King Rose Archives, Jan 7, 2009
Many people have thought that Elvis was racist because of a
quote that he was reported to have said.
Professor Michael Bertrand debunks the myths and tells us how he tracked
down its source.
-snip-
Michael Bertrand is the author of the 2005 book Race, Rock, and Elvis: Early rock music and changing race relations in the South. Click https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p072703 for a summary of that book.
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases two videos and presents a Wikipedia page excerpt, an online article excerpt, and some comments that questions the belief that Elvis Presley was racist against Black people, and particularly debunks the long lasting urban legend that Elvis Presleysaid that the only thing that "Negroes" can do for him is to buy his record and sign his shoes.
The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Elvis Presley for his cultural legacy. Thanks to all the researchers who are quoted in this post and thanks to all others who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: Elvis was not Racist | Real facts about Elvis Presley
Vali Greceanu, [no publishing date given,probably February or March 2022 based on the earliest dates for these comments]
Elvis was not Racist | Real facts about Elvis Presley Elvis demonstrated his desire for racial reconciliation in the musicians he chose, and in the treatment they received. When he made his first appearance in texas at the Astrodome, according to Myrna Smith, Elvis was told, 'Well, you can leave the black girls home. You don't have to bring them'. Myna Smith: Elvis responded with, 'Well if they don't come, I don't come'. But he was really upset about it. There was one person in particular who had sent the message. So when we got there, we were greeted by this little blonde in a convertible and she had to drive us around and she was his daughter. So Elvis always made sure he got even. I'm sure he said, 'And I want your daughter to drive them'. The Sweet Inspirations met him when they arrived for the first rehearsals for the '69 engagement. The 'Sweets' worked with Elvis in Vegas, on his national concert tours and on recordings from 1969 to 1977. Myrna Smith also backed Elvis up during his 1976 Graceland recordings, both in February of that year and in the October/November sessions, resulting in two albums.
****
WIKIPEDIA PAGE EXCERPT
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley
"Elvis Aaron Presley[a] (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)
was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll",
he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th
century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative
performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across
color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both
great success and initial controversy.
[...] Relationship with the African-American community
When Dewey Phillips first aired "That's All Right" on Memphis' WHBQ, many listeners who contacted the station by phone and telegram to ask for it again assumed that its singer was black.[58] From the beginning of his national fame, Presley expressed respect for African-American performers and their music, and disregard for the norms of segregation and racial prejudice then prevalent in the South. Interviewed in 1956, he recalled how in his childhood he would listen to blues musician Arthur Crudup—the originator of "That's All Right"—"bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place where I could feel all old Arthur felt, I'd be a music man like nobody ever saw."[42] The Memphis World, an African-American newspaper, reported that Presley, "the rock 'n' roll phenomenon", "cracked Memphis' segregation laws" by attending the local amusement park on what was designated as its "colored night".[42] Such statements and actions led Presley to be generally hailed in the black community during the early days of his stardom.[42] In contrast, many white adults, according to Billboard's Arnold Shaw, "did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex."[376]
Despite the largely positive view of Presley held by African Americans, a rumor spread in mid-1957 that he had at some point announced, "The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes." A journalist with the national African-American weekly Jet, Louie Robinson, pursued the story. On the set of Jailhouse Rock, Presley granted Robinson an interview, though he was no longer dealing with the mainstream press. He denied making such a statement: "I never said anything like that, and people who know me know that I wouldn't have said it. ... A lot of people seem to think I started this business. But rock 'n' roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let's face it: I can't sing like Fats Domino can. I know that."[377] Robinson found no evidence that the remark had ever been made, and on the contrary elicited testimony from many individuals indicating that Presley was anything but racist.[42][378] Blues singer Ivory Joe Hunter, who had heard the rumor before he visited Graceland one evening, reported of Presley, "He showed me every courtesy, and I think he's one of the greatest."[379] Though the rumored remark was discredited, it was still being used against Presley decades later.[380] The identification of Presley with racism—either personally or symbolically—was expressed in the lyrics of the 1989 rap hit "Fight the Power", by Public Enemy: "Elvis was a hero to most / But he never meant sh&t* to me / Straight-up racist that sucker was / Simple and plain/ Motherf**k him and John Wayne".[381]
The persistence of such attitudes was fueled by resentment
over the fact that Presley, whose musical and visual performance idiom owed
much to African-American sources, achieved the cultural acknowledgement and
commercial success largely denied his black peers.[378] Into the 21st century,
the notion that Presley had "stolen" black music still found
adherents.[example needed][380][381] Notable among African-American
entertainers expressly rejecting this view was Jackie Wilson, who argued,
"A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man's music,
when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms
from Elvis."[382] Moreover, Presley also acknowledged his debt to
African-American musicians throughout his career. Addressing his '68 Comeback
Special audience, he said, "Rock 'n' roll music is basically gospel or
rhythm and blues, or it sprang from that. People have been adding to it, adding
instruments to it, experimenting with it, but it all boils down to
[that]."[383] Nine years earlier, he had said, "Rock 'n' roll has
been around for many years. It used to be called rhythm and blues."[384]"...
