Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King

Lauterbach (The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ’n’ Roll) offers a detailed, approachable account of four overlooked Black artists who preceded Elvis and inspired his music, appearance, and gestures, but whom he rarely specifically cited. These figures are Junior Parker (1932–71), composer of “Mystery Train”; Big Mama Thornton (1926–84), who introduced “Hound Dog”; Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup (1905–74), writer of “That’s All Right”; and jazz guitarist Calvin Newborn (1933–2018), champion of omnifarious music combining blues, gospel, jazz, and rock and roll. After their contribution to Elvis, these figures did not always do well professionally, although Thornton and Crudup benefitted from the blues revival. Midcentury white performers, producers, and managers became wealthy while their Black contemporaries frequently did not in an unequal cultural exchange. Lauterbach makes the case that song covers are standard practice, but there was a racial disparity in royalty awards and promotional fees.