Rather than bury this in funkpill's fine "Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes" thread, I felt it was necessary to deal with cherylblues comments...

"elvis don,t like black people i wonder why this what elvis said the only thing a nigger can do for me is shine my shoes and he ripped alot of chuck berry music off and he is selfish and creul stold little richard,s sond too."

...in a separate one.


The time has come to put this b.s. to bed once and for all.
It has never been proven that Elvis made these comments.
For more details - http://www.snopes.com/mus...esley1.asp


Elvis was a close friend of the Newborn family in Memphis...



...Who are the Newborns?


Let's start with Phineas Newborn...



"One of the most technically skilled and brilliant pianists in jazz during his prime.."

"Newborn could be compared to Oscar Peterson in that his bop-based style was largely unclassifiable, his technique was phenomenal, and he was very capable of enthralling an audience playing a full song with just his left hand."

"He started out working in Memphis R&B bands with his brother, guitarist Calvin Newborn, and recorded with local players including B.B. King in the early 1950s. Brief stints with Lionel Hampton and Willis Jackson preceded a period in the military (1952-54). After moving to New York in 1956, Newborn astounded fans and critics alike. Although he worked briefly with Charles Mingus (1958) and Roy Haynes, Newborn usually performed at the head of a trio or quartet."

...www.allmusic.com


Then there's Calvin Newborn...



"The often overlooked brother of Phineas Newborn, guitarist Calvin Newborn has almost as much command of his instrument as his pianist sibling. He's an excellent melodic interpreter, plays with great fluidity and blues sensibility, and can smoothly execute complex chord progressions or subtly accompany vocalists."

"Newborn worked and recorded with his brother from 1953 to 1958, and a year later joined Earl Hines.' Newborn recorded with Hines in 1960, and toured and recorded with Lionel Hampton in both New York and Paris, as well as Jimmy Forrest, Wild Bill Davis, Al Grey and Freddie Roach in the early '60s."

...www.allmusic.com

I don't think it made the Hustle & Flow released soundtrack, but he does a tune in the movie called After Hours Blues. ( http://cdbaby.com/mp3hifi...rn2-07.m3u )

Now it just so happens that Calvin Newborn currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida and is a good friend of some of the members in Tribal Disorder.

Calvin came and sat in at one of our gigs last year and I was able to talk to him about his family's relationship with Elvis.
He told me that Elvis used to come by their house all the time, was a good friend of the family and anything but a racist.

As a matter of fact, Elvis got some of his stage moves directly from watching...



..."Flyin' Calvin" perform.

A Calvin Newborn tribute site that mentions the Newborn's relationship with Elvis:
http://yellowdogrecords.c...raphy.html

Calvin and Phineas played on very early...



...B.B. King recordings. (Calvin's daughter is also pictured)


“Calvin Newborn – man, do I love that fella! He came to New York and sat in with us at a gig at Minton’s Playhouse, way back in the day. He tore the place up! When I found out who his brother was, I said no wonder! There’s no slack in that family name.”

~George Benson


I'm no big Elvis fan, but i'm a fan of the truth.


For the record, my favorite Elvis tune is Jailhouse Rock...



...That performance section in the movie is classic.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
[Edited 3/22/08 3:03am]

mothafuck him and John Wayne

CinisterCee said:

Done lovingly of course.


Now if you're gonna do the quote, do it right...



...and include the pic.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

The way i've heard some of the older folks say it, Elvis supposedly said "Shine My Shoes And Buy My Records". Maybe Elvis made these comments during one of his drug induced hazes. I don't know. That comment sounds more like something Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis 1st manager) would've said. He went on record as having said "If I could find me a white man who sounds like a nigger I'd make me a million dollars".

Interesting first hand info. Thanks for that, Neal. I have scans of a Jet or Ebony article from long ago on my computer at work that discounts this story. I cannot remember where he was when he supposedly said this, but the article contends that he wasn't even there at the time. Talking about the article without having it in front of me isn't doing me a bunch of good. I'll post it tomorrow when I'm at work.

CinisterCee said:

Smarty pants!

Nice teachin', teacher. Since your all about clearing the Elvis name today, what's the deal with this guy?

RipHer2Shreds said:

No problem.

The Scopes link references the Jet article, the location he never was and appearance he never made.

Regarding the ThePunisher's contention that "The Colonel" might have been at the bottom of this, I don't believe there's been any tangible evidence to tie this statement to anyone.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Stax said:

Sorry but I don't specialize in name thievery.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Sorry but I don't specialize in name thievery.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431[/quote]

The Colonel had a twat-mouth and he repped the Elvis camp. I'm sure that's where it came from (and why it wasn't necessarily curbed).

CinisterCee said:

You criticized The Colonel's language by calling him "twat mouth."

RipHer2Shreds said:

ahh the irony.

