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Soulful Dudes

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In the 1990 hip-hop anthem “Fight the Power,” Chuck D of Public Enemy slammed Elvis Presley. Elvis may have been “a hero to most,” but for the militantly conscious rapper, that “sucker” was a “straight-up racist,” lumped with the conservative icon John Wayne. 

The lyrics evoked the long, complicated debate over Presley’s legacy: Did his music bridge a racial chasm, or did he steal from Black artists? In Before Elvis, Preston Lauterbach flips the frame on this question. He explores Elvis through the lives of the Black musicians who shaped his style. Lauterbach is the acclaimed author of books that explore the history of Black music and Black Memphis, including The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll, Beale Street Dynasty, and Bluff City.