based solely on their music I find it hard to say they both did alot to advance the art and were the hottest tickets in their respective eras. Both were on the R&B top 20 at the same time I think it was Elvis 'In the Ghetto' and the Jackson 5 'ABC'.

However when we look at their lives it's easy to choose Elvis since he never had to pay anyone to quit talking about how he touched their "NO" zones. He married a very young woman but, look at Pricilla Presley... I'd still chat her up and she's my mother's age.

Elvis also sang every musical style popular in his lifetime except Opera.
It's a shame Michael never made a country album, I wonder if he did a gospel album.

BTW Elvis in his Phoenix cape is just as fashionable as Michael's Military style costume just from a different time. That'd be a great photoshop project putting the caped Elvis on the same stage as "Capt." Jackson and make it look like they were looking at each other mid routine.