Introduction
B.B. King’s Defense of Elvis Presley: A Shared History of the Blues
Two giants of American music, B.B. King and Elvis Presley, rose to fame from the fertile musical ground of Memphis, Tennessee. While their public personas were worlds apart—King, the undisputed King of the Blues; Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll—their paths crossed often, and B.B. King offered one of the most powerful defenses of Elvis’s character against the rumors that plagued his legacy.
Early Days and a Shared Stage
B.B. King first met a young Elvis at Sun Studio. King described Presley as handsome, quiet, and “polite to a fault,” always calling him “sir.” Though B.B. didn’t immediately see the seismic talent Elvis would become, he noticed the young man watching closely. As Elvis’s star rose, King quickly recognized his unique magnetism: “He had everything. The looks, he had the talent… you started looking at this guy’s, ‘God almighty, he’s handsome, he’s tall, and he looks good, he can sing, he can play.'”
A pivotal moment in their shared history occurred in 1956 when Elvis, already a global star, made a last-minute decision to attend the WDIA Goodwill Review, an annual charity event for the Black community. King recalled that for a young white man to show up at an all-Black function “took guts.” Elvis’s primary goal was to hear Ray Charles and other acts. When introduced, the crowd went “crazy.” King saw this spontaneous act as Elvis proudly “showing his roots” and respecting the source of his music.
Dispelling the Myth of the Thief
The enduring criticism against Elvis in some quarters was that he “stole” Black music. This narrative was fueled by an awful, racist rumor that Elvis allegedly said, “The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes.”
In 1957, Elvis vehemently denied the quote to Jet magazine, crediting the originators: “Nobody can sing that type of music like colored people. Let’s face it, I can’t sing it like Fats Domino can.” He stressed his deep connection, noting he grew up going to Black churches.
B.B. King echoed this defense, stating flatly, “Elvis didn’t steal any music from anyone. He just had his own interpretation of the music he’d grown up on.” For B.B. King, Elvis had “integrity,” and he held no grudges against him.
The Original Blues Brothers
Their mutual admiration deepened years later in Las Vegas. In 1972, Elvis helped B.B. King secure a highly successful gig at the Hilton Hotel. After their respective shows, they often met in Elvis’s suite for late-night jam sessions.
“We were the original Blues Brothers,” King once laughed, describing how they would take turns playing and singing for hours. It was in these private moments, away from the spotlight, that their shared foundation in gospel and blues music truly connected them. B.B. King’s final assessment was unequivocal: “To me, they didn’t make a mistake when they called him the King.”