The Black Musicians Behind Elvis’ Greatest Hits

• Otis Blackwell was a black musician who was common for his gifted songwriting abilities and distinctive sound.
• Blackwell wrote hit data for a lot of artists, most notably Elvis Presley.
• Though Blackwell by no means met Presley, he’s answerable for a few of The King’s best-known songs, together with “All Shook Up” and “Don’t Be Cruel”.

Through the late Fifties via the Nineteen Sixties, Elvis Presley grew to become referred to as The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. From his sexually-driven lyrics to his controversial dance strikes, the Nashville native grew to become common amongst his followers and critics alike for liberating the conservative mainstream music scene. Nonetheless, their largest controversies don’t stem from their PG-13 performances, however from the origins of their sound, lyrics and dance strikes. Presley was criticized for drawing a lot of his early music from black musicians.

Otis Blackwell, a black American singer and songwriter who additionally settled within the Nashville music scene, wrote “All Shook Up,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Return to Sender,” three of Elvis’ most well-known early recordings. Sung much like how Blackwell had carried out them on his demo data.