I agree that Louis Armstrong was a bigger musical force then Elvis but Rock was more then just R&B. Elvis brought 'country and western' and mainstream pop influences to bear on existing black musical traditions. The whole point was that wasn't merely black music or white music but a mixture of the two.
> Elvis brought 'country and western' and mainstream pop influences to bear on existing black musical traditions. The whole point was that wasn't merely black music or white music but a mixture of the two. <
When it comes to combining black music with the hillbilly tradition, Jimmie Rodgers, the "Singing Brakeman," was there long before Elvis. And he was almost as popular during the late 1920's.
But if you want to pick the single most important influence in popularizing the "rockabilly" music style, it wouldn't be Elvis. It would have to be Sam Phillips, who gave a start not only to Elvis, but also to Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis.