Elvis Presley's Hound Dog

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Rock N’ Roll made a steady influential climb into the blossoming generations’ norm. Elvis Presley, The King of Rock, debuted his first number one hit song “Heartbreak Hotel” and it climbed steadily to the top of the charts as the number one song in February of 1956. When Elvis’ popularity first grew, it sparked outrage through the previous generations in fears that his music would intertwine cultures. In the 1950s and 1960s, Rock N’ Roll was classified as “African American” music and those listeners who do not fit that class, would be frowned upon. Mr. Presley was a Nashville native, who sang hard driving rockabilly, Rock N’ Roll dance songs and ballads, and laid a foundation for other rock musicians to follow.

Elvis Presley was signed to Sun Records in 1954. This was monumental for Phillips’s stand on racial boundaries in music. Elvis drew national attention to Sun Records which, in part, sparked slight popularity for other Sun artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, and Roscoe Gordon (Sun Records 1). This point in time is known as the origin of Rock and Roll. Contrary to what Rock and Roll is now, it was only popular within a certain demographic of people for a long time

Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

After five cutting-edge singles, Elvis’s contract was sold to RCA Records and then his career rapidly took off (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). His first number one single was “Heartbreak Hotel,” and his first album was Elvis Presley (biography.com). By 1956 Presley was an international sensation. Although many of the teenagers of Elvis’s time was very intrigued by his diverse musical styles, sexy dance moves and good looks, much of the older generations were outraged by his gyrating hips and music (biography.com). One of Elvis’s most controversial instances was on the Ed Sullivan Show where he sang “Hound Dog,” for the first time on television (Comprehensive History of Elvis Presley’s Dynamic Life). He was already considered to be a rebel and no one knew what

Elvis Presley was one of the most influential rock and roll singers in the American history. Presley’s work revolutionized the music and brought about significant changes in the entertainment industry. He grew up in an environment where racial segregation between the whites and African Americans was highly pronounced. In fact, Presley schooled in Memphis where he graduated from a whites-only high school. However, he upheld the Black’s music and made it possible for their music to be accessed by the White American youths. Presley’s tracks broke past the racial barrier as many teenagers loved his amazing voice. Through his music, he confronted racism and challenged both social and moral values. Elvis Presley changed the manner in which the Black minority were treated in the U.S. through his music, and this initiated the fights against racial discrimination leading to the civil rights movement.

Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog from their fourth album Led Zeppelin IV, is arguably one of their most distinct and instantly recognisable songs. Led Zeppelin bassist, John Paul Jones was supposedly inspired by Muddy Waters’ 1968 album Electric Mud. XXX He longed to write a song which incorporated “electric Blues with a rolling bass part,” and “a riff that would be like a linear journey”.

While there are some similarities between Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton and Elvis Presley’s versions of the song Hound Dog, I am of the opinion that there were more differences. The obvious similarities would be the lyrics retained in Elvis’ version of the song, though the interpretation of those lyrics were very different. Perhaps what I feel is colored by growing up in a household where my mother was an Elvis fan who played his version, and my father, who was a coal miner’s son born in the 1920s in the “hills” of Virginia, sang and played a much loved copy he had of Big Mama Thornton’s version. While my father masculinized the song when he sang it, he did so retaining much of the spirit Thornton’s recording had. Early on I was too young to understand any of the risqué meanings behind the lyrics, but I knew it had a deeper meaning than the fun version my mother and her sisters would bounce to while it played.

All the reader has to do is click on the links and listen to the various versions of “Hound Dog”, to hear the differences between them in the rhythm, lyrics, and the passion which it is sung in to get the feeling of what Simpson is trying to get across when it comes to protest

In these songs, one can unearth the heart’s deepest desires—desires that are so basic, so undeniably human, that they cannot help but underscore the dehumanizing condition of slavery.

and Willie Nelson. The song is an old southern anthem of the basic tale and fate of growing up. The song goes on to

Blues started in the South, long ago, when slavery was still socially accepted. Slaves were severely oppressed because they were legally bound to their masters. One way they found emotional freedom was to sing songs, which were called “slave songs.” “It Makes a Long Time Man Feel Bad”, “Hammer, Ring”, “Cornfield Holler”, were just a few of the popular slave songs (“Slavery and the Making of America”, 2004). Slave songs were in various forms such as field hollers, work songs, spirituals, and country string ballads (“The Blues- A History”, 2003). As time passed, these types of songs were starting to become known as the blues. After slavery ended in 1865, blues was not only still present, but became more evident. In the beginning of the 20th century, blues music was on the

Horrid times can bring out the finest in many. These times often include some of the bloodiest wars in history such as the Civil War. A side product of this is music. Accordingly, the Civil War created many amazing music pieces. Examples of these pieces include Bonnie Blue by Harry Macarthy for the south and Shiloh by Darryl Worley. One thing that many Civil War songs that is prevalent is they’re stories.

The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of

They started performing together in the summer of 1954. Elvis then signed mant contracts with record labels in 1955. In 1956, “Heartbreak Hotel” was released on vinyl and sold over 300,000 copies in three weeks on the market. It also went to number one on many billboard charts for weeks. This was his first out of over 750 recordings he would go on to do in his life.

The term “rhythm and blues” was coined in 1947 by a white man named Jerry Wexler who was a reporter, editor, and writer for Billboard Magazine. The record