Before Elvis Audiobook By Preston Lauterbach cover art

Before Elvis

The African American Musicians Who Made the King

Pre-order: Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Before Elvis

By: Preston Lauterbach
Narrated by: Jaime Lincoln Smith
Pre-order: Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $19.49

Pre-order for $19.49

Confirm pre-order
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

In this thought-provoking book, the Black musicians who influenced Elvis Presley's music finally receive recognition and praise.

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King​, author Preston Lauterbach answers these questions definitively, based on new research and extensive, previously unpublished interviews with the artists who blazed the way and the people who knew them.

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.

©2025 Preston Lauterbach (P)2025 Hachette Books
Entertainment & Celebrities History & Criticism Celebrity Musician Thought-Provoking
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Before Elvis

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.