First, a few kind words:
[Meeting Elvis] was very exciting, we were all nervous as hell" "[W]e were all major fans, so it was hero worship of a high degree." John Lennon and Paul McCartney, The Beatles Anthology
Elvis in the ‘50s had “done his hip thing and taken songs to other planets.” – Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One
“[The record] that really turned me on, like an explosion one night … was ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ That was the stunner. I’d never heard it before, or anything like it … When I woke up the next day I was a different guy.” – Keith Richards, Life
"He was a major hero of mine. And I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something." -- David Bowie [link]
(Believe it or not, both Bowie and Elvis have a song about an ominous black star. The Blackstar album was released on their shared birthday.)
“Then, in a moment of light, blinding as a universe birthing a billion new suns, there was hope, sex, rhythm, excitement, possibility, a new way of seeing, of feeling, of thinking, of looking at your body, of combing your hair, of wearing your clothes, of moving and of living.” – Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run book, describing Elvis's effect on him
“The King is gone but he’s not forgotten” – Neil Young
"Wednesday 16th [February 1966]
Brian and the other Beach Boys are distracted from their [Pet Sounds sessions] because Elvis Presley is recording [the Spinout soundtrack] at the nearby Radio Recorders studio. Brian notes: 'I've worshipped that man for ten years and I just can't walk into his studio and say hello.' So Bruce [Johnston] pays The King a visit, and when he returns Brian insists on hearing every single word muttered in his conversation with Elvis." -- Keith Badman, The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio [endorsed by Brian Wilson on the cover]
"When Prince's former manager, Bob Cavallo, was recently asked [around the time of Prince's death] what the artist's dreams were when he was young, he answered that Prince 'wanted to be Elvis.'" [link]
