Race, Rock, and Elvis

Michael T. Bertrand

Race, Rock, and Elvis
Format
Paperback
Publisher
University of Illinois Press
Country
United States
Published
15 December 2004
Pages
352
ISBN
9780252072703

Race, Rock, and Elvis

Michael T. Bertrand

Observing that young fans of rhythm and blues in the South seemed more inclined than their elders to disregard Jim Crow’s long shadow, Race, Rock, and Elvis examines the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll in a social and regional context. Bertrand connects the music to the larger transformations that were unsettling the post-World War II southern landscape. Specifically, he shows how alienated and anonymous working-class teenage migrants such as Elvis Presley embraced black music and style to create identities within unfamiliar postwar urban settings. Bertrand contends that unprecedented access to African American culture challenged Presley’s generation to reassess age-old segregationist stereotypes. In evaluating the results of this intricate process, Bertrand provides a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between popular culture and social change. Michael T. Bertrand is an assistant professor of history at Tennessee State University.

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