{"product_id":"before-elvis-the-african-american-musicians-who-made-the-king-9780306833083","title":"Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this thought-provoking book, the Black musicians who influenced Elvis Presley's music finally receive recognition and praise.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e After Baz Luhrmann's movie, Elvis, hit theaters, audiences and critics alike couldn't help but question the Black origins of Elvis Presley's music and style, reigniting a debate that has been circling for decades. In \u003ci\u003eBefore Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King\u003c\/i\u003e​, author Preston Lauterbach answers these questions definitively, based on new research and extensive, previously unpublished interviews with the artists who blazed the way and the people who knew them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Within these pages, Lauterbach examines the lives, music, legacies, and interactions with Elvis Presley of the four innovative Black artists who created a style that would come to be known as Rock 'n' Roll: Little Junior Parker, Big Mama Thornton, Arthur \"Big Boy\" Crudup, and mostly-unknown eccentric Beale Street guitarist Calvin Newborn. Along the way, he delves into the injustices of copyright theft and media segregation that resulted in Black artists living in poverty as white performers, managers, and producers reaped the lucrative rewards. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the wake of continuing conversations about American music and appropriation, \u003ci\u003eBefore Elvis\u003c\/i\u003e is indispensable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Hachette Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/07\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780306833083\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/14\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/15\/2024 pg. 11\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2024 pg. 86\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Preston Lauterbach","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44792613994677,"sku":"9780306833083","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_58fc5895-a309-4d76-aa28-4856b43c0998.jpg?v=1731426807","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/before-elvis-the-african-american-musicians-who-made-the-king-9780306833083","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}