-snip-
*These words are fully spelled out in the "Fight The Power" lyrics and in that Wikipedia page.
****
ONLINE ARTICLE EXCERPT From https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/question/2006/march.htm Elvis Presley And Racism- March 2006
"Question
When I was a child in the 1970s I used to hear that Elvis
Presley said, "The only thing a Black woman can do for me is buy my
records and shine my shoes." Elvis Presley lived off Black music. If it is
true that he said that then it is a shame.
-- Ryan Duffett, Libertyville, Illinois
Answer
[about] Elvis
Sociologists define rumors as widely circulating stories
with questionable accuracy. This is certainly the case with the story you
mention. That rumor apparently started in the late 1950s, but it was alive in
the 1960s and 1970s in many African American communities, including Mobile,
Alabama, where I was reared. There are at least three variations of the rumor.
One has Elvis Presley responding to the question of dating a Black woman;
another version has him dismissing friendships with Black men, and finally,
there is the version where he crudely belittles all Blacks. In all versions the
wording is similar: "The only thing a Black woman/Black man/a
Ni&&er* can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes."
Although the rumor was widely held to be true -- and continues to be believed
by some Presley detractors -- there is no factual basis to the rumor.
In 1957 Jet, a Black magazine, sent one of its reporters, Louie Robinson, to interview Presley (on the set of Jailhouse Rock) and Black entertainers who worked with him. … Robinson meant to get to the truth. Presley told the reporter, "I never said anything like that, and people who know me know I wouldn't have said it."
After his investigation, Robinson concluded, "To Elvis people are people, regardless of race, color or creed." Black performers from the time who knew him reject the rumor. "I would never think that Elvis Presley was a racist," said Rhythm and Blues singer Darlene Love, who sang background for him as part of the Blossoms. Pianist Dudley Brooks said that Presley "faces everybody as a man." Dr. W.A. Zuber, an African American physician in Tupelo, Mississippi (where Presley was reared) recounted how Presley used to "go 'round to Negro sanctified meetings." This last comment gives insight into the persistence of the rumor.
[…]
While talented Black entertainers labored in smaller venues
-- sometimes in relative obscurity -- Presley became a wealthy and famous
international star. So, some Blacks resented his success (and him), and this
made a story about him using a racist remark believable. Many Whites in the
1950s, including celebrities, had used anti-Black rhetoric. It was easy to
believe that Presley, the Mississippi-born, once-working class, former truck
driver had ungratefully lambasted Blacks. There is no evidence that it
happened. Moreover, there is evidence that Presley donated money to the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other civil
rights organizations; he publicly lauded Black musicians; and, treated the
Blacks he encountered with respect.
March 2006 response by David Pilgrim
Curator -Jim Crow Museum"
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34LrCW2djCk
(This is the first showcase video that is embedded in this pancoocjams post.]
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Jim Palmer, 2009
"I was raised in East Tupelo like Elvis & I taught at
G.W. Carver High School. I personally know black people who were close friends
of Elvis & every single person who knew him emphatically states:
"there was not a racist bone in his body". This is info first hand
from people who knew him. Where do all the detractors get their information?
Consider the source! Great video - again!"
