The names of Elvis Presley and Brian Wilson don’t immediately conjure up feelings of commonality. Although the two are both music icons, that is where the similarities end. Presley, of course, is known for being the largely undisputed King of rock ‘n’ roll. His music, a mash-up of country, gospel, and rhythm and blues, not only revolutionized the 1950s and beyond, but his distinct voice, electric dance moves, and magnetic persona did too. Beyond his influence on music, his talent graced the big and small screen, and he defined what it meant to be a triple threat. Meanwhile, Brian Wilson, along with The Beach Boys, revolutionized popular music with their inventive sound and infectious lyrics, which helped usher in California’s surf culture to the mainstream. And when these two music giants met, instead of creating harmonies, a discord ensued, one in which Presley never forgave Wilson.
Brian Wilson Once Struck Elvis Presley Who Retaliated
In 1968, following his widely televised comeback special, several media outlets proclaimed Elvis Presley as the greatest living music performer. The title of greatest music performer was not given without merit to the then 33-year-old. By the time of his tragic death in 1977, Presley was already one of the best-selling solo artists of all time. To his credit, he achieved seventeen number-one singles and eight number-one albums, starred in seventeen top-ten films, and won three Grammy Awards. His litany of accomplishments and many more meant that, naturally, many other artists were clamoring to meet and work with the “A Little Less Conversation” singer. Case in point, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, who had long been a fan and admirer of Presley’s. During the early 1970s, when both artists were at the height of their fame, Wilson, who was busy recording music at the famed RCA Studios in Hollywood, got wind that Presley was there at the same time recording music with James Burton, he jumped at the chance to meet his idol.
According to Burton’s account of the fateful incident, Wilson asked him to facilitate the meeting: “He said, ‘Oh! Please, please take me to meet Elvis’. I took him in, and he walked up to Elvis and was just looking at him. And Elvis stuck his hand out to shake hands, and [Wilson] couldn’t move.” However, the meeting went from bad to worse after Presley’s friend Jerry Schillling revealed that as a starstruck, Wilson’ stood there in awe of the king of rock ‘n’ roll. The very private Elvis clearly showed no recognition of the Beach Boy and became a little angered that his security team had let a stranger wander in. “Elvis was very upset with us, thinking, ‘How did this guy get in here, and who is he? So Brian said, ‘I’m recording next door. Would you come over and listen?’ And Elvis looked at us; almost in spite of us, since this guy had gotten through. He said, ‘Yeah, I’ll go over.’” Schilling then stated that as the duo headed to the other recording studio, Wilson moved to playfully karate chop Elvis’ arm to break the ice. Presley then reportedly swiped Wilson’s arm away with no look of joviality on his face. “I knew he knew karate, and he karate chopped my arm so hard,” explained Wilson during his visit to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in 2012. . “And he goes, ‘I’m leaving, I’m leaving,’ and he split. And that was it.”
Elvis Presley Also Had Issues With These Other Artists
The Beatles weren’t the only artists Elvis Presley passed judgment on, as attested to by his once wife, Priscilla. According to the latter’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, the “A Little Less Conversation” singer was impressed by several contemporary and longstanding acts. “Elvis could spot talent instantly,” said Presley. “In Las Vegas, we regularly took in lounge acts featuring various up-and-coming artists and if Elvis liked the show, he patronized the club, encouraging the entertainers to pursue their careers, infusing them with confidence and enthusiasm.” The then forty-year-old added, “Some of his favorites were Ike & Tina Turner, Gary Puckett, and the Union Gap, dancers Tybe and Bracia, and old-timers Fats Domino and the Ink Spots, all talented people deserving acknowledgment in their craft… Elvis [also] had some other very special favorites – Arthur Prysock, John Gary, opera star Robert Merrill, Brook Benton, Roy Orbison, and Charles Boyer’s recording ‘Where Has Love Gone?’”
Presley would later recall in her memoir that there were some artists’ music that the King didn’t particularly enjoy. “He couldn’t abide singers who were, in his words, ‘all technique and no emotional feeling’ and in this category, he firmly placed Mel Tormé and Robert Goulet,” she said. “They were both responsible for two television sets being blown away with a .357 M*gnum.”
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