Before Elvis: The African-American Musicians Who Made the King

Elvis Presley (1935–1977) skyrocketed to fame with a sound that owed everything to lesser-known Black performers, according to this intricate history. Lauterbach (The Chitlin’ Circuit) spotlights innovative Black musicians who influenced a young Elvis in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Among them were Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, who wrote and performed a 1947 recording of “That’s All Right” in a “storytelling” voice that Elvis adapted for his 1954 rendition; blues singer Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, whose roaring 1952 recording of “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog” inspired Elvis’s 1965 version; and guitarist Calvin Newborn, who pioneered the hip-swiveling dance moves Elvis became known for. These and other Black musicians were frequently denied credits, copyrights, and royalties—not because of Presley, who was respectful in acknowledging his influences, but because of exploitative managers and publishers. Yet rock ’n’ roll also served as a crucial front of the civil rights movement, Lauterbach reveals, with white America absorbing the sounds of Black musicians through the gradual integration of radio playlists. Later, Black artists entered the mainstream through doors opened by Elvis (Thornton and Crudup had successful second acts during the 1960s). Elevated by punchy prose (Crudup “[threw] his voice around like a fist in a brawl”), this is a fascinating celebration of a vital moment in music history. (Jan.)