**
2. dan hawthorne, 2009
"Sam Bell, an African American, recalls how he and Elvis were
inseparable as children, even in the racially segregated American South. Sam
and Elvis would go in separate entrances for blacks and white in the cinema.
As soon as the lights went out, Elvis climbed over the
railing to sit by me. Elvis would carry around a broom and play like it was a
guitar, Bell remembers with a laugh. This is from a newspaper artical."
***
3. bronson1921, 2010
"@waianapagirlThe extent of Elvis' appeal & popularity
with black audiences, which has never
been given proper credit & recognition, particularly for the period
from the 50s right through upto near the mid 60s, can be illustrated by the
Billboard black music R & B chart statistics; in 1957 Elvis had 3 No. Ones
; he was the 2nd most successful chart act after Fats Domino during the 50s decade & he is the most
successful white chart act ever in the history of the R & B charts even to
this day."
**
Reply
4. bronson1921, 2010
"@bronson1921 By Legitimizing it , he also Popularized it and
did far more for the resurgence of rhythm and blues than anyone else had ever
done .
**
5. bronson1921, 2010
"...and then
here in Memphis the rumour got out that I didn't like colored people and God
knows I never said that I didn't like anybody - It's just that rumours like
that get started and there is nothing I can do about it. I dont want anybody
thinking I said things like that when I never even thought about it. I got a
lucky break in life and I am thankful for it but there are few people who want
to take shots at me."
-ELVIS PRESLEY..1957...commenting on the infamous,
misattributed quote."
**
6. Kifly95, 2011
"thumbs up if your here because of Public Enemy's fight the
power!"
**
Reply
7. bronson1921, 2011
"@DLcKxFTR I, too like the song "fight the
power"...its a classic rap song.. but it doesnt mean one has to agree and
identify with the entire message in the song. lol"
**
Reply
8. bronson1921, 2011
"@DLcKxFTR This "quote" from Chuck D's
"anthem" apparently has been retracted by Chuck D...The Chuck D of
today is not the same angry Chuck D of 1989 as far as his perspective &
understanding on Elvis goes -which makes this "quote" out of date and
even obsolete.Chuck D has explained that he was "attacking" essentially the
iconic image of Elvis - NOT the man and he has found that there is no truth in
this urban myth/legend.The truth YOU choose to believe makes it your just OWN
personal reality."
**
9. King Rose Archives, 2013
"While you're correct that it's nearly impossible to prove
the negative, from all the research it appears that this was a pure fabrication
of the magazine writer."
**
10. MzTJones80, 2013
"Growing up, I had always heard Elvis made the comment, "Negores can shine my shoes and buy my records, etc.," Now, just because it can't be proven he said it, does not mean he didn't say it. BUT, I will say shame on those who made this up if he truly did NOT say those things. For years he's had people hating him for that comment. I, at one point believed he said it too, but I've searched and searched and can't find anything PROVING conclusively that said it."
**
Reply
11. Brazilian Atlantis, 2020
"The racist quote was made up by Sepia magazine, a white-owned magazine for black readers. They made sure to say "allegedly" to cover their butts. He was supposed to have said it in Boston, they said -- and at the time he had never set foot in Boston. Black-owned Jet magazine investigated the story and defended Elvis."
**
Reply
12. Randy Harris, 2022
"HE didn't say it period end of subject"
**
13. MMAFighter38, 2018
"Elvis would never have made an ignorant remark. Despite
being raised in Mississippi and Tennessee during the days of segregation &
Jim Crow, elvis always respected the black race and sympathized with their
plight. He also admired Dr King and wanted to meet him when he came to Memphis
in 1966. Col Parker encouraged elvis not to meet with him because he was afraid
it might alienate some of his fans from the south who were prejudice. Any black
person or artist who knew Elvis personally always spoke very highly of him."
**
Reply
14. King Rose Archives, 2018
"That's what my research found. The article that smeared him was completely
false. But people still believe it."
****
(This is the second showcase video that is embedded in this pancoocjams post.]
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. All of these comments are from 2022
1. Claude Garcia
""I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother. He said I was
good and I said he was good; we never argued about that. Elvis was a hard
worker, dedicated, and God loved him ... I love him and hope to see him in
heaven. There'll never be another like that soul brother."
