Would Elvis Have Made It If He Hadn’t Been White?
An Aug. 26 letter from Scott Aylward defended Elvis Presley’s role in popular music. Aylward was reacting to a Pop Eye item in which Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid said of Presley: “He was an important performer, but the people around him capitalized on racial divisiveness. . . . Who crowned him king--did anyone ask Little Richard or Chuck Berry or Fats Domino?”
It is obvious that Aylward never witnessed or understood the horrendous injustices against African Americans before the 1970s.
Our American history purposely omits the contributions of the majority of Negro entertainers. Their styles were stolen from them by racist white men who suppressed their talents.
Elvis did not endure African Americans’ suffering, nor did he encounter barriers to his music being distributed across the nation. Had Elvis Presley been a Negro, Aylward and white America would not have known that he ever existed!
It perturbs me when I read about how Presley opened the doors for Negro singers. Elvis attempted to imitate and emulate African Americans but never succeeded in obtaining the popularity and acceptance of the black communities. Presley did not possess ebony soulful qualities and never fought for the civil rights of African Americans, particularly black entertainers.
JOHN E. JOHNSON
Venice Beach
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