ThePunisher said:

WRONG !!!! The correct quote was attributed to SAM PHILLIPS, the man who ran Sun records, where Elvis (along with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis) first recorded. What Sam said was 'If I can find a White man who sings with the Negro feel, I could make a million dollars". Sam started his label mainly recordin Black artists, such as BB King, Howlin' Wolf, and Ike Turner. What he meant by his comment was that while there was some growing acceptence of Blues and R&B music by the larger White audience, the racial prejudices of the time were too strong for the Black artists to tuly break through to the top. Therefore, a White guy with that style would be the best of both worlds, from a commercial standpoint

BTW - the quote attributed to Elvis has never been proven. As Peter Guralnick, who wrote 2 books on Elvis said, "I'm not saying Elvis couldn't have said it, I'm saying that I found no proof that he DID actually say it ".

And how many still believe Tommy Hilfiger told Oprah that Black people were too fat for his clothes ??

Elvis never said it. It's myth. The rumor started in the 50's from a black magazine.

Elvis was friends with Sammy Davis Jr, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Muhammad Ali, Redd Foxx, and B.B King. He had the Sweet Inspirations as his backup singers in the 70's. One of the Inspirations was dating a member of his Memphis Mafia. He paid for Jackie Wilson's hospital care in the 70's when jackie was sick. Darlene Love claims to have made out with him on the set of one of his movies.

John Wayne on the other hand..

I own an original issue of this 1957 Jet magazine (mentioned previously); if I had a scanner I'd make my own, better pics. I believe these are what RipHer had saved - I posted them on the org once before.

Eileen

Because I've seen the Elvis=racist takes on the Prince boards several dozen times, I will join theAudience in posting more than usual on this also.

The "shine my shoes" tale has had ALL the signs of an urban legend since it first surfaced in the mid 50s. After a few years it also morphed into a racist remark about mexicans that then morphed into a racist remark about mexican girls. There are folks all over the net who just SWEAR that their great-uncle/neighbor/second cousin's wife/grampa/math teacher/barber was THE person standing RIGHT NEXT TO ELVIS when he said.... whatever their version is.

In addition to the Jet magazine interview, Elvis was also questioned on a NYC television show ("Hy Gardner Calling") about the rumors that he had shot his mother and that he smoked marijuana to work himself into a frenzy before his performances. He denied both of these, as he denied the others above.

Regarding the widely reported Sam Phillips quote "If I could find a white man...." - A Sun Records assistant, Marion Keisker, gave the quote to an Elvis biographer (1971, Jerry Hopkins) as something she had heard Sam say. Sam always denied making the statement, telling the New York Times in 1978, "That quote is an injustice both to the whites and the blacks". About 15 years post-Hopkins, the quote was republished with the n-word added by Albert Goldman in his contemptous Elvis takedown. Marion angrily refuted this 'updated' version. Goldman's explanation? The quote "sounds better that way".


Here are a few (of the many) related comments published that don't seem to receive the same play as the shoeshine story:


"Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story"
"In a big club outside of Memphis, I shared a bill with Elvis Presley. I didn't know what to expect. He turned out supercool and extra-respectful, with his 'pleased to meet you, ma'am' gentlemanly manners. He also touched my heart many years later when my good friend Jackie Wilson was down and out, vegetating in some funky convalescent home. Elvis moved Jackie to a decent hospital - and paid for everything."

"TAN" magazine, Nov 1957, "What You Don't Know About Elvis Presley"
"Presley makes no secret of his respect for the work of Negroes, nor of their influence on his own singing. Furthermore, he does not shun them, either in public or private."

"People" magazine, 1998, interview with Cissy Houston (The Sweet Inspirations)
.....Elvis Presley invited the quartet to sing backup during his now-legendary series of Las Vegas concerts. After those shows, Houston says, "we would jam with him for an hour, singing gospel. He really loved it, had a feel for it and was tickled to have four 'church sisters' backing him up." As a token of his gratitude, Presley (whom Houston's husband affectionately called Elvis Pretzel) presented Houston with a bracelet engraved on the outside with her real name and on the inside with his pet name for her: Squirrelly.

"Sephia" magazine, 1957, editorial by African-American minister Rev. Milton Perry
"I found that an overwhelming majority of people who know him speak of this boy as a boy who practices humility and a love for racial harmony. I learned that he is not too proud or important to speak to anyone and to spend time with his fans of whatever color, whenever and whereever they approach him."

"When Elvis Died", Jan 10, 1980, author interview with James Brown
"Elvis used to slip around and catch old black folks that he'd known all his life. He'd pay their rent for a year, and so many good things. They said he didn't like blacks, but this is a lie. The man had a legitimate affection for people."

