Imagine an artist who is just so dominant, so fundamentally woven into the fabric of American music that he held the record for the most number one hits across two entire decades. A literal titan of the industry. But if you were to stop a teenager today and ask them who this man is, they wouldn't hum a melody. They would probably just know him exclusively as that recurring, utterly bizarre cutaway dag on the animated show Family Guy.

He travels to Memphis directly to the legendary Sun Studios to record with the pioneer of rock and roll himself, Sam Phillips. Which results in a pretty brutal early lesson in how the music industry operates. Jenkins writes the song called Rock House. But Sam Phillips, who holds all the power at Sun Studios, simply takes the song and gives it to Roy Orbison to record.

• Leaving a legacy in just tota ...