelson Mandela, Galileo, Einstein, Marconi, Disney,Princess Dianna Bill Clinton, etc. There are dozens and dozens more embedded in our minds.

Elvis Presley is just so deeply ingrained in modern culture, he is undeniable!

What's more, because of all the Elvis material arriving on the market his name
is actually becoming even more famous!

BMG would be wise to utilise the vast amount of publicity generated by all this Elvis material. The company has millions of agents world-wide............Us!

[vulcandude]

The fact Elvis Presley is included speaks volumes! Historians know that there is a general public concensus of opinion not to be ignored. It speaks more than volumes. It screams out just how well known and loved Elvis still is after all these years. And, if historians did take into account the "general public concensus of opinion" as you put it, then surely Elvis would have recieved a higher position than 66! I mean, although I understand why people like Lincoln, Washington, or Socrates might be put ahead of Elvis, (especially Lincoln and Washington), history demands that Elvis be given his rightful place in it. He changed the face of music, the way we thought about ourselves, and did it repeatedly. Elvis just can not be lumped into a categorical list such as this. Elvis was one of a kind, (and I'm not saying the others on the list weren't), but political leaders and the like come along everyday. We will never see the likes of someone like Elvis again, therefore, 66 is just not befitting of "The King."

[MauriceColgan]

vulcandude, maybe you should read the article on the link and then join the magzines forum to state your own case http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...se,25233.shtml

I did. I'm always emailing newspaper and magazine etc editors when Elvis is disrespected.

[vulcandude]

vulcandude, maybe you should read the article on the link and then join the magzines forum to state your own case http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...se,25233.shtml

I did. I'm always emailing newspaper and magazine etc editors when Elvis is disrespected.
Maurice, I need not subscribe to magazines or newspapers to know Elvis deserves a better place in history than to be listed as 66th in this list. As your end quote states, "The truth asserts itself", and the truth is this: Elvis revolutionized the music industry, not just once but several times, and gave a whole new generation in the 1950s something they could call their own, whereas swing and big bands were primarily what belonged to their parents' generation. It also asserts itself in the amount of people who went to Graceland upon the news of Elvis' death, it's asserted in the amount of people who flock to Graceland every year, it's asserted in the amount of money Elvis continues to earn nearly 30 years later. The truth is asserted in the fact that his home is a historical landmark. The truth is asserted in the amount of books, CD compilations, TV specials, and re-issued Elvis movies that come out. AND THAT IS HOW THE TRUTH ASSERTS ITSELF.

[MauriceColgan]

Vulcandude, But you are preaching to the converted here.

Don't shoot the messenger:)

Remember I have been an Elvis fan since 1957 and know all about Elvis's achievements that's why I spend so much time trawling the Elvis news for erroneous reporting.......to fix:)

[vulcandude]

Vulcandude, But you are preaching to the converted here.

Don't shoot the messenger:)

Remember I have been an Elvis fan since 1957 and know all about Elvis's achievements that's why I spend so much time trawling the Elvis news for erroneous reporting.......to fix:)Maurice, I'm not doing anything. I only said that I did not need magazines oe newspapers to support what I already know, and you do too.....Elvis deserves a much better position in history than to be listed 66th. For as I said, the truth asserts itself.

[MauriceColgan]

Vulcandude, that's ok:)

This is what we are up against:
"November 21, 2006
The 100 Most Influential Americans
Posted by John Steele Gordon at 10:45 AM EST

The Atlantic this month is running a story on the hundred most influential people in American history. You can find the list here (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials) . It was compiled by asking a panel of ten historians to each produce a list, and the lists were then merged.

The panel consisted of Joyce Appleby, H. W. Brands, Robert Dallek, Ellen Fitzpatrick, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David M. Kennedy, Walter McDougall, Mark Noll, Gordon S. Wood, and myself. I might point out that of the 10, only Doris Kearns Goodwin and I are not professors (or a professor emerita) of history at major academic institutions, most holding endowed chairs, and Mss Goodwin has won the Pulitzer Prize in history. This makes me feel a bit as though I had unaccountably been invited to play in a charity golf tournament with the top nine money-winners on the PGA Tour.

