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Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century, widely known by the single name Elvis,  is often called the "King of Rock and Roll". Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. His family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. There Elvis graduated from high school in 1953. The pop and country music, the gospel music he heard in church, as well as the black R&B he heard on Beale Street as a Memphis teenager had a great influence on his future career.

In 1954 Elvis started working with the legendary Sun Records and its owner Sam Phillips, who intended to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Presley’s music incorporated many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues, and he was one of those who originated rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. Soon his recording contract was sold to RCA Victor in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit.

By 1956, he had become an international sensation. His versatile voice, his diverse musical influences, animated interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his audacious performance style brought him great acclaim, introducing a new era in American popular music. In 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Even though his work was most commercially successful, he staged few concerts, and devoted much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums. In 1973 Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, viewed by approximately 1.5 billion people. Despite his celebrity status, he honorably served his country in the U.S. Army. Prescription drug abuse seriously harmed his health, and on August 16, 1977, he died unexpectedly at the age of 42, at his Memphis home.

Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music. Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and was named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970. He has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. Elvis Presley captivated millions by his talent, charisma, good looks, sensuality, and good humor, as well as the humility and kindness. He is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. 

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), a renowned American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman, who contributed greatly to music, dance, and fashion, is often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ. Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. He debuted on the professional music scene with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, and began his solo career in 1971.

With his stage performances and music videos, which brought him immense worldwide fame, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, and his original musical sound and vocal style have influenced many hip hop, post-disco, R&B, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. His achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards, 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of more than 750 million records around the world. Having won hundreds of awards, Jackson is the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He was also one of the world's most outstanding humanitarians and philanthropists; personally, as well as through his Heal the World Foundation, he donated over 300 million dollars in charity, and held the Guinness World Record for having supported more charities than any other pop star.

While preparing for his concert series titled This Is It, after suffering from cardiac arrest, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death overwhelmed the world with grief, and reportedly one billion people around the world watched his public memorial service on live television. In 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.