"Jam! Music", 1998, interview with singer Sherman Andrus (Andrea Crouch and the Disciples)
[on joining the white Imperials Quartet]...."It was 1972, and there were no blacks in Christian gospel music. That's just the way it was.... Given there were no blacks, when we backed Elvis they had to clear it with him and Jimmy Dean, you know, the sausage guy. They had final say. Elvis, he had a whole bunch of newspaper clippings of me. He took one look at me and gave me a big ol' hug and said, 'Welcome to the family.'"

"Cox News Service", 2002, interview with singer Darlene Love
[on backing Elvis in the Blossoms] "I would never think that Elvis Presley was a racist. I could never even open my mouth to say that. He was born in the South, and he probably grew up with that, but that doesn't mean he stayed that way."

"New Musical Express", September 1961
[on his day with Elvis at Graceland] "Elvis Sings Spirituals Like A Negro," says singer/songwriter Ivory Joe Hunter. "He showed me every courtesy and I think he's one of the greatest."

"Perfect Sound Forever", May 11, 1999 interview with bluesman RL Burnside:
PSF: Did you ever get to meet Elvis Presley?
RL: Yeah. See I don't live but about 20 miles below Graceland. We never played together but I went to where he was playing. He was a good guy. He was doing the blues and he did it. Then he took the blues and made rock 'n' roll out of it. And he give an account of everything he did. He said this is so-and-so's music. You know down in Birmingham, I can't think of the guys name, but Elvis did one of his numbers. Had it on a record, ya know. He went down there where Elvis was playing and walked up and his car had quit on him on the highway. He bought him a brand new car. After he got done with his album, he bought him a brand new car. He would do things like that. He made 2 or 3 people down in Atlanta and Birmingham rich, ya know. He had been doing they're music and they didn't think they was gonna get nothing out of it. He went down and found 'em and give 'em some money. Bought 'em homes and everything.

"Black Workers Remember: An Oral History of Segregation, Unionism, and the Freedom Struggle"
[1989 author interview with anti-Jim Crow, NAACP Activist Clarence Coe]
"I liked Elvis [Presley] because he was a poor white boy who didn't spend his time trying to keep me down. Many mornings I would see him out on the road when I'd be going out to work. But the regular old bunch, oh man, you could never forget it. When they'd see somebody black, their countenance would change, they'd put that cheap dirty snarl on their face. I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it. They made darn sure that you never got the impression you were an equal."

"Memphis Commercial Appeal", 2003, interview with famed Civil Rights photographer Ernest Withers
"He had respect for people by age and he had respect for black people. He was fond of Walter Culpepper who ran a barbecue shop on Hernando Street. When he was asked 'Why do you call him 'mister' - he's just a barbecue guy?' Elvis said 'He's a man.'"


Eileen

Those are the ones I had, Eileen. Thank you!

Cool thread. Thanks for starting a separate one addressing this issue tA because I saw the other one was really sinking. Interesting posts from both you and Eileen.

Eileen said:

Reading what he did for Jackie Wilson, really chances my view of him...

He pended his moves off Jackie..

But it was never him personally, it was the masses

that would get me mad about him...

He was just too overhype...

And thanks Audience for mention my thread..

Thanks so much for this thread, and for all the people who posted facts to set the record straight. I'm far from an Elvis fan, but I have to say that seeing these quotes and facts really increased my respect for him as a person. He certainly doesn't deserve to be branded with the "racist" label, and it's a damned shame he has this urban legend associated with him.

Eileen said:

Great references Eileen.
I think I stashed your graphics the last time you posted them.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

funkpill said:

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Elvis moved like that before he ever knew who Jackie Wilson was. Another myth.

@ theAudience, for breaking it down for 'em!

This thread was a KILLAH.

@ Eileen, also, THANK YOU(!) for those JET magazine scans.

My parents have several milk crates filled with various JETs dating all the way back to 1955 -- many which were stored in my late grandmother's garage. They're in great condition, your post really makes me want to dig through those mags and see what I can pull up. Thanks again.

Elvis Presley never said that, and was absolutely not racist towards black people. On the contrary.

Elvis COSTELLO, on the other gand, referred to Ray Charles as "a blind ignorant nigger" during a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett. This pretty much derailed his American career and relegated him to cult status there.

http://www.contactmusic.c...%20charles

Shapeshifter said:

Totally unaware of that comment.

So that's what Stax was going for when he said, "...what's the deal with this guy?"
It went right over my head.

Thanks for the info.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I'll say this and then i'm done with this whole issue. There's no way to tell for sure if he made those remarks or not. But it seems highly unlikely that he would hate the culture that heavily influenced his sound. And it also seems unlikely that he would pretend to like people that he really didn't like. That includes taking pictures signing autographs and everything. Based on all of that, I don't believe it.

theAudience said:

http://www.elviscostello....0407a.html
[Edited 2/25/06 12:56pm]