Hound Dog

Many listeners first heard "e;Hound Dog"e; when Elvis Presley's single topped the pop, country, and R&B charts in 1956. But some fans already knew the song from Big Mama Thornton's earlier recording, a giant but exclusively R&B hit. In Hound Dog Eric Weisbard examines the racial, commercial, and cultural ramifications of Elvis's appropriation of a Black woman's anthem. He rethinks the history and influences of rock music in light of Rolling Stone's replacement of Presley's "e;Hound Dog"e; with Thornton's version in its 2021 "e;500 Greatest Songs of All Time"e; list. Taking readers from Presley and Thornton to Patti Page's "e;Doggie in the Window,"e; the Stooges' "e;I Wanna Be Your Dog,"e; and other dog ditties, Weisbard uses "e;Hound Dog"e; to reflect on one of rock's fundamental dilemmas: the whiteness of the wail.