Were Elvis Presley and BB King Really Friends?

[ATENÇÃO: Contém spoilers de Elvis]

The biopic of Baz Luhrmann shows the real portrait of the life and rise of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) to fame and the singer’s complex relationship with the businessman colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). In the production, the King of Rock is seen numerous times alongside BB Kingbut experts say friendship is nothing more than acting.

The film features the young King of Rock dating the blues legend BB King, and the film sparked a debate about the true story behind the two icons. In this scenario, some claim that Elvis appropriated the songs of the black community.

As shown in the feature film, Elvis Presley grew up in a poor and predominantly black community in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he received the musical inspiration and influence of the community, in addition to contact with gospel. In 1948, at age 14, the musician and his family moved to Memphis, where he began covering what was known at the time of black music.

From 14 to 18 years old, Elvis lived with his family in Lauderdale Courts, an apartment complex where he could walk to Beale Street, a street known for being a meeting point for great blues and jazz artists. In the film, it is on Beale Street that Elvis meets with BB King for the first time.

The scenes show that the musicians would not only be friends, but confidants, and BB King would be one of the only people to be honest with the King of Rock. However, despite the fact that they ran in the same circles and had mutual respect for each other’s work, they were just college graduates. Sun Records.

BB King told in an interview with the journalist Charlie Rosemade in 1996, which Elvis “I was usually in the studio practicing, often” and would have watched the blues singer’s recordings a few times, but never questioned why. In the conversation, he praised his colleague’s work, but there was no mention of a deep friendship.

Years later, king commented on the affinity he felt with Presley for both being born “poor in Missisippi, going through a poor childhood and learning to carve out their own way through music” in an interview with San Antonio Examiner. The statement of king made in 2010 shows that, possibly, kinship and mutual struggle fostered a friendship between the artists.

It is not exclusive to black or white or any other color. It is shared in and by our souls. I said this to Elvis once, and he told me that he remembered that I told him this, is that ‘music is like water. Water is for every living person and every living thing.’

Also in the interview, king speaks fondly about the performances they performed together, saying they used to end up in the Elvis after the shows, talking and playing music. “I played Lucille (her guitar) and sang with Elvis, or we took turns. At that time, we were the original Blues Brothers because that man knew more blues music than most in the business.”