Needless to say, there can be, probably will be, and certainly should be endless debate over who does and does not deserve a spot on the list. I think James Gordon Bennett (No. 69 on the list) ranks way too low. Elvis Presley, for God?s sake, ranks No. 66. Bennett was the most important journalist in history?the maker of the modern media?and I had him at No. 10. On the other hand I think Jackie Robinson (No. 35) is way too high. J. P. Morgan, probably the most powerful banker who ever lived, after all, ranks only No. 37 on the list. The absence from the list of DeWitt Clinton is inexplicable to me. Without Clinton, the Erie Canal would probably never have happened, and without the Erie Canal, New York City would have been a much smaller, much less influential place. Ralph Nader ranks No. 97. I suspect a hundred years from now he?ll be Ralph Who?

For what it?s worth, here is my list:

1) George Washington
2) Abraham Lincoln
3) Alexander Hamilton
4) Thomas Jefferson
5) James Madison
6) Henry Ford
7) DeWitt Clinton
8) Albert Einstein
9) Steve Jobs
10) James Gordon Bennett
11) Eli Whitney
12) Cyrus McCormick
13) Andrew Jackson
14) Franklin D. Roosevelt
15) Ronald Reagan
16) J. P. Morgan
17) The Wright Brothers
18) Martin Luther King, Jr.
19) Thomas Edison
20) John Marshall
21) James Watson
22) James K. Polk
23) Benjamin Franklin
24) Edwin Drake
25) Thomas Paine
26) Robert Fulton
27) Woodrow Wilson
28) Theodore Roosevelt
29) John Von Neumann
30) William Shockley
31) Mark Twain
32) Walt Disney
33) Stephen Foster
34) Harriet Beecher Stowe
35) A. T. Stewart
36) Sam Walton
37) Louis Sullivan
38) D. W. Griffiths
39) Cecil B. DeMille
40) Richard Sears
41) John Adams
42) John Jay
43) Ulysses S. Grant
44) P. T. Barnum
45) William Jennings Bryan
46) A. P. Giannini
47) Lewis and Clark
48) Julia Child
49) Earl Warren
50) David Dudley Field
51) George Gallup
52) Steven Spielberg
53) Rodgers and Hammerstein
54) Joseph Smith
55) Brigham Young
56) Cornelius Vanderbilt
57) William F. Buckley, Jr.
58) Peter Cooper
59) George Peabody
60) Nicola Tesla
61) Oliver Evans
62) John D. Rockefeller
63) William Johnson
64) William Boyle
65) Walt Whitman
66) George Kennan
67) Samuel Slater
68) Samuel F. B. Morse
69) Thomas Cole
70) Jerome Kern
71) Walter Reuther
72) Henry Clay
73) Daniel Webster
74) Noah Webster
75) William Maxwell Evarts
76) Louis D. Brandeis
77) Cyrus Field
78) James Fenimore Cooper
79) Frederick Jackson Turner
80) Rachel Carson
81) Alfred Thayer Mahan
82) Andrew Carnegie
83) John Brown
84) B. F. Skinner
85) William Lloyd Garrison
86) Henry James
87) Alfred Kinsey
88) Eugene O?Neill
89) John James Audubon
90) Henry Flagler
91) William Faulkner
92) Edward R. Murrow
93) Francis Cabot Lowell
94) Frederick Law Olmsted
95) Benjamin Spock
96) Edward Hubble
97) Martha Stewart
98) Oprah Winfrey
99) Elvis Presley
100) Lorenz Hart

Discuss this post"

[vulcandude]

Vulcandude, that's ok:)

This is what we are up against:
"November 21, 2006
The 100 Most Influential Americans
Posted by John Steele Gordon at 10:45 AM EST

The Atlantic this month is running a story on the hundred most influential people in American history. You can find the list here (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials) . It was compiled by asking a panel of ten historians to each produce a list, and the lists were then merged.

The panel consisted of Joyce Appleby, H. W. Brands, Robert Dallek, Ellen Fitzpatrick, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David M. Kennedy, Walter McDougall, Mark Noll, Gordon S. Wood, and myself. I might point out that of the 10, only Doris Kearns Goodwin and I are not professors (or a professor emerita) of history at major academic institutions, most holding endowed chairs, and Mss Goodwin has won the Pulitzer Prize in history. This makes me feel a bit as though I had unaccountably been invited to play in a charity golf tournament with the top nine money-winners on the PGA Tour.

Needless to say, there can be, probably will be, and certainly should be endless debate over who does and does not deserve a spot on the list. I think James Gordon Bennett (No. 69 on the list) ranks way too low. Elvis Presley, for God?s sake, ranks No. 66. Bennett was the most important journalist in history?the maker of the modern media?and I had him at No. 10. On the other hand I think Jackie Robinson (No. 35) is way too high. J. P. Morgan, probably the most powerful banker who ever lived, after all, ranks only No. 37 on the list. The absence from the list of DeWitt Clinton is inexplicable to me. Without Clinton, the Erie Canal would probably never have happened, and without the Erie Canal, New York City would have been a much smaller, much less influential place. Ralph Nader ranks No. 97. I suspect a hundred years from now he?ll be Ralph Who?

