By Sarah Goldman & Don Valentine
She-Said: I am really excited to see the new Elvis biopic movie. He was a Rock and Roll icon. Hence the nickname, “King of Rock and Roll.” The only artist to come close to the King’s stature might be Michael Jackson. Wow, I still remember seeing him for the first time on the “Ed Sullivan” show. He was a legend. No one could do it better than the “King.”
He-Said: Sarah, I just can’t give Elvis any accolades. He mimicked the popular Black artists and White washed our heritage. Many artists have opined on the influence of Black music. In the new Eminem song called “The King & I,” he speaks about stealing Black art, claiming to have done it himself. Mick Fleetwood said in a recent interview regarding the influence of Black artists, “It was John Lee Hooker, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, all of the men from that generation,” he said. “Later on it would be the B.B. Kings and Freddie Kings and that whole bunch.”
Elvis is not an isolated episode. How about Pat Boone vs Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti”, The Kingsmen vs Richard Berry – “Louie Louie”, Eric Clapton vs Bob Marley – “I Shot The Sheriff.”
Blacks have influenced nearly every aspect of White America’s sense of what it means to be Cool! Not just our music but our dress and talk. Let me name a few current slang words that have become ubiquitous in White culture. For example, “Chill Out,” “24-7,” and most recently “Woke!” Over the decades White’s copied our High Five, Chest Bump, and Fist Pump!
She-Said: Hold on my friend, we contributed Bing Crosby, Barbra Streisand and Katy Perry. Well, those weren’t the best contributions to our cultural heritage. Original “Cool” contributions by White people are prolific. Consider we introduced the KKK, Donald Trump and the Proud Boys to name a few. Hmm, I guess we came up short there as well.
You are right my friend. It Is Cool To Be Black!
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