It’s probably still too early, but at some point, historians will revise their opinions of rock and roll and its influence on American and world culture.
Who knows what the long-term assessment will be? The impact has certainly been profound. A lot of the huge stars like Elvis Presley, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan could see their reputations change considerably. We already see this to some extent with John Lennon.
Another guy who is likely to be seen differently is Roy Orbison, at least partly because he’s so wildly outside the frame.
The other original stars of 1950’s rock and roll - Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and Bo Diddley - you couldn’t really mistake one for another but they were coming from similar places musically.