Elvis and all the great Singers

The impact of hollywood musicals on people was enormous back in the days when Elvis was a boy.

We can only speculate on the names of singers Elvis may have heard and liked enough to seek out their music on the radio or jukeboxes in Tupelo (Were there any mentioned in the Elvis literature?) I dont want to have to plow through the books again if the info is available here.

Elvis must have heard a lot of music on the radio, at friends houses and in stores...maybe even in the barbers shop.

Here in Ireland as a boy I heard just about every singer that was ever played on radio. At the movies we saw all the greats.

Yes we know about the gospel and black music influences, along with Dean Martin etc. But there were hundreds more, from Caruso, Louis Armstrong, and Crosby to Mario Lanza, Frankie Laine and Roy Orbison etc!

Maybe we can start with Al Jolson...Surely Elvis saw, "The Jazz Singer". ?

He liked Roy Hamilton and Lavern Baker enough to cover their songs. Does anyone know if Elvis saw the Jazz Singer?

Or even "The Jolson Story", I have a feeling he did.

All those early Movie musicals featuring Tenors also.

some out there will know.