Elvis Presley is remembered largely as a pioneer of rock and roll music. In fact, some people call him the King, and if any dominion is his to rule over, it would be rock…right? Not according to the Billboard charts.
Last week, Presley returned to the Billboard charts with a long-awaited debut. The singer-songwriter’s Elvis’ Golden Records compilation appeared for the first time on the Top Country Albums chart. It landed at No. 50, in last place, but it gave the superstar another placement on the ranking of the most-consumed country full-lengths in the U.S.
Looking at his charting history, Presley is actually far more successful on the country rankings versus the rock ones, at least when it comes to albums. In fact, the majority of his releases have appeared on Billboard’s country lists, making him one of the most successful country musicians ever.
Presley has sent 76 different releases to the Top Country Albums chart, including his latest. That sum features an impressive 38 top 10s and seven No. 1s.
His performance on the Top Rock Albums chart pales in comparison. On Billboard’s weekly tally of the most-consumed rock albums, the star has only managed 18 appearances. He’s reached the top 10 on 11 different occasions, and topped the chart just once.
Presley has also reached several other genre-specific album-focused Billboard charts. He’s scored wins on the Top Christian, Classical, and Americana/Folk Albums rankings, though he hasn’t succeeded on these lists in the same way as on the rock and country tallies.
