Review by Booklist Review
From the start readers know where Lauterbach stands. In the first sentence of this marvelous book, he flatly declares, "Elvis Presley is the most important musician in American history." The reason is simple and complex. According to Lauterbach, Presley, the polite country boy from Tupelo, Mississippi, fused Black and white, urban and rural, sacred and profane in American popular culture. At the same time, Lauterbach admits he is also America's most polarizing musician. To some he was a self-made "King," to others a "run-of-the-mill thief." As its title indicates, Before Elvis is not just another Presley biography but rather an exploration of his influences, in particular, his African American influences, credited and uncredited. Black artists wrote his "breakthrough hit," "That's All Right," gave him guitar lessons, taught him how to move. Black artists, Lauterbach maintains, were also role models. In these pages the author focuses on what he calls foundational figures who inspired Presley, some well-known, others overlooked or underappreciated, such as Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, Herman "Little Junior" Parker, Rev. William Herbert Brewster, and Calvin and Phineas Newborn. A revelatory work on a neglected aspect of the King's career.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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 " his voice around like a fist in a brawl"), this is a fascinating celebration of a vital moment in music history. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
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. VERDICT While Elvis generally credited gospel, R&B, and a few artists by name, he was fundamental in fusing aspects of American culture from disparate racial traditions when segregation was beginning to lift. His appropriation, explored here, remains polarizing.--Frederick J. Augustyn Jr.
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