Cat king lives!
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Despite his success, Jiang is not as optimistic as his British Cat King-in-arms about Elvis finding a home in China, especially in a country steeped in Mandopop.
"Originally I wanted to bring the spirit of Elvis, something that had changed my life, to as many people as possible. But I found that in facing what passes as popular Chinese music, there doesn't seem to be any room for him."
Despite the cultural odds, Elvis' music managed to find its way into the hearts of Chinese musicians, at least those curious enough to look back to the roots of a genre that had already morphed and splintered into a full spectrum of varieties by the time Cui Jian, considered by many to be China's godfather of rock, had introduced the style the late 1980s with his politically charged album, Nothing to My Name.
"Most listening to rock and roll today got into it post-1990, with many their first tastes being heavy metal. After that, China started to fall in line with current music and not many were bothering to listen to the music of the 1950s," explained Wang Hui, lead singer of the Beijing rockabilly outfit DH & Chinese Hellcats.
Even if his was not a direct influence, Elvis is such a part of Western culture that his presence is hard to ignore.
"Because Elvis' contribution to rock and roll was so great, he indirectly influenced music and culture in China whether people know it or not," Wang added.
Elvis was not only a cultural force, but also a culmination of his era, a time when America was experiencing tremendous growth and change, the same change that is reflected in the simmering rock of China.
"Rock here is in a pre-Elvis stage. There are a lot of people doing it, but relatively not many people know about it," said Desmond McGarry, lead singer of the Beijing rock fixture Black Cat Bone, a five-piece rhythm and blues band that has performed across the country.
"One of the great contributions Elvis made to music was that he kicked that door down to let everyone know what was happening and China is still waiting for that agent," he added.
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