Re: [Marxism] Michal Jackson, Elvis Presley and the perils of success

[Ian Angus <ecosocialism@xxxxxxxxx>]

Cherie wrote:
>Just one point. Big Mama Thornton claimed she was the one who wrote "Hound 
>Dog."
>According to her, Stoller and Lieber had stolen it. My guess is it could very 
>well have happened.
>It wouldn't have been the first time, particularly if the true songwriter was 
>African-American.

Can you provide a reference for her making that claim?

There was a dispute about who wrote the song but not with Thornton.
Johnny Otis, who was the bandleader and producer of her record, has
always claimed that he rewrote Lieber & Stoller's original lyrics. He
was given a writer's credit on the Thornton record, but L&S later sued
to get full credit, and so Otis got no royaties from the Elvis Presley
version.

Big Mama Thornton frequently said  that although she was the first to
record it, she never got the royalties she was owed. That's certainly
true: the Peacock label was run by the notorious Houston gangster Don
Robey, who never paid anything to artists if he could avoid it.

Ian Angus

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