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Ben Wynne

Home Featured Authors & Panelists Featured Participant Lineup Ben Wynne

Ben Wynne is a native of Florence, Mississippi, and serves as professor of history at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville, Georgia. He earned an undergraduate degree at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and a doctorate in history from the University of Mississippi. He specializes in cultural studies of the American South, antebellum America, and the history of American popular music. He has authored multiple books related to southern history and culture.

 

Schedule

Will be posted when available

A Hound Dog Tale: Big Mama, Elvis, and the Song That Changed Everything

The release of the song “Hound Dog” in 1953 marked a turning point in American popular culture, and throughout its history, the hit ballad bridged divides of race, gender, and generational conflict. Ben Wynne’s A Hound Dog Tale discusses the stars who made this rock ’n’ roll standard famous, from Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton to Elvis Presley, along with an eclectic cast of characters, including singers, songwriters, musicians, record producers and managers, famous television hosts, several lawyers, and even a gangster or two.

Wynne’s examination of this American classic reveals how “Hound Dog” reflected the values and issues of 1950s American society, and sheds light on the lesser-known elements of the song’s creation and legacy. A Hound Dog Tale will capture the imagination of anyone who has ever tapped a foot to the growl of a blues riff or the bark of a rock ’n’ roll guitar.