About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of Elvis Presley's cover of 'Hound Dog' and the complexities of cultural appropriation in music.

Big Mama Thornton's 1952 "Hound Dog" was powerful R&B—woman calling out no-good man, fierce and funny. Written by white teenagers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for her. Hit #1 R&B, sold 500K copies. Big Mama paid $500 total while Leiber/Stoller made fortunes. 1956: Elvis heard it, sped it up, made it rock and roll, softened the edge. July 1956: #1 for eleven weeks on pop, country, AND R&B charts simultaneously. Helped define rock and roll, made Elvis a superstar. Big Mama got nothing—no new royalties, no acknowledgment. The most complicated cover: nobody purely villain or victim. Garrett Fisher explores structural racism, cultural appropriation, and uncomfortable truths about who profited from Black musical innovations. Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus . No plug-ins needed! Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no…

Sponsors

Caloroga Shark Media

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Hitmaker Chronicles podcast page.