“Hound Dog” was originally recorded by Willie Mae Thornton and has been recorded over 250 times since then. Willie Mae Thornton was an African American women which is probably why it didn’t take off as much as Elvis’s version of the song. There was a big double standard for women during the 1950s and racism was still very prevalent. The civil rights movement was just starting but had not yet made a big difference in the music industry. Rock and roll was a big factor in the start of the civil rights movement because it was often sang by African Americans and white teenagers loved the music. Elvis Presley's version is the one most people think of today. Like most of the songs sung by Elvis, “Hound Dog” was very popular because it sounded like it was sang by an African American but Elvis was actually white. The fact that the song was performed by a white person made it easier for the older generation to accept and more radio stations played this song. “Hound Dog” was inducted into the grammy hall of fame in 2012 and is number 19 on the Rolling Stone magazines list of greatest songs of all
“Hound Dog” was originally recorded by Willie Mae Thornton and has been recorded over 250 times since then. Willie Mae Thornton was an African American women which is probably why it didn’t take off as much as Elvis’s version of the song. There was a big double standard for women during the 1950s and racism was still very prevalent. The civil rights movement was just starting but had not yet made a big difference in the music industry. Rock and roll was a big factor in the start of the civil rights movement because it was often sang by African Americans and white teenagers loved the music. Elvis Presley's version is the one most people think of today. Like most of the songs sung by Elvis, “Hound Dog” was very popular because it sounded like it was sang by an African American but Elvis was actually white. The fact that the song was performed by a white person made it easier for the older generation to accept and more radio stations played this song. “Hound Dog” was inducted into the grammy hall of fame in 2012 and is number 19 on the Rolling Stone magazines list of greatest songs of all