Elvis Presley once admitted to Tom Jones who he thought the real king of rock and roll was

12 July 2023, 13:36 | Updated: 10 January 2024, 13:41

They were both music icons that possessed talent and sex appeal in abundance.

So it's no wonder why once Elvis Presley and Tom Jones crossed paths many years ago, they immediately hit it off and became good friends.

In fact, it was Tom Jones that gave Elvis the courage to pursue his Las Vegas residency after seeing the Welsh singer blow audiences away at his own stint in Nevada.

Elvis reportedly said after seeing one of Tom's shows that: "You lit a fire in me tonight, 'I'm going to tell that old man I need to get back on the road," referring to his manager Colonel Parker.

It was the inspiration he needed to begin performing his music to live audiences again rather than continuing to churn out the weak string of movies he'd been starring in.

• When The Beatles paid tribute to their "messiah" with an Elvis Presley cover version
• All 31 of Elvis Presley's movies, ranked from worst to best
• Tom Jones insists he won’t retire any time soon - but on one condition
• Bob Dylan failed to impress Tom Jones until one iconic song won him over

The pair struck up a friendship and would frequently spend time together at their homes or other artists' shows when they were in the same city.

It wouldn't come as a surprise if the music legend learned a thing or two from Elvis himself, given that he was the King Of Rock 'n' Roll after all.

In a recent concert however, Tom Jones revealed when Elvis admitted to him he thought the real 'king of rock 'n' roll' was.

Since Elvis Presley's premature death at the age of 42 in 1977, Tom Jones has shared a number of insightful anecdotes about their relationship and the precious times they spent together.

At his recent Greenwich Summer Sounds show in London, Jones had yet another unique story about the King.

After one of the pair's concerts back in the day, they decided to head out together and see a show.

Toward the tail end of Tom's Greenwich Summer Sounds concert, he revealed: "One night, Elvis said to me, 'Chuck Berry's playing tonight do you want to go see him?' I said, 'Sure.'"

• When Julian Lennon joined Chuck Berry on stage and followed in his father's footsteps
• Remembering when Yoko Ono's screaming shocked Chuck Berry during John Lennon live TV duet
• Why Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B Goode’ is the first rock song aliens might ever hear

"So we go to see Chuck Berry where he was singing and playing and Elvis is looking at him on stage," Jones continued.

Elvis, clearly transfixed by Berry's trailblazing ability and stage persona, turned to Jones and revealed his thoughts about the blues star.

"Elvis turned to me and said, 'There’s the real King of Rock and Roll up there right now'", paying the ultimate compliment from one icon to another.

"That’s what Elvis Presley said about Chuck Berry," Tom continued. "So we would like to pay tribute to the King of Rock and Roll with this song right here…"

Right then, his guitarist opened up with the iconic guitar riff to 'Johnny B. Goode' which many credit as the song to pave the way for rock music that followed.

Jones also had another rock 'n' roll song up his sleeve later in the concert, asking the crowd: "Sometimes people ask me, what is your favourite rock and roll song? And it’s this one right here…" before launching into Jerry Lee Lewis' 'Great Balls Of Fire'.

Tom is still going strong, and his voice is still as powerful as ever, so he's still letting loose by performing the classic rock 'n' roll songs he's always had a penchant for.

His love for rock 'n' roll, and Elvis Presley himself, was no doubt solidified from the first time Elvis came to see him in concert.

Despite the protests of Elvis' manager Colonel Parker - who didn't want to seem like Elvis was endorsing rival artists - he went to see Jones' 1968 concert in Las Vegas.

He even led the standing ovation for the Welsh star, even though Tom's stock was much higher than Elvis' at the time, proving that their friendship went beyond shallow rivalry and was based on respect for each other's sheer talent.