Comparative Analysis of The Musical Style of Elvis Presley and Travis Scott

The difference between two famous personalities

In my essay I will be discussing the musical style of Elvis Presley and Travis Scott. Firstly, I will give a little background information on Elvis. As we all know he is one of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll in history. The 1950s was when he skyrocketed on the TV and the radio stations. Growing up his family had very little money and they moved very regularly. Because his mother was raised in a church to have faith in God, Elvis also followed the same pattern. As a result of this gospel music was an important influence for him. But sadly, he died of heart failure which was related to his drug addiction in 1977.

Elvis contributed to the music industry tremendously which is the main reason for his fame. His musical style was such a success in his time, his famous style was called rockabilly. The way he did rockabilly was combining country music from the South with the rhythm and blues from African Americans and pop music. His music style “rockabilly” had become the key sound of rock ‘n’ roll.

Elvis’s song “Good Rockin’ Tonight” from 1954 is a perfect example of rockabilly. His overall success was a product of his environment in many ways. In terms of culture, he had a big impact on teenagers. In the 50s teens realized that their generation was different from their parents and sometimes they rebelled against their parents and didn’t listen to them.

The teenagers took advantage of the rise of the economy and loved the income that they were able to use on themselves and not on their family. They dressed up in the latest fashion and went out to movies with friends to watch their favorite stars and listened to music appealing to them. Elvis influenced this because of the way he sang his songs, performed and his appearance. For example, his hairstyles and his very distinctive fashion sense.

Travis Scott is a modern-day artist who became known in 2010. He is incomparable to Elvis Presley. They are two completely different persons in terms of their musical success and style. He is known for his auto-tuned half-sung and half rapped vocal musical style. The only thing similar about the two of them is that like Elvis Presley, Travis Scott performs and produces songs that are appealing to teenagers. In terms of differences, there are many.

Elvis Presley won three Grammy Awards for his gospel recordings meanwhile Travis Scott won none. He had six nominations but that was it. Not as many people go crazy for Travis Scott like how they did for Elvis. Elvis was very well known and appreciated. He is a legend and people still talk about him and listen to his music decades after his passing. Unlike Travis Scott, Elvis appeared on a television show called Ed Sullivan.

In terms of success, again Travis Scott was nowhere near as successful as Elvis Presley. Elvis served in the Military and he was a member of two different armor battalions which is a huge accomplishment on his part. Travis Scott did not serve in any military or do anything worthwhile for the country.

In closing, these are the reasons why and how Elvis Presley’s musical style and his success was a product of his environment. As well as why he became so popular and famous, he deserved to be recognized because he was such a legend even to this day. And in my defense these are the reasons why Travis Scott is so different and incomparable to Elvis Presley. The obvious reason being they are two different people when it comes to music. Elvis is more country, rhythm and blues and he incorporated that into the songs that were appealing to the teenagers. Travis was straight hip hop and rap.

Works Cited

1. Anderson, David. “How Elvis Permanently Changed American Pop Culture.” The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2019, theconversation.com/how-elvis-permanently-changed-american-pop-culture-81917.
2. “Elvis Presley.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 15 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/musician/elvis-presley.
3. “Travis Scott.” GRAMMY.com, 10 Sept. 2019, www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/travis-scott.