For what it?s worth, here is my list:

1) George Washington
2) Abraham Lincoln
3) Alexander Hamilton
4) Thomas Jefferson
5) James Madison
6) Henry Ford
7) DeWitt Clinton
8) Albert Einstein
9) Steve Jobs
10) James Gordon Bennett
11) Eli Whitney
12) Cyrus McCormick
13) Andrew Jackson
14) Franklin D. Roosevelt
15) Ronald Reagan
16) J. P. Morgan
17) The Wright Brothers
18) Martin Luther King, Jr.
19) Thomas Edison
20) John Marshall
21) James Watson
22) James K. Polk
23) Benjamin Franklin
24) Edwin Drake
25) Thomas Paine
26) Robert Fulton
27) Woodrow Wilson
28) Theodore Roosevelt
29) John Von Neumann
30) William Shockley
31) Mark Twain
32) Walt Disney
33) Stephen Foster
34) Harriet Beecher Stowe
35) A. T. Stewart
36) Sam Walton
37) Louis Sullivan
38) D. W. Griffiths
39) Cecil B. DeMille
40) Richard Sears
41) John Adams
42) John Jay
43) Ulysses S. Grant
44) P. T. Barnum
45) William Jennings Bryan
46) A. P. Giannini
47) Lewis and Clark
48) Julia Child
49) Earl Warren
50) David Dudley Field
51) George Gallup
52) Steven Spielberg
53) Rodgers and Hammerstein
54) Joseph Smith
55) Brigham Young
56) Cornelius Vanderbilt
57) William F. Buckley, Jr.
58) Peter Cooper
59) George Peabody
60) Nicola Tesla
61) Oliver Evans
62) John D. Rockefeller
63) William Johnson
64) William Boyle
65) Walt Whitman
66) George Kennan
67) Samuel Slater
68) Samuel F. B. Morse
69) Thomas Cole
70) Jerome Kern
71) Walter Reuther
72) Henry Clay
73) Daniel Webster
74) Noah Webster
75) William Maxwell Evarts
76) Louis D. Brandeis
77) Cyrus Field
78) James Fenimore Cooper
79) Frederick Jackson Turner
80) Rachel Carson
81) Alfred Thayer Mahan
82) Andrew Carnegie
83) John Brown
84) B. F. Skinner
85) William Lloyd Garrison
86) Henry James
87) Alfred Kinsey
88) Eugene O?Neill
89) John James Audubon
90) Henry Flagler
91) William Faulkner
92) Edward R. Murrow
93) Francis Cabot Lowell
94) Frederick Law Olmsted
95) Benjamin Spock
96) Edward Hubble
97) Martha Stewart
98) Oprah Winfrey
99) Elvis Presley
100) Lorenz Hart

Discuss this post"It's bad enough the original list had Elvis listed at 66th, but for him to be placed 99th in this list makes me feel like I'm in an episode of "The Twilight Zone"....and a bad one at that. For all of his accomplishments during his lfetime, and the ones he still makes nearly 30 years later, Elvis doesn't belong anywhere past the TOP TWENTY-FIVE at least! To see him at 99 is shameful....considering he was named "Artist Of The Century". And how in the world does Martin Luther King Jr. go from #8 to #18? And where are other such notables as Buddy Holly, Hank Aaron, Fred Rogers, (surely he should get credit for all those years on PBS....), and Generals Patton and Douglas MacArthur to name a few? What are these experts relying on? Apparently public opinion doesn't come into account, or else Elvis would not be at #99. It's a disgrace to his fans, to his family, and to him. I am utterly disgusted.(n)

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

When all is said and done, these lists are compiled by pencil necked geeks, they may be hugely academic but that just makes them into academic snobs. This people think in terms of the own microcosm and do not like to think about populist selections lest they be mocked, the list is a snapshot of what academia think not what the general public think.

I'm always amazed every year in the UK when the best artist list is released, the names in this list are nominated by public vote and is always filled with names that have been popular over the last 12 months and then the obvious big names.

It's an unfortunate fact that as the years go by celebrity fades in the eye of the next generation.

