"Elvis' career was a waste of a great talent", says Paul Simon

Singer and songwriter Paul Simon, 84, revealed that songs between 1954 and 1957 had a great influence on his compositions. In an interview with the program "Alchemy with Anthony Mason", the artist stated that Elvis Presley was one of his great references.

"My childhood favorites were Elvis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Everly Brothers. Those were the people I really loved," he said.

When talking about musical references, he stated that the 1950s was the decade that left the most marks on his creativity.

"After that, I still liked some things, but I didn't get anything out of them. I didn't absorb any sound from anything. At least for me, by 1957, I had already lost interest in Elvis Presley," he declared.

The musician explained why he distanced himself from Elvis' later productions. According to him, the rock star began to target an older audience.

"As soon as he joined the army, all that material he recorded, the first group of songs he did for Sun Records, they weren't made for teenagers. They were made for the audience that was listening at that time and buying records, and that audience was older than teenagers."

Paul Simon also stated during the interview that this phase of Elvis contrasted with the final shift of the 1950s, which was moving towards pop.

"Like I said, I liked Elvis until 1957. After that, the material he chose, the films and everything, to me, was an incredible waste of a great talent", he added.

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Source: CNN