Hound Dog: A Song by Big Mama Thornton and Interpreted by Elvis Presley and Others

by Eric Weisbard

Many listeners first heard “Hound Dog” when Elvis Presley’s single topped the pop, country, and R&B charts in 1956. But some fans already knew the song from Big Mama Thornton’s earlier recording, a giant but exclusively R&B hit. In Hound Dog Eric Weisbard examines the racial, commercial, and cultural ramifications of Elvis’s appropriation of a Black woman’s anthem. He rethinks the history and influences of rock music in light of Rolling Stone 's replacement of Presley’s “Hound Dog” with Thornton’s version in its 2021 “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list. Taking readers from Presley and Thornton to Patti Page’s “Doggie in the Window,” the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and other dog ditties, Weisbard uses “Hound Dog” to reflect on one of rock’s fundamental the whiteness of the wail.

152 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2023

About the author

Eric Weisbard is Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Alabama and the author of Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music.

Reviews

[Brandy Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weisbard navigates through time periods and musicians influenced by Big Mama Thornton, particularly those attributing their artistry and love for rock and roll to Elvis Presley. However, I found the book to be excessively wordy, emphasizing Elvis's influence over giving Thornton's legacy its deserved spotlight.

The extensive exploration of the word "dog" felt like a separate topic, perhaps better suited for its own essay or book.Despite this, I appreciate the author's in-depth history on the subject of "dog" in music and rock and roll.