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

[La Sainte <lasainte@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't remember where I first read it. However, Big Mama Thornton was the 
songwriter listed for her "Hound Dog" recording on a New Port Blues Festival 
album. Which year, I don't recall. My record is in a box buried deep in my 
closet.

Cherie
  


-----Original Message-----
>From: Ian Angus <ecosocialism@xxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Jun 26, 2009 1:21 PM
>To: LaSainte@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [Marxism] Michal Jackson, Elvis Presley and the perils of success
>
>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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