How big was Tommy Steele, really??

[Airwings]

Tommy Steele is said to be one of the two biggest rock & roll teen idols during the 50s. Atleast that's what's claimed in Sweden.
But he's always overlooked when I check up on things. The only actual UK rocker of that era is Cliff Richard. It's always Cliff Richard.

How popular was Tommy Steele internationally? Did British people even listen to him?
I know he was in some films, just as his American counterpart Elvis. But Cliff didn't, not during the 50s anyway, but later on, in the 60s.

Have you seen the film Great Balls of Fire? When Jerry Lee is about to perform in UK, Brittish journalists says that he could be the next king of rock after Elvis. But no mention of Steele. Didn't they even know about their own rock star?

 

[Airwings]

Great Balls of Fire is an American production. It's not likely they knew about Tommy Steele and this affects every detail of the film, even going against the logic of reality. Tommy Steele must have been a star during the second half of the 50s, no doubt.

A Swedish teen magazine had a poll about the most popular singer/idol among young people. The readers could send in their votes. I guess this was common in several European countries. But Sweden is the only one where Tommy Steele took the number one spot.
I've heard that Elvis himself called Steele by phone and greeted him because of this. Could be an urban legend, who knows.