- JAMES BROWN"
**
2. Angela Goodwin
"My theory is that because he was a southern white man,
people assumed it was true. But we now have recorded proof that it was a lie.
If people still believe that ugly rumor, they are ignorant. All they need to do
is listen to the testimonies of black people who actually knew him. Estelle
Brown, one of his back-up singers said he was an angel. James Brown referred to
him as a soul brother. Muhammad Ali said Elvis was one of the sweetest people
you could know. The list goes on. I am black and I believe the people who knew
him personally. He loved everyone."
**
3. Richard Eidemiller
"I'm not even sure why this continues to be something that
needs to be proven and defended. Are people really that easy to plant
propaganda into? No wonder the world is what it is if people are nothing more
than sheep who blindly follow others and believe whatever trash is fed to them.
Look at a man's deeds and how he lived his life, that's the truth of who they
are. Vicki"
**
4. AJ Porter
"Dumbest thing to talk about.
Shouldn’t even waste time discussing that he wasn’t."
**
Reply
5. I Spy
"The reason it's not dumb to talk about....Is because the new
young black.and white generation needs
to know he wasn't racist....For
his legacy...it's important the truth be told. My mom
worked for Elvis until his death...He was not racist...he was a good
loving person to all."
**
6. Thomas P Green
"The Ernest Withers's pictures of the 1956 and 1957 WDIA
Goodwill Revue, as well as the 56 Tri-state fair pictures of "Rock and roll phenomenon
cracked Memphis's segregation laws." (Memphis World News, 1956). Louie Robinson's 1957 interview with Elvis
(which should have been on the cover) "The truth about that Elvis Presley
rumor." (Jet Magazine August 1957), Charlotte Observer interview talking
about Arthur big boy Crudup, the Vancouver Press interview where he talked
about his first love of music colored spirituals (old south, or it could have
been a message on those signs) etc."
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Crudup
"Arthur William "Big Boy" Crudup (August 24, 1905 –
March 28, 1974)[1] was an American Delta blues singer, songwriter and
guitarist. He is best known, outside blues circles, for his songs "That's
All Right" (1946),[2] "My Baby Left Me" and "So Glad You're
Mine", later recorded by Elvis Presley and other artists."...
-snip-
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup was African American.
**
7. Lesa Burnette
"Only. Black. Ppl thought. He was. I don't. Know. Why they thought. That. But. They all did. Smh."
**
Reply
8. Angela Goodwin
"Not all black people. I'm black and I never took it
seriously."
**
Reply
9. Lesa Burnette
"All the ones on here.
That are. First time. Hearing him.
They. Say. I. Never. Listen to. Elvis. Cause. My.
Grandma. Or. Mom or. Uncle. Told
me. He was. Racist. I've. Sat here
and watched them. Watch. Elvis and the
black. Community. And was.
Surprised. To. Find. Out. They was. Wrong. I'm. 60. Years. Old. And.
Been a. Fan of Elvis. And still am. But they.
Made him out to. Be. Something. He never was so. Yeah. Everyone. One of them. Thought. He was. And. Why.
Just listen to. White.
Singers. Why. Not. Just. Listen
to. All. Singers. No matter. What. Color. They. Are. It. Makes. Me. Sick"
**
Reply
10. Angela Goodwin
"When I said I never took it seriously, I meant I never
believed that rumor of him being racist."
**
Reply
11, Lesa Burnette
"@Angela Goodwin that's. Good. Because. He wasn't. Thank you.
For understanding. The. Way I. Feel. It's. Not. Right.
To not. Like. Someone. Or.
Judge. A. Person. From. Just what you
have. Heard. They. Had no clue bas.
To. Just. How. Awesome. Elvis was.
And. A beautiful. Person. He loved. People. Everyone. Sorry. If I. Seem a. Lil.
Rude. But. To. Be honest. I'm really. Tired. Of. The. B
rumors. About. Elvis. They had no
idea. The. Talent. Elvis. Had. Or the.
Heartache. He lived with"
**
12. Anja Krames
"The King of the Blues, B.B. King, said in 2010: "With
Elvis, there was not a single drop of racism in that man. And when I say that,
believe me I should know"."
****
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