Elvis Presley’s seriously underrated rhythm guitar chops

Jeremy Roberts

Dec 14, 2016·4 min read

Elvis Presley, a 26-year-old prince from another planet, picks a gut-bucket tune with his refurbished J-200 Gibson acoustic guitar after a recording session at Nashville’s RCA Studio B circa March 1961. Image Credit: Elvis Presley Enterprises

Did you know that Elvis Presley possessed genuine rhythm guitar chops? According to contemporary Johnny Cash’s 1997 autobiography entitled Cash, the “I Walk the Line” balladeer concurred, considering Presley’s skills as a rhythm guitarist to be significantly underrated. Having first encountered Presley on September 9, 1954 playing an acoustic Martin guitar during the special grand opening of…