As for academic lists, stuff and nonsense :lmfao:

Here to illustrate the point is a poll and the results examined: -

An ABCNEWS.com poll found 38 percent of Americans name Elvis Presley as the greatest rock 'n' roll star ever. Of the 128 performers named, no one else even breaks single digits; the second greatest rock 'n' roll star is Jimi Hendrix at 4 percent. (Appearing on this list, both with single mentions, may be the only thing Yanni and Alice Cooper have in common.)



Who Is the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Star of All Time?
Elvis Presley 38 percent
Jimi Hendrix 4 percent
John Lennon 2 percent
Mick Jagger 2 percent
Bruce Springsteen 2 percent
Paul McCartney 2 percent
Eric Clapton 2 percent
Michael Jackson 2 percent
120 Others 1 percent or less




The Reign Won?t Last Forever

Nonetheless, history does move on, and the differences by age indicate that Presley won't dominate the charts forever. Among people age 55 to 64, a huge 66 percent are Elvis fans. Among young adults, age 18 to 34, this drops to 38 percent ? still a good number, but also a lot fewer.

Similarly, among people age 55 to 64, 68 percent call Presley the greatest rock 'n' roll star of all time. Among 18- to 34-year-olds that falls precipitously, to 19 percent. Still, even among those young adults, Elvis leads No. 2 Hendrix by better than 2-1. (Another drug-related fatality, Hendrix died at age 27 on Sept. 18, 1970.)

There's also a generational break moving upward: While Elvis is hugely popular among 55- to 64-year-olds, he's far less enthralling to those age 65 and up. Maybe they still pine for the Andrews Sisters.


Influential, But Not Exactly a Role Model

Older people, age 65 and up, are also a bit less apt to think that Elvis, through his music, had a positive impact on American culture ? 73 percent say so, but that compares to 88 percent of those under 65. And just 19 percent in the older group say Elvis had a "very" positive impact, compared to 31 percent of those 18 to 64.

Overall, the impact of Elvis' music is seen as huge: 91 percent of Americans say he had a lasting impact on American culture, and 85 percent say that impact was positive.

But his personal character is more problematic for some. Fifty-eight percent say Elvis was not a good role model for Americans today, and a mere 5 percent call him an "excellent" role model. His ratings as a role model are weakest in the oldest age group ? some of whom may have watched those rotating hips and sneering lips, and wondered what this world was coming to

[Dovey]

I agree 100% Vulcandude.. but to me the list is just a bunch of bull... Who put the list together and how many people voted... Dovey;)

[MauriceColgan]

The point is the guy who put Elvis at number 99 HAD to include him on the list! He may already regret that, knowing his colleagues will see it :clap: We can always email him with some educational information:) jsg@johnsteelegordon.com

The dozen or so academics chosen to compile the list have opened quite a Pandoras box. By exposing themselves they give us the opportunity to stand up for Elvis on the magazine's forum where our words will be seen by many thoughtful people.

Of course the general public would have Elvis riding high...........especially us 65 year olds:-)
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials

[vulcandude]

When all is said and done, these lists are compiled by pencil necked geeks, they may be hugely academic but that just makes them into academic snobs. This people think in terms of the own microcosm and do not like to think about populist selections lest they be mocked, the list is a snapshot of what academia think not what the general public think.

I'm always amazed every year in the UK when the best artist list is released, the names in this list are nominated by public vote and is always filled with names that have been popular over the last 12 months and then the obvious big names.

It's an unfortunate fact that as the years go by celebrity fades in the eye of the next generation.

As for academic lists, stuff and nonsense :lmfao:

Here to illustrate the point is a poll and the results examined: -

An ABCNEWS.com poll found 38 percent of Americans name Elvis Presley as the greatest rock 'n' roll star ever. Of the 128 performers named, no one else even breaks single digits; the second greatest rock 'n' roll star is Jimi Hendrix at 4 percent. (Appearing on this list, both with single mentions, may be the only thing Yanni and Alice Cooper have in common.)



Who Is the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Star of All Time?
Elvis Presley 38 percent
Jimi Hendrix 4 percent
John Lennon 2 percent
Mick Jagger 2 percent
Bruce Springsteen 2 percent
Paul McCartney 2 percent
Eric Clapton 2 percent
Michael Jackson 2 percent
120 Others 1 percent or less
Well Matt, it looks like you and I finally agree on something.....LOL. These "academians" think they know everything......but obviously this isn't the case, or Elvis would have been placed higher than 66th on the one list, or at 99 on another! These people obviously just look at the world and decide what (or how) AMERICAN politicians or business leaders influenced our lives, and to hell with those in the sports or entertainment industries. Elvis changed things so monumentally, that it is inconcieveable to think what music would be like today if we hadn't had him. They absolutely deny that he had any real effect on American culture, and it just isn't so. Let's get some "ordinary" people on one of these committees for once, this way when they decide to come out with a list like this, it can be more balanced.

[vulcandude]

I agree 100% Vulcandude.. but to me the list is just a bunch of bull... Who put the list together and how many people voted... Dovey;) Thank you Dovey, and I agree with you.....do they vote on things like this behind closed and locked doors???? Makes me wonder if these people live in caves, or at the very least, libraries.....

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Well Matt, it looks like you and I finally agree on something.....LOL. These "academians" think they know everything......but obviously this isn't the case, or Elvis would have been placed higher than 66th on the one list, or at 99 on another! These people obviously just look at the world and decide what (or how) AMERICAN politicians or business leaders influenced our lives, and to hell with those in the sports or entertainment industries. Elvis changed things so monumentally, that it is inconcieveable to think what music would be like today if we hadn't had him. They absolutely deny that he had any real effect on American culture, and it just isn't so. Let's get some "ordinary" people on one of these committees for once, this way when they decide to come out with a list like this, it can be more balanced.

A lot of people are afraid of academics because they are so called intelligent! Their point of view is no more valid than yours or mine.

[MauriceColgan]

Jumpsuit Junkie, said "A lot of people are afraid of academics because they are so called intelligent! Their point of view is no more valid than yours or mine."

That's why I raised this topic:) They are not accustomed to being taken to task by Elvis fans.

The PC is a mighty tool indeed! But will mister John steele Gordon reply to my email? :hmm:

[diamond]

Jumpsuit Junkie, said "A lot of people are afraid of academics because they are so called intelligent! Their point of view is no more valid than yours or mine."

That's why I raised this topic:) They are not accustomed to being taken to task by Elvis fans.

The PC is a mighty tool indeed! But will mister John steele Gordon reply to my email? :hmm:


He probably wont no ;)


I cannot see how this list has got people so agitated.

Elvis died nearly 30 years ago and if he was going to influence anyone it would be an artist through music. Now if the list had said 100 Influential American Musicians then I am pretty sure Elvis would have been much higher up on the list.

It's a sad fact of life but to influence young people these days you have to be in the ''here and now'' e.g. Beckham, Freddie Flintoff and musically I think the likes of rappers come to mind etc.

[MauriceColgan]

Diamond, Many young Elvis fans are here because they WERE influenced by Elvis:)

The influence of the great composers still has hordes of young children taking up instruments. Beethoven and company are much longer dead than Elvis.

Even young ears seek out the best to emulate. Of course a huge number will lock on to mediocrities..what's new?:)

[vulcandude]

He probably wont no ;)


I cannot see how this list has got people so agitated.

Elvis died nearly 30 years ago and if he was going to influence anyone it would be an artist through music. Now if the list had said 100 Influential American Musicians then I am pretty sure Elvis would have been much higher up on the list.

It's a sad fact of life but to influence young people these days you have to be in the ''here and now'' e.g. Beckham, Freddie Flintoff and musically I think the likes of rappers come to mind etc.I wouldn't say we have gotten agitated over this list.....I would say we are voicing our collective dislike for the fact that these "academians" rated Elvis so poorly. Just as they are biased towards politicians, business leaders, and the like because of their "so called intelligence", we are biased towards Elvis because of the love and passion we have for him and his music. But bias aside, it still doesn't take a monkey to realize the cultural importance Elvis had and still has today, but then I guess the people that put this list together are not monkeys.....if you know what I mean. I don't think that even if these people had put a list together on the "100 Most Influential American Musicians", they would have rated Elvis higher. It's not in their nature to do so. So until someone in the music industry or someone here at TCB makes such a list, we are going to have to settle with theirs, and not like it.

[sackofnachos]

Well, if one guy rated him 99, at least a few of the others had to have him pretty high to get to 66, right? Maybe they're not all bad. ;)

[MauriceColgan]

Well, if one guy rated him 99, at least a few of the others had to have him pretty high to get to 66, right? Maybe they're not all bad. ;)

Yes I think that would be fair to say.

There are a great many very well educated and intelligent Elvis fans. Sadly we hear more from the snobs in the media....but that is changing. The PC has given us all a voice. We must use it to take Elvis mockers to task at every opportunity.

[amzietamzie]

Hmm I don't think much of these lists as a whole. They're pretty meaningless if you don't know the criteria for which their influence on the world was being judged, how they rated the influence, who was voting, how the people were chosen and so on.

And "influence" is such a vast topic to do a poll on. Taking all fields into account... many people will disagree with the results (for example, architects might find Frank Lloyd Wright's position as 76th unfair).

Of course, Elvis is incredibly influential in the music field, and he is a huge icon in American culture, one of the faces of the 20th century, and I'm not saying that I don't want him to be ranked highly.... but I don't think there's much point giving any consideration to anything like this, as it is clearly just a select few's opinion, the whole concept is highly subjective anyway (you can't rank people's influence on others objectively) and anyway it is a flawed list seeing as we don't know the reasons behind the choices.

I know the huge importance of Elvis' influence, and others know it too, and that's all that is important to me. You don't need any list to show it.

[MauriceColgan]

Hmm I don't think much of these lists as a whole. They're pretty meaningless if you don't know the criteria for which their influence on the world was being judged, how they rated the influence, who was voting, how the people were chosen and so on.

And "influence" is such a vast topic to do a poll on. Taking all fields into account... many people will disagree with the results (for example, architects might find Frank Lloyd Wright's position as 76th unfair).

Of course, Elvis is incredibly influential in the music field, and he is a huge icon in American culture, one of the faces of the 20th century, and I'm not saying that I don't want him to be ranked highly.... but I don't think there's much point giving any consideration to anything like this, as it is clearly just a select few's opinion, the whole concept is highly subjective anyway (you can't rank people's influence on others objectively) and anyway it is a flawed list seeing as we don't know the reasons behind the choices.

I know the huge importance of Elvis' influence, and others know it too, and that's all that is important to me. You don't need any list to show it.

amzietamzie, But here you are getting the opportunity to express your thoughts on a "meaningless" list. It's kinda Irish logic :)

John Steele Gordon one of the academics replied to my posts on the American Heritage forum. He is obviously not an Elvis fan putting him as he does at number 99 on his list.
It's fun countering his arguements.......... after all he just HAD to include Elvis!
The 100 most influential Americans list is attracting attention so why not use the space to praise Elvis where non fans are reading? We may raise a few eyebrows, even convert a few:-)

[vulcandude]

Hmm I don't think much of these lists as a whole. They're pretty meaningless if you don't know the criteria for which their influence on the world was being judged, how they rated the influence, who was voting, how the people were chosen and so on.

And "influence" is such a vast topic to do a poll on. Taking all fields into account... many people will disagree with the results (for example, architects might find Frank Lloyd Wright's position as 76th unfair).

Of course, Elvis is incredibly influential in the music field, and he is a huge icon in American culture, one of the faces of the 20th century, and I'm not saying that I don't want him to be ranked highly.... but I don't think there's much point giving any consideration to anything like this, as it is clearly just a select few's opinion, the whole concept is highly subjective anyway (you can't rank people's influence on others objectively) and anyway it is a flawed list seeing as we don't know the reasons behind the choices.

I know the huge importance of Elvis' influence, and others know it too, and that's all that is important to me. You don't need any list to show it.I will agree with you here on one thing Amy, and that is that it is hard to decide who could be considered as influential on other people. I also agree that the list is flawed, not because of the fact we don't know these people's reasons for choosing who they did, but the fact that it isn't balanced enough. If more entertainers like Elvis were included, I think it would have been a far more equitable list, and Elvis would have been given a better position. What I fear is that if more people pay attention to this list, the more people might agree he wasn't so important to history. We need to respond to this list with our own and give it to these people, and show them where Elvis truly belongs.

[MauriceColgan]

vulcandude, Few of the people, if any, who compiled the list,would visit an Elvis message board. Any list you make would need to be posted on the American Heritage website's Forum.

It's not too busy:-) Nevertheless the news is picked up by search engines and reaches a wider audience.

http://www.elvision.20megsfree.com

[Wendy56]

He'll reach the number one someday... Elvis deserves it. :clap:

[Unchained Melody]

When I first saw this list I was dissapointed that Elvis was ony #66 :blink: ! That is ludacris. He should atleast be in the top 20 !

[vulcandude]

vulcandude, Few of the people, if any, who compiled the list,would visit an Elvis message board. Any list you make would need to be posted on the American Heritage website's Forum.

It's not too busy:-) Nevertheless the news is picked up by search engines and reaches a wider audience.

http://www.elvision.20megsfree.comYou are probably right, they probably wouldn't visit places like this. But they should, because then they'd see our opinions, and Elvis would get better than 66!