Richard wrote:I became a fan after hearing Rags To Riches on the radio in 1971. I was 10. At that point I had already been listening to music and buying (mostly second hand) records for a few years, but that was the first Elvis song I'd heard where I'd put a name to it. Before that I was crazy about Lonnie Donegan (and I'm still a fan now) and was just starting to listen to The Beatles. My mum and dad bought me the Beatles 'Oldies but Goldies' LP. But Elvis took hold of me like nobody else ever did, and I became completely obsessive.
He didn't lead me to other music, though. I was a Cliff and The Shadows nut, and that was down to a radio program about them. I liked Gerry & The Pacemakers, but only because I saw their film and knew they were from Liverpool like the Beatles. I don't think I've ever become interested in anyone as a result of being an Elvis fan, and I'm not sure how that would work in any case.
By reading about or listening to Elvis, didn't you discover other artists or other genres of music?