Elvis Anderson
Audio By Carbonatix
Have you ever sat back and wondered who the most popular dead person is? Marilyn’s grave is a different color (due to visitors’ incessant kissing and touching) and Jim Morrison’s grave almost exceeds Chopin’s and Oscar Wilde’s in popularity over in Paris’ celebrity burial hotspot Père Lachaise.
Dallas cemeteries have their share of famous remains, with names that pop off right off the tombstone: Bonnie and Clyde, Mickey Mantle, to name a few.
A recent survey shows that on top of being crowned the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis might also be King of the Cadavers.
Choice Mutual, a life insurance company, asked 3,218 Americans which famous person they’d want to be buried next to if given the option. Picking an eternal resting spot is surely a difficult decision, but maybe a chance at a plot within spitting distance of Steve Jobs in Palo Alto, California, would make the choice that much easier.
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The poll revealed that more people would want a grave in Graceland next to Elvis Presley than any other famous figure. This includes former presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, who came in as second and third, respectively, as well as other famous musicians such as Johnny Cash, whose coarse voice and rebellious spirit landed him fourth on the list.
While we didn’t crack the top 10, there were some well-known Texans who graced the list, including legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Dallas-born bluesman was ranked No. 36 – just six spots behind Col. Sanders (No. 30) and, impressively, four spots ahead of Benjamin Franklin (No. 40). Though he’s been gone for nearly four decades, Vaughan’s popularity and influence have only grown since his death in 1990.
“He was just that damn good,” says former music editor Kirby Warnock, with a chuckle. “I don’t know any other way to put it. He is still regarded by a lot of people as the best guitar player even though it’s been like 35 years he’s been gone. There are so many artists today that say he influenced them, like Post Malone and Samantha Fish.”
Warnock, a former editor of Buddy, one of Dallas’ first rock n’ roll magazines, is an avid conservationist of the city’s music history. In 2023, he released Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan: Brothers in Blues, a documentary he directed that tells the story of the two guitarist brothers’ rise to fame and includes interviews with musicians such as Eric Clapton and Nile Rodgers.
Other notable Texans on the list included The Republic of Texas’ first president, Sam Houston, the Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla and 1950s rock pioneer Buddy Holly, who is buried in his hometown of Lubbock. It might be difficult to imagine these four sitting at the same table for some sort of posthumous popularity contest, but that strange image also beautifully reflects Texas’ rich and diverse cultural landscape.
Aside from serving as an outlandish alternative to the typical “Who would you bring to dinner?” ice-breaker, the poll results just go to show that even amongst important American historical figures and entertainment icons, everyone plays second fiddle to Elvis.
