Percy Sledge praises Elvis

likethebike posted this very interesting message on the FECC messageboard:

"Picked up the most recent Goldmine and it featured an interview with Percy Sledge the man behind "When a Man Loves a Woman", "Take Time to Know Her", "Warm and Tender Love" and another dozen or so deep soul classics. In the interview Percy talks of the influence of pop and country oriented artists on his music. He starts off the list with a very familiar name: Elvis Presley. He also mentions Hank Williams, Brenda Lee, Marty Robbins, and Connie Francis. "They were all my favorites," says Sledge in the interview.

This little tidbit once again demonstrates the esteem with which Elvis was held by African-Americans of his own generation and the one just after. Most of the artists who put Elvis forth as a rip off artist came later divorced from his original context.

The people who were really there (especially the ones who were teens when Elvis hit the big time) often recognized in Elvis a kindred spirit and their admiration exposes the political bias behind the later dismissals of Elvis' work and influence. It also points out to me the absurdity of trying to break music down into strict color barriers.

For Percy Sledge, this music belonged to him as much as it belonged to any white listener. Music and emotion are universal and real artists recognize this. Not that Percy's admiration of Elvis was a secret before. He had nice size hits with both "Love Me Tender" and "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road". Still, it's nice to have it on the record".

(News, Source: likethebike on For Elvis CD Collectors Only messageboard, 19 March 2005)