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Before Elvis : the African American musicians who made the King / Preston Lauterbach.

Summary:
"In this thought-provoking book, the Black musicians who influenced Elvis Presley's music finally receive recognition and praise. 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 Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King​, author Preston Lauterbach answers these questions definitively, based on new research and extensive, previously unpublished interviews with the artists who blazed the way and the people who knew them. 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. In the wake of continuing conversations about American music and appropriation, Before Elvis is indispensable"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780306833083
  • ISBN: 0306833085
  • Physical Description: xiii, 299 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group, 2025.
Subject: Parker, Junior.
Thornton, Big Mama.
Crudup, Arthur, 1905-1974.
Newborn, Calvin.
Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977 > Miscellanea.
African American musicians > Biography.
African American singers > Biography.
Rock music > United States > History and criticism.
Popular music > History and criticism.
Rhythm and blues music > History and criticism.

Available copies

  • 0 of 3 copies available at Lehigh Valley Library System.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 3 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Allentown Public Library 781.64 LAUT (Text) 34455007153121 New Adult Nonfiction Checked Out 04/04/2025
Bethlehem Main Library 781.64 (Text) 33062009982035 New Adult Nonfiction Checked Out 04/16/2025
Easton Main Library 781.64 L389b (Text) 31901004839801 New Adult Nonfiction Checked Out 03/31/2025


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