Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King (hardcover) by Preston Lauterbach
 
"Instantly essential for fans of Elvis Presley, blues music or American history. Personally, I would not live in Clarksdale today if not for Elvis. His early Sun and RCA singles introduced me to the blues that is now my life. Find out what got his mojo workin', y'all! Preston always tells a compelling story. I've already started reading this book. And you should, too." — Roger Stolle, CAT HEAD

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King​, author Preston Lauterbach answers these questions definitively, based on new research and extensive, previously unpublished interviews with the artists who blazed the way and the people who knew them.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.

320 pages - Publication date 1/7/2025