January 08, 2011
75 Years Ago
Elvis Presley was born.
I'm not a particular fan of his music but his importance to music history is undeniable.
I also think that he helped the civil rights movement quite a bit. He was the vector by which many Americans heard black music for the first time. Even those who were raised to not give them the time of day were, primarily through Presley, made aware that African Americans had talent. Additionally, Elvis was undeniably at ease around black entertainers. While this was not advertised due to the social mores of the time, it was not exactly a deep secret either.
This was not the march to Selma or anything of the sort of course. However, I firmly believe that Presley's cultural contribution in the area of thinking of people of color as people, was a non trivial one.
THAT hurdle was the big one that allowed the hard uphill struggle to gain traction.
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I'm not a particular fan of his music but his importance to music history is undeniable.
I also think that he helped the civil rights movement quite a bit. He was the vector by which many Americans heard black music for the first time. Even those who were raised to not give them the time of day were, primarily through Presley, made aware that African Americans had talent. Additionally, Elvis was undeniably at ease around black entertainers. While this was not advertised due to the social mores of the time, it was not exactly a deep secret either.
This was not the march to Selma or anything of the sort of course. However, I firmly believe that Presley's cultural contribution in the area of thinking of people of color as people, was a non trivial one.
THAT hurdle was the big one that allowed the hard uphill struggle to gain traction.
So on this anniversary of his birth, lets all thank Elvis, for helping to bring us together.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
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