It’s been almost 70 years since the hit record, “Hound Dog,” catapulted a 21-year-old Elvis Presley from teenage fad to global sensation. The single’s rough vocals, discordant guitar, and raucous drum roll electrified youth and horrified elders everywhere, propelling rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream.
Readers may remember author Ben Wynne’s 2023 talk at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton on the musical history of Macon. His latest book, A Hound Dog Tale: Big Mama, Elvis, and the Song that Changed Everything, explores the song’s pre-Elvis roots, its rise to iconic status, and the protracted controversies over copyright and cultural appropriation.
“Hound Dog” truly is a mutt. First penned in 1952 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller — Jewish teenagers fascinated by Black culture who hustled their way into the music business — the song was written for Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, an up-and-coming Black blues singer. The “hound dog” in this case was a no-good man.
“Big Mama’s” record was a hit, spurring various “answer songs” taking the man’s perspective, as well as parodies.
In the mid-1950s, lounge band Freddie Bell and the Bellboys incorporated “Hound Dog” into their act, lightening the mood and changing some of the lyrics. Wynne says Pressley owned the “Big Mama” record and saw the Bellboys perform, then added the song to his set list by the spring of 1956.
The Elvis-recorded version that summer — melding the Bell lyrics with the rawness of the “Big Mama” version with an energy all its own — rocketed the young performer to superstardom, selling four-million copies in America on its first release. The recording’s drive is said to come from Pressley’s anger at having to perform the song the night before while dressed in a tuxedo to a real basset hound on The Steve Allen Show.
Elvis’ big hit prompted years of lawsuits as people associated with earlier versions of the song, including writers, producers, managers, performers, and singers, tried to assert ownership. Wynne offers no simple answers.
“Hound Dog” evolved as it passed through different hands, with chance playing a large role. Both Elvis and Big Mama died young, in tragic circumstances, but the story of the song has now been told and most of the key players given due recognition.
Today, we can hear multiple versions of “Hound Dog” at the touch of a button.
A song accused of being too Black, too white, too raw, too tame, too risqué, too vapid, certainly got everyone’s attention.
Wynne is a great guide to the ins and outs of this Hound Dog Tale.
Wynne will be the GWM Meet the Author presenter Aug. 5, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. program start. The event also will include a themed gourmet dinner by Chef Brent.
Tickets are $40 each or $35 each for two or more.
Register for what promises to be a fun, foot-tapping event by contacting Georgia Writers Museum at georgiawritersmuseum. org.
— Contributed