About the book

“Preston Lauterbach has long since made a place for himself as the most valuable chronicler of African-American music as a fulcrum and a center of American culture. But here, with astonishingly detailed and serpentine storytelling, with no road of intellectual inquiry ever closed, he has outdone himself.” – Greil Marcus, author of “Mystery Train,” “Lipstick Traces,” and “Folk Music”

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King, author Preston Lauterbach answers these questions definitively, based on new research and extensive, previously unpublished interviews with the artists who blazed the way and the people who knew them.

In the wake of continuing conversations about American music and appropriation, Before Elvis is indispensable.

About the author

Preston Lauterbach is author of the American music classic The Chitlin’ Circuit, as well as two secret histories of Black culture, Beale Street Dynasty and Bluff City. Preston has also co-authored three memoirs with significant figures in Black music, including Brother Robert (with the stepsister of bluesman Robert Johnson), Timekeeper (with Memphis soul drummer Howard Grimes), and the forthcoming Spirit of the Century (with the Blind Boys of Alabama). His works have earned “Book of the Year” recognition from the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Rolling Stone. He lives near Charlottesville, Virginia.