Did Elvis steal Hound Dog song? Did Elvis pay for hound? Did Elvis pay royalties for Hound Dog?

One of the original writers of Elvis Presley’s 1956 hit “Hound Dog,” Mike Stoller, claims that the song was never stolen from blues singer and songwriter Big Mama Thornton.

Stoller and his writing partner, the late Jerry Leiber, wrote “Hound Dog” within 15 minutes of hearing Thornton sing when they were teenagers.

Thornton first recorded the song in 1952, before Presley released his version four years later.

Although Presley was familiar with Thornton’s original version of “Hound Dog,” his rendition was based on the 1955 version recorded by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys according to Stoller.

Once Presley released his hit version of “Hound Dog,” which topped the R&B and pop charts and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988, the pair received royalties.

Even after the song she originally recorded was a continued success, Thornton received no financial compensation which may have been due to corruption in the music industry at the